NEW YORK CITY: The Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities honored Deaf West Theatre‘s Broadway production of Spring Awakening with a Champions for Change Award in a ceremony this week. The citation, one of several bestowed at Monday’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month Awards, is presented annually to those in the New York community who display innovation and creative vision in offering career opportunities for people with disabilities.
“[Deaf West’s] production of Spring Awakening shines a spotlight on talented actors of all abilities and creates a Broadway experience that can be enjoyed by every New Yorker,” said mayor Bill de Blasio in an official statement. “As we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I am delighted to join in applauding Deaf West Theatre’s commitment to broadening our city’s cultural landscape and to building a more equitable tomorrow for all New Yorkers.”
Performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English, Deaf West’s Spring Awakening is currently playing on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it was transferred after its original, critically acclaimed run at the Rosenthal Theatre in Los Angeles, and, later, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Directed by Michael Arden and choreographed by Spencer Liff, it features a mixed cast of both deaf and hearing performers.
