The Taste Of Sunrise

by Suzan Zeder

Bi-lingual play in American Sign Language and spoken English. Set in the 1920's - 1930's, in multiple locations we follow the childhood of Tuc (in the dreams of the adult Tuc) in a moving prequel to Zeder's acclaimed MOTHER HICKS. Time is memory. 10 men, 1 woman, 2 deaf actors needed. Multiple locations.

The play takes place in the mind and memory of the adult Tuc as he journeys through his childhood from the fever dream that took his hearing, to the language of nature which he shares with his beloved father, to the Deaf school where his mind explodes with the discovery of sign language. Along the way Tuc meets the mysterious Nell Hicks who heals with herbs and singing spells. He also meets Rosecoe who gives Tuc his name-sign and cultural identity, and Maize, a wild child of Deaf parents, teenaged and pregnant with a head full of movie palace dreams. After the death of his father, Tuc must navigate the perilous path of loss, love, and language as he struggles to weave a family out of wishes, and explores the moral ambiguities of our times and the cultural complexities of Deafness, with humor and compassion.

Genres: Plays

77 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Bethany Burgess-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the pre-quel to the show I'm directing in the Spring. What a beautiful piece of theater - very simple, very clear and crystalizing the basic struggle between the hearing and deaf worlds. Susan Zeder is a visual writer and I love her for it.

[Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really knowing any deaf people, the idea of living in two worlds is hard to understand. My son did some of the signing when BYU put on this production so I wanted to read the play because I didn't get to watch the play.