Linfield College will host “Deaf Puppy Dog Follow,” a performance incorporating American Sign Language, on Friday, March 14, at 7 p.m. in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall at Linfield.
“Deaf Puppy Dog Follow” is a two-man comedy by actors and teachers Heath Goodall and Patrick Fischer. It integrates sketches, poetry, solo stories, comedy and folk tales in American Sign Language, which parody contemporary themes in deaf culture.
Goodall, adjunct professor of American Sign Language at Linfield, was made deaf shortly after his birth due to an antibiotic used during surgery and was introduced to ASL during his senior year of high school. In addition to Linfield, he teaches ASL courses at Portland Community College and Chemeketa Community College. He is an artist, storyteller, actor and poet. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of New Mexico and graduate work at Western Oregon University.
Fischer has been involved in various aspects of theatre and art, including producing, teaching and performing. In 2005, he launched a theatrical business that provides services to those who want to learn more about theatre through the experiences of those who are deaf. When not working in theatre, Fischer is an ASL professor at Portland Community College. He earned the Stephen M. Ryan Teacher of the Year award for his contributions to the understanding of deaf culture and humor in deaf studies by the American Sign Language Teachers Association. Fischer is also a director of artistic sign language at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and owns a design business.
This production is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Linfield College Departments of Theatre and Communication Arts and Modern Languages, the Linfield Offices of Academic Affairs and Multicultural Programs and the English Language and Culture Program. For more information, call 503-883-2802 or visit www.linfield.edu/arts.
