APH Press Release
Readers’ Theater Production: The Miracle Worker
Actors who are blind to perform Gibson Play
Louisville, KY – The Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), located at 1839 Frankfort Avenue, will host a free performance of The Miracle Worker, By William Gibson, on Saturday, March 24, from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
The play dramatizes the efforts made by the visually-impaired Annie Sullivan to teach the blind-and-deaf Helen Keller how to communicate. In readers’ theater there are no costumes or sets. The actors do not memorize lines, but sit together on stage and read from the script—using vocal expression to help the audience understand the story.
This reading of the play features actors who have a connection to the story like no other—they are blind, themselves, and will be reading the script in braille.
The event is free, but space is limited; reservations must be made by March 22.
Cast members are from Jefferson and other Kentucky Counties
- Kathy Szinnyey – Stage Directions
- Barb Henning – Annie Sullivan, Helen’s teacher
- Kristi Sykes – Kate Keller, Helen’s mother
- Dave Trevino – Captain Arthur Keller, Helen’s father
- Shane Lowe – James Keller, Helen’s half-brother
- Janet Williams – Aunt Ev, Helen’s aunt
- Laura Myers – Viney, a servant to the Keller family
- Justin Hedges– Percy, son of the Keller’s servant and playmate to Helen
- Taryn Seif– Martha, daughter of the Keller’s servant and playmate to Helen
- Farmer Brock – A doctor
- Gary Mudd – Michael Anagnos, director of the Perkins Institute for the Blind
- Shawn Smith – Young man at poorhouse
- Michael Davis – Jimmie, Annie’s brother
- Logan Armstrong, Mari Durrett, Danielle Hardiman, Jolean O’Connell, and Donnie Risner as Students at the Perkins Institution for the Blind
The Miracle Worker is produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
About the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
The Museum, where visitors experience hands-on history, is open Monday through Saturday. Admission is free. Regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Visitors can write in braille, see the first book embossed for blind readers, play a computer game designed for blind students, and much more. More information at sites.aph.org/museum or call (502) 899-2365, weekdays.
About the American Printing House for the Blind
The American Printing House for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the world’s largest company devoted solely to researching, developing, and manufacturing products for people who are blind or visually impaired. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. Under the 1879 federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind, APH is the official supplier of educational materials for visually impaired students in the U.S. who are working at less than college level.
APH manufactures textbooks and magazines in braille, large print, recorded, and digital formats. APH also manufactures hundreds of educational, recreational, and daily living products. APH’s fully-accessible website (archive.aph.org) features information about APH products and services, online ordering of products, and free information on a wide variety of blindness-related topics. One popular feature of the site is the Louis Database, a free tool to help locate accessible books available from organizations across the U.S. APH products can be ordered through Louis.
The American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. is located at 1839 Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. For more information, call (502) 895-2405 or log on to archive.aph.org.
