Lewis Merkin-playwright (with Drew Emery): Language of One. Currently resides in New York City. Professional actor for over 28 years: Broadway (original Cast-Children of a Lesser God); off-Broadway; national and international tours and regional (Los Angeles and Seattle). Lewis is also a nationally certified sign language interpreter (CDI) and is proud to be third generation Deaf in his family.
NOTE: The phone number listed on the script is out of date. To reach the playwright you may use-
718-305-2682
VP- 866-954-6755
Plays
Language of One: Background
The play is an ensemble piece for four men and five women. To make the play fully bilingual, voicing and signing characters double for each other in a technique we call “shadowing.” Most importantly, both Albert’s and Peter’s characters have a double, a shadow who provides not just translation but also serves as the “inner voice” of each character. These two characters, the shadows, are played by women.
Important: Unless indicated, all dialogue is both signed and voiced. When we use brackets [like this] to indicate when something is signed only or we indicate “voiced only,” we mean that the character whose dialogue it is either signs or voices only—but their shadow still provides the appropriate interpretation for the audience’s sake.
An earlier version of this play, Language of Love, was originally commissioned by Alice B. Theatre of Seattle and received a workshop production in April 1993 with Howie Seago directing. The play, retitled Language of One, was further developed by New York Deaf Theater with a two-week production at the Vineyard Theatre in August 1995 with Drew Emery directing. Since then, the play was adapted for Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and presented by Australian Theatre of the Deaf in a limited run at the Sydney Mardi Gras in February 1999 with Julia Cotton directing.
Language of One: Reviews
In Sydney, Australia
“This was one of the best nights at theatre I have had for a long while. I was entertained, moved and enlightened. The script is particularly strong . . . best of all, it disavows neat resolutions or happy endings. As a very well-constructed and effective bilingual production, it is a rare good thing. Language of One was equal to a main-stage production at Sydney Theatre Company or Company B.” Portia Adamsons, Australia Council of the Arts.
“A groundbreaking play,” Sydney Daily Telegraph
“An impressive offering . . . an interesting, witty American play – and a small triumph.” RealTime
“Recommended as a ‘don’t miss'” QStage Review
“A glorious piece . . . a gem. Powerful, brutally honest, hauntingly beautiful,” Campaign Magazine
“It brings a freshness, clarity and a shot of faith to complex issues,” Sydney Morning Herald.
In New York
“Earnest, thoughtful work . . . directed with polish by Mr. Emery.”
—Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“Smart, thought-provoking and accessible to both deaf and hearing viewers.”—The New Yorker
“Do not read another word of this review. Pick up the phone and make a reservation with The New York Deaf Theatre for their astonishing, magical production of Drew Emery and Lewis Merkin’s forceful play, Language of One . . . The deftness with which Emery and Merkin weave multiple conceits and characters into and around each other is amazing, particularly given that the play is simultaneously performed in English and ASL in an utterly fluid, seamless fashion . . . I defy anyone to attend this play and not be moved by the sagacity of its text, the inventiveness of Emery’s staging or the grace of it’s cast.” —Mark J. Huisman, LGNY (Lesbian Gay New York)
“A remarkably moving play” —Andrew Solomon, The New York Times Magazine
“Language of One is a small treasure—an object lesson in the quality of deaf theatre, a further proof of how artless language can carry the most heartfelt and complex emotions, and last, but not least, a marvel in performance . . .” —Aaron Schloff, The Jewish Week
“A moving drama . . . refreshing and welcome . . . gracefully and appealingly mounted.”
—L.C. Cole, The New York Native
“New York Deaf Theatre’s humorous, irreverent boy-meets-boy play by Drew Emery and Lewis Merkin forges a language of it’s own. But this isn’t merely a hearing play interpreted for the deaf—it’s about being deaf in a hearing world.” —The Village Voice
In Seattle
“The Best New Play of 1993” —David-Edward Hughes, Seattle Twist Weekly
“I laughed, I cried, I applauded bilingually. It’s a rich evening that will drag hearing people toward . . . no longer thinking of the deaf as handicapped.” —Doug VanDerhoof, Seattle Weekly
“Alice B. Theatre has toed the line of genius in their newest presentation.” —Seattle Gay News
