We were lucky to catch up with Brian Cheslik recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
As a Deaf person, I require ASL interpreters to provide me with communication access during rehearsals/performances. As a Deaf actor/director, my value as an artist is often determined by the cost of providing me with ASL interpreters. In the past, I have been turned down for roles in shows before due to the costs of interpreters. It is very humbling as a person when my value is dependent upon the hourly rates that someone else sets forth. The rising costs of interpreters can cause negative impact to Deaf people.
Brian, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to spread a new way of producing theatre that is inclusive and accessible to Deaf actors and audiences. Deaf actors can be incorporated into any production a theatre company produces, it just needs to be authentic. I council companies in how to do this appropriately and equitably. Through this, I hope to create more opportunities for Deaf artists in theatres all over the world.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Many hearing people assume that captions or subtitles are sufficient access for Deaf people. What they do not realize is that American Sign Language is an entirely different language than English. ASL has its own grammatical structure. It is not a signed form of English. Many Deaf people who are native ASL users from birth struggle to understand English because it is different from ASL, therefore captions and subtitles are not 100% accessible.
The best way to provide 100% for Deaf and hard of hearing people is to provide BOTH captioning AND ASL interpreters.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drbriancheslik.com, www.deafaustintheatre.org
- Instagram: @brianandrewcheslik, @deafaustintheatre
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.cheslik, https://www.facebook.com/deafaustintheatre/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brian-cheslik-430a13273,
- Twitter: @Actorboi1981, DeafATXTheatre
- Youtube: @briancheslik9414, @Deafaustintheatre