The film features celebrities such as Kelly Clarkson and DL Hughley. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame will serve as executive producer. Cat worked on the film for seven years. “Sign the Show” is screened at the United Nations Association Film Festival. See him at his Roxy Theater in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 26th at 9pm.
This interview was written by Porfirio Rangel and designed by Chris Egusa and Gabe Grabin.
interview transcript
Jenny Durden: Nice to meet you, cat.
Cat Brewer: Hi. Thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me.
Jenny Durden: This is a really great idea for a movie. What inspired this film?
Cat Brewer: I have been attending concerts since I was eight years old. In 2014, I saw an interpreter for the first time at a show. So I had been going there for over 35 years and had never seen an interpreter. I was completely clueless. I didn’t know that deaf people love music, let alone enjoy live performances. However, although I have been educated and found it to be just as people hear it, I face many challenges and barriers in gaining access to entertainment.
So I decided to write an article for the university newspaper where I was teaching. Three of them were in the Bay Area. And my friend said, “This sounds like a documentary. You should make a documentary.”
Jenny Durden: Why is there a shortage of interpreters at concerts and live venues? I think artists in particular have the same money to pay for interpreters as big artists do.
Cat Brewer: That is correct. I think this is a layered question and answer. So there is a really long history of oppression on the deaf and hard of hearing community and they have a population of over 40 million people in the US alone.
So I think those of us who listen are simply unaware that they are excluded unless we know them in our family and circle of friends. That was my case. There was no one in my circle. I didn’t know anyone personally until I started making this movie.
I don’t think they understand smaller venues. Or maybe I understand because I’ve talked to them, but under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need an interpreter, you’re required to provide one. Means of communication, means of accessibility must be provided.
But I think a lot of venues see it as just a money issue. Oh we can’t afford this. However, there are tax deductions for companies and organizations that provide it. I think Andre 3000 would agree with you. In the movie he says:
Jenny Durden: From Outkast, one of my favorite hip-hop groups.
Cat Brewer: yes. He says it should be normal. it should be standard. Lidars should have interpreters in the same way that artists have speakers in riders.
Jenny Durden: What is a rider?
Cat Brewer: So artists usually have riders that work well. Ahh, a band like that only wants yellow M&Ms in their dressing room. So it’s a rider. What do artists want? what do they need? How many speakers are there on stage? Interpretation depending on what their lighting is like, what food they want, what kind of accommodation they want, and what kind of accessibility they want for their audience can be added.
Jenny Durden: Did your film explore diversity? I know that within the deaf community of color we sometimes use different symbols, like slang…if that’s the right word. It may have been in your movie, but I was reading an article about how a white interpreter rapped at her concert and that he was uncomfortable signing the N word.
So how do we get there? Are there enough interpreters for people of color?
Cat Brewer: No.
Jenny Durden: Is there a push for more color interpreters?
Cat Brewer: that’s right. It has various nuances. There are not as many interpreters of color as there are white interpreters. A white interpreter may not represent the artist well.
Well, I think that example in particular was given by an interpreter of color named Odie Ashford, who lives in the Bay Area. She signed a contract with Tony! Toni! condition! I’ve been following them for about a year. Well, understandably, I think white interpreters have trouble signing the N-word.
Interpreters are in a tricky situation because they are ethically required to be able to accurately interpret what is being said. To do otherwise would be to censor information provided to the deaf and hard of hearing community. As such, the nuances vary. Definitely not enough color interpreters.
That’s a very small percentage. I mean, it’s a viable career, and if people are into it, it’s a great career. There are even fewer deaf interpreters for people of color, and Matt Maxey is a great example. He’s a role model for so many. Especially since we were just at California School for the Deaf in Fremont and the kids knew him.
It’s a K-12 school where kids, like them, are people of color, deaf, do well in media, break down barriers, break stereotypes. I was in awe watching it. What it means to be deaf and what it means to be a person of color who is deaf.
Well, there are different signs. you talk about it too. There are as many sign languages as there are languages in the world. My film deals with that briefly and talks about black American Sign Language. Schools were segregated – blacks and whites. The same goes for schools for the deaf.
Black and white students were segregated, and black students created their own language. And when schools are merged, it’s like two different languages put together.
Jenny Durden: Did you face any hurdles in making this film, or just joining this community and addressing this issue?
Cat Brewer: yes. Exactly so. Some people throw around the term “cultural appropriation”. Uh, “Why are you doing this movie? You’re not part of our community. No one in your life is part of this community. Why are you doing this Are you doing?” And I came from there in terms of being a communications professor for 22 years.
And this was just another form of communication. The film is another platform for me to teach and educate people, and I did my best not to be in the film. A few times when I’m doing an interview, I hear my voice that my editor decided to throw in there. It was just a way of communicating.
So when I go to film festivals, I usually bring people who have been in my films with me, represent them, and invite them to discuss issues.
Jenny Durden: What can we do in the hearing community? What did the deaf tell you and what can we do to help?
Cat Brewer: Can you help make access easier?
There are ways to arrange an interpreter if necessary. Audience members should not just call the venue and say, “Hey, I want an interpreter for tonight.” I believe it is unethical and illegal to do it unless it is actually necessary. to learn more about and better understand what their challenges are.
You can learn sign language. Just learning the alphabet is fine. This will facilitate communication with this community.
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