An emotional play capturing the wounds of deaf and blind enslaved people through protactile

Blindfolded guests were guided through the emotional journey of slavery, feeling the pain and grief portrayed by the actors at the University of Maryland’s “Touch of Slavery” for the Blind and Deaf Production Oct. 2. 

The performance, in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is part of the Blind and Deaf Production’s 25th anniversary season.

The play featured five Black DeafBlind actors bringing to life the untold stories of DeafBlind enslaved people in a remarkable performance using a protactile method, a form of communication DeafBlind people use to interact with each other. It involves physical touch on the body, hands or arms to express emotion. 

The experience started with guests being blindfolded to replicate the experience of being unable to see. Playgoers were then guided by one of the actors into the theatre.

Play director Yashaira Romilus greeted guests in protactile, discussing the various protocols to be used for the guests.  A translator voiced what Romilus was signing.

Each actor started their story by grabbing each guest’s hand and signing. The first actor gave each guest a boat paddle and took the guests hands and rowed. The second actor placed a rope into guests hands. Playgoers felt the actor place the rope around their neck to symbolize hanging. 

The next actor placed a makeshift baby made out of a blanket in attendees arms. The actor took the guests’ arms and rocked them gently before suddenly taking the baby away. 

The next actor placed cotton in attendees hands. The actor portrayed a sense of thirst and exhaustion as though working in the hot sun because of the rapid pace of how the actor was breathing and limping. 

Finally, the last actor placed a book on each guest’s chest. The book represented education, something enslaved people longed for but were denied. The book symbolized hope according to Romilus.

Hunta Williams, co-director for this play, shared how special putting on this play was for him. Born deaf, he said, “Black Deafblind people, they were just completely ignored, and that is the reason why I wanted to expose people to this.”

The play received its name because Williams and Jill Bradbury, professor and director of theatre, dance and performance studies at UMD, wanted something touch-based and inspiring. Since the performance was going to be touch-based, they decided to go with “Touch of Slavery.” 

“Touch of Slavery” was first performed at the Black Deaf Advocates in Richmond, Virginia. The president of the Deaf Advocates, Sheena Cobb, a sighted advocate of the deaf community, helped bring the show to life.

Lorita Moore, from Birmingham, Alabama, the main character of the performance, said, “No one has ever heard of Deafblind people being enslaved, but I’m hoping that people understand Deafblind individuals have a place in history.”

Roberta Eaton, a guest who attended the performance, shared her perspective, “This is my first time coming to a Deafblind performance, and it’s not what I imagined. The scenes I was in put me in their shoes, and for that short amount of time, I understood what it felt like to lose my sight and hearing in a violent world.”

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Sheena Cobb was president of the DeafBlind Advocates. This story has been updated.