AURORA | Nicki Runge pauses before she tries to define the idea of “deafhood” to an interviewer who can hear.
It’s a complicated concept, and there’s no easy way to sum it up in a few sentences. Even Paddy Ladd, the author who helped formalize the term in his 2003 book “Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood,” had reservations about offering a concise definition. The term is bigger than a simple reference to deaf culture. It’s more empowering and expansive than a reference to a single way of communicating.
At its heart, the term boils down to strength and pride in being deaf. As Runge discovered in a series of deafhood workshops held earlier this year in Castle Rock, the idea is all about channeling an inner conviction. It comes down to equality.
“I have to show that I am equal with the hearing world. I’m a career woman who owns a theater and I’m the same as you,” Runge finally explains during an interview in a park just outside the Vintage Theatre in north Aurora. Runge speaks through an interpreter. “I’m not less. I’m not more. We’re equal. That’s what I realized for myself during the deafhood workshop.”
That realization seems belated for an artist as accomplished as Runge, the founder and artistic director of the Rocky Mountain Deaf Theatre troupe. In addition to her role in creating the metro area’s only theater company geared toward the deaf community, Runge has extensive stage experience with other local troupes.
That résumé didn’t fully prepare Runge for the challenge and insight of the RMDT’s latest show. As she spoke a few days before opening night, Runge was confident and assured. She radiated confidence, and that quality had everything to do with her latest role.
Rehearsing for her starring part in the RMDT’s current production of “Shirley Valentine” offered profound revelations for Runge. The one-woman show about a woman who stands up for her dreams and goals offered guidelines for Runge’s own life. It also offered artistic challenges. Runge is on stage for the entire performance. The show about an English woman who longs to travel to Greece forced Runge and her assistant/interpreter Kate Noonan to work carefully on honing a British accent and keeping the action vibrant.
“For me, the most fun part was learning the accent. The character is from Liverpool, and I’ve always been fascinated with dialects,” said Noonan, who’ll interpret for several performances at the Vintage. “It’s really important to match the affect of the actor and match the pace. Those are challenges for me.”
The show posed bigger challenges for Runge. In studying the script and in taking part in the series of deafhood workshops earlier this year, Runge looked to her own past. A child of hearing parents, Runge had to relive painful moments of exclusion and pain.
“When I told my teacher I wanted to join the military, they told me no because I was deaf. So I wanted to become a vet, I wanted to help save animals. They told me no,” Runge said. “With that kind of oppression, you feel colonialized, you feel depressed and you feel isolated.”
Those scars can run deep, and they can show up long after childhood’s end. Runge’s work on this show helped her address her own passivity, she said, and it gave her the inspiration to stake out new creative goals for the company. Since 2012, the RMDT has operated mainly out of the Vintage Theatre in Aurora, but Runge and the rest of the company are working to spread the company’s message across the state and across the country.
After “Shirley Valentine” wraps up its run in Aurora, the show will tour in other Colorado cities such as Greeley and Colorado Springs. Runge has also confirmed tour dates in Washington and North Carolina. Traveling with the show is just one item on Runge’s list of immediate goals for the company. She’s planning on turning the troupe into a nonprofit by the end of the year, a step that she hopes will open the door for other changes.
“I have a dream to hire professional deaf actors from other states to come here,” Runge said. “They can be involved in our plays.”
It’s a dream that’s connected to the lessons Runge learned in the recent deafhood workshops held in Castle Rock. The deaf theater scene in Colorado should be just as vibrant and vital as its parallel in the hearing world. Deaf actors, directors, crew members and producers should have just as many opportunities as their peers.
Slowly but surely, Runge and her colleagues at the RMDT are working hard to make sure that happens.
“Shirley Valentine” runs at 8 p.m. May 16 and 17 at the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $20. Information: rmdeaftheatre.com.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com