The experience was similarly enriching

the experience was similarly enriching The twists in the production go beyond the casting decision and the tweaks to the backstory. The scene at the masquerade ball where Romeo first meets Juliet takes place at a Halloween party in this staging; the two “star-crossed lovers” share their first kiss after dancing to Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

“Seeing the deaf community interact with each other and interact with us, it really became easy to understand them,” said Walker, a student at the Colorado Film School. “Another thing that we noticed as hearing actors is when we’re watching the deaf actors perform onstage or when we’re watching them talk ... everything seems really poetic. It’s really cool language to learn to pick up.”

For the deaf actors, many of whom came from outside CCA, the experience was similarly enriching. For Ashley Dearborn, 17, the chance to play Juliet was a creative outlet, just as it was a platform for contributed collaboration. The Legacy High School student said she’d always thought she would pursue a career as a veterinarian before she discovered theater.