At the intersection of Deaf and Asian American performativity in Los Angeles: Deaf West Theatre’s and East West Players’ adaptations of Pippin

Abstract

Abstract Among the multitude of community-based theatre groups in Los Angeles, two wellknown theatres continually transgress traditional boundaries of race, culture, and identity: East West Players, which places the Asian American front and centre, and Deaf West Theatre, which features both deaf and hearing actors onstage together. Functioning together within the larger national theatre movement towards diversity, both theatres foregrounded counter-narratives to the prevailing national discourse in 2008 and 2009, staging stark versions of the same show – Pippin – and turning a Broadway production originally set in the Middle Ages into very modern, relevant re-appropriations. Although the choice of source material seems coincidental, a closer examination reveals that Asian American and Deaf communities share similar struggles and experiences, and Pippin echoes this same search for belonging; after all, not until the mid-twenty-first century did both communities begin to find their voice in society. This article explores how Deaf West’s and East West Players’ adaptations of Pippin reflect LA’s cultural diversity and the challenges that the Deaf and Asian American communities still face today. Furthermore, this article provides an understanding of how musical adaptations intentionally disrupt and subvert current notions of national privilege and identity in America.