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Deaf Theatre / Deaf Actors: Bernard Bragg

By Lynette Piña
April 5, 2009

Bernard Bragg

Bernard Bragg is a famous celebrity. He has done many different things such as being a director/ playwright, an artist, a poet, and a writer.

He enrolled in New York School for Deaf and graduated in 1947. At Gallaudet College he studied theater. Theater was not only his passion throughout college. He won the Teegarden Award for Creative Poetry. In 1952 he was offered a job at the California School for he Deaf in Berkley, so he moved to California. In 1967, he helped found the National Theater for the Deaf. In 1975 he won the award; Special Tony Award for Theatrical Excellence to the Actors of the National Theatre of the Deaf. As a performer he was an entertainer, thespian, and mime.

He directed That Makes Two of Us a romantic comedy, and others. for these and all of his works he was recognized for many different works. He is also recognized as a leader in deaf entertainment. From the different poems he wrote "Wonder versus Work" is very interesting:

Wonder Versus Work
With every day spent, I lie awake, in doubt;
And the thoughts crowd in at once and soon fade out,
All but one and this: What for me is in store,
As a day dawns fast? Yet it turns out no more
Than those in the past.
With every day anew, To my sense I come about,
And the thoughts crowd in At once and soon fade out
All but one and this: What for me will be now
Before the day is gone.
ever mind! I still know The price of what's done.
- Bernard N. Bragg

As well as "The sign Language as i know it"
Give me back my language the way I signed it when I was young.
Give me back my language the way it used to be-- before linguists "discovered" it and conferred a new name on it.
Give me back my language the way I learned from my deaf parents, from their deaf friends, from my teachers, both deaf and hearing.
Give me back my language the way I remember how the deaf storytellers role-modeled it to me.
Give me back my language without any of those rules, restrictions, impositions, or fixed boundaries that the linguists established for it.
Give me back my language that has a great potential for change and growth.
Give me back my language which is very much part of who I am.
- Bernard Bragg

This poem is nice because language means alot and is a big part of their life.

He is a great inspiration to those who are deaf and want to persue a famous career. Not necessarily listening to what people people are saying not being able to listen in as a director is amazing. It is amazing because it is like not being able to listen to music which is one of the prettiest things ever made by man kind.

Resources used for this article:

Evans, David S.2009.Life and Works of Bernard Bragg.Tylerinfo media.5 April 2009.<http://www.bernardbragg.com/>.

A shower of Hands: A celebration of Deaf Theater: November 17-19, 2005.VSAmass.5 April 2009.<http://www.deaftheatrefest.com/bbbio.shtml>.

Chandler, Carmen Ramos. Acclaimed Actor Bernard Bragg Creates Endowment at CSUN for Deaf Arts.2006 Mar 10.University Advancement Pubic Relations and Stragetic Communications.5 April 2009. <http://www.csun.edu/pubrels/press_releases/spring06/bragg.html>.


 


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