Clerc’s Inferno is a two-act play about Laurent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet and their quest to take Sign Language education to America in the early 19th century.
The short documentary below was shot during two R&D Workshops in London and explores the arduous-yet-rewarding process required to properly translate the English on the page into several dazzling styles of Sign Language on stage.
In a captivating example of life copying art, the creative team, like the characters in the play itself, employ vastly different languages, which often express themselves in opposing directions, in their passionate pursuit of a common goal. The documentary beautifully captures this dynamic and unusual collaboration.
Project Links
Documentary Film Festival. Los Angeles & Toronto 