Big River at Mills-Pate Arts Center

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2. Big River

A Musical

Authors

• Mark Twain
• Roger Miller
• William Hauptman

Tony Awards and Nominations for Big River

The production is based on the 2003 Broadway staging by the Roundabout Theatre Company and the American Deaf West Theatre. Huckleberry Finn narrates the story of Huck, a young man who takes a long journey to accompany an escaped slave named Jim on his quest for freedom. In the process, Huck learns a great deal about himself and about the developing country around him.

The show blends American Sign Language (ASL) with traditional choreography and staging, affording a unique opportunity for deaf and hearing actors to work collaboratively and provide accessibility to a wider audience. In this adaptation, every line and lyric is simultaneously performed in spoken (or sung) English and ASL, and interwoven with music, dance, and storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures.