A New Kind of Listening
Project Director:Kenny Dalsheimer
Executive Producer:Polly Medlicott
Artistic/ Editorial Consultant:Richard Reho
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A New Kind of Listening is the story of a visionary director, the one-of-a-kind theater group he founded, and a young man who couldn't speak, yet found the voice he had been looking for all his life.
The hour-long documentary by Durham, NC filmmaker Kenny Dalsheimer takes us inside the creative work of the Community Inclusive Theater Group and its director, Richard Reho, as he inspires cast members, some with disabilities, to be writers, actors and dancers in an original collaborative performance piece. Together they prove that a small community arts initiative has the power to transform lives.
Laura, Chris and Eve are cast members who can't talk because of their physical and neurological disabilities, and have therefore been labeled mentally retarded. They have learned to type using the innovative technique of facilitated communication. With their mobile keyboards they contribute rich dialogue, lilting poetry and deeply insightful commentary on their lives and on the theater work in progress.
A New Kind of Listening is witness in particular to Chris' early unrecognized attempts to communicate, and to his journey from a lonely, withdrawn adolescent through his amazing breakthrough into self- expression. But it is not until he is included in the theater group that he finally finds love, respect, and a way to get his message across to the world.
Using intimate footage of rehearsals and performances, synthesized voice recordings, archival home videos and interviews with members of the ensemble, the film is a remarkable record of events culminating in the group's performance of The Song that Greens the Earth at one of Raleigh's most prestigious theaters.
A New Kind of Listening weaves together deep feeling, playfulness, vulnerability, and unexpected loss into a joyful, painful celebration of our connection to each other. The result is a groundbreaking film that will change your beliefs about intelligence, disability, and what it takes to be heard.
For more information, please contact Polly Medlicott: polly.medlicott@gmail.com