Sugar Land’s Fort Bend Christian Academy is excited to bring to the community a play like no other, “The Taste of Sunrise,” by Suzan Zeder.
It is a tale of two worlds, Deafness and Hearing. This play will be bringing two departments together. The FBCA American Sign Language department, led by Tony Slate and Elyse DeBuck, and the Theatre department, led by Lana Thompson, are working together to create a performance of significant impact. The play centers around the life of a young deaf boy named Tuc who struggles to find his voice. His journey leads him to discover sign language, which opens our character’s eyes to his true identity and opens our audience’s eyes to the history of Deaf culture and the beauty of American Sign Language.
This is the second time in FBCA history that the school has put on a shadow performance both for the school and Deaf community. Join us for one of our performances on Saturday, November 14. Showtimes are 1, 3, and 5 p.m. in the Fort Bend Christian Academy North Campus gym, 1250 Seventh St., Sugar Land, TX 77478. We look forward to sharing this special evening with our hearing and Deaf audiences!
For tickets, visit the FBCA website at fortbendchristian.org/play.
“Being able to be in this performance has been the biggest blessing. It has been so cool to bridge together two very important parts of my life, ASL and theatre. I’m so excited to be able to challenge myself and create something beautiful for the Deaf community!” – Jessica Crocker, 12th grade
“I am so excited to be a part of the cast of “The Taste of Sunrise”! Working on the show has taught me so much. Before starting the play, I knew almost nothing about the ASL community around me. However, through rehearsals, I’ve been able to learn so much about the Deaf community while also growing closer to my fellow cast members.” – Madelyn Pozzi, 11th grade
“My prayer is that we can produce something that our local Deaf community can enjoy and feel 100% welcome at our school. This is our second year, and this time the play centers around a Deaf character.” – Tony Slate, ASL Teacher
“I am beyond excited to be able to be a part of this shadow performance. Although I teach theatre, I have such a passion for the Deaf community after learning about the lack of theatre for them from Elyse and Tony, our ASL teachers. To be able to open this door for our students is something that they will never forget and provides a way to minister to the community in a way that no one else can. I am so proud of the students and their hard work and commitment to something new and challenging. What a blessing it is to be able to work with incredible teachers and students. You don’t want to miss this beautiful performance and collaboration of two worlds!” – Lana Thompson, Theatre Teacher
Fort Bend Christian Academy’s visual and performing arts programs have been recognized with a multitude of awards over the years. The fine arts program at Fort Bend Christian Academy offers its students a comprehensive program throughout all levels of education. For more information about Fine Arts at Fort Bend Christian Academy, visit fortbendchristian.org/arts.
