To Whom It May Concern:
Daniel Greene contributed importantly to the success of a play and public forum I produced this spring. When the project ended, I asked Daniel how I might help him. It’s a pleasure to write about our experiences.
Napkins and a Pen is the story of a teenage romance between Derek, who is hearing, and Anna, who is deaf Anna’s older sister, also deaf, tells her not to trust a hearing boy, because he will never understand her. To make the production bilingual, we used offstage actors to voice for the two performers who used ASL, and two on stage interpreters, to sign for the two speaking actors. Daniel helped with the rehearsal process, did a fine job on stage, and was invaluable during the forum.
Daniel is a skilled professional. Coming to the first rehearsal fully prepared, he assisted with the translation between ASL and English, offered strong blocking suggestions, and pitched in wherever he saw the need for another pair of hands. He established a warm rapport with the speaking actor for whom he signed, and with the other interpreter. He took direction well, bringing vitality and humor to his lines. Daniel’s commitment to the project extended to helping me find additional interpreters and driving company members to out of town rehearsals.
Daniel’s ability to move fluidly between voice and ASL was especially valuable after the evening performance and forum at the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla. A panel of experts in ASL, two of whom used ASL, presented information on current research and cultural issues to an audience of hearing and deaf Daniel voiced for one of the panelists during his presentation, and then teamed with two other interpreters to make sure that everyone understood the questions and answers. He switched between English and ASL, facing the panel one moment and the audience the next. Complex ideas were exchanged and debated at a fast pace, thanks to the teamwork and expertise of the interpreters.
Daniel brought intelligence, imagination, skill and flexibility to Napkins and a Pen. I look forward to working with him again.
Sincerely yours,
Deborah Salzer
Executive Director, Playwrights Project
Daniel Greene 