There were some delays getting started and by the time we sat down I was feeling a bit nervous, but Seth is certainly excellent at keeping things lively, interesting and on track.
It was such an honor to share the program with a larger audience and give thanks to the wonderful performers who've so willingly supported it.
The interview was broadcast on Stars (Channel 109), Entertainment Weekly (Channel 105) and On Broadway (Channel 72) in September.
I typed up a transcript of the interview so my friends who are deaf/hard of hearing have equal access and figured I would share it here as well.
Seth:
Hi everyone. This is a special
edition of Seth Speaks because we had a technical malfunction and instead of
cancelling the show we are continuing with my guest but my audience is
literally in a separate room where they can sort of see me through 2 panes of
glass, yes, they are waving frantically and they can hear me and I can hear
through an ambient microphone their fake laughter – audience let me hear it. (Audience
laughs) Just as fake as every week.
Excellent. And cut! Alright, for my first guest I have a
Dock-ter but he’s not here to talk about that weird lump on my shoulder. He’s here to talk about his amazing
Broadway program for literally first graders. Dr. Gary Wellbock?
Gary:
Wellbrock, yes.
Seth: Still got it. Not Jewish. Okay, so what exactly is this program? From what I read about it it sounds
amazing but describe it to my audience.
Gary:
Sure. It’s called Broadway Books First
Class.
Seth:
Already I like it, it has the word Broadway in it. Keep Going.
Gary:
(laughs) Basically at its core it’s a pretty simple idea but the concepts that
support it are more complex. So,
what I do is I invite Broadway performers into my classroom to read a book and
answer about 3 questions about life in the theater, life as an artist.
Seth:
So you bring like Patti Lupone to read her autobiography “Glenn Close stole my
role!” And the first graders literally enjoy it?
Gary:
Ahhh, I would love that. And I’d
make sure the children put away their cell phones before she came to the
classroom.
Seth:
(laughs) Exactly. Da Da Da Da Da Da – Reference! Wait, what kind of books do
these Broadway people read?
Gary:
The books are high-quality children’s books.
Seth:
Oh, they’re children’s books. I
see.
Gary:
Yeah, children’s books. And,
they’re read…the kids that I teach are Deaf and hearing and hard of hearing.
Seth:
Oh, I didn’t know that part.
Gary:
Oh, yeah. I try to make sure that
I have a nice balance of Deaf performers and hearing performers and the
performers who are hearing, when they come in there is an interpreter that sits
beside them..
Seth
(interjects): Wow
Gary:
and interprets the book.
Seth:
And so, I guess the question is, “Why bring in a Broadway performer just to
give my version of the story?” I used to, for a long time I performed
for these AIDS patients in hospitals and it is amazing when I bring Broadway
performers but so many non-famous people are amazing and when I would bring in
a Broadway performer they’d be like, “You’re good” like it was no different,
they wouldn’t care if you were a Broadway star or not. Aren’t the kids like, “We don’t know
who you are Dame Judi Dench”.
Gary:
Well, I think that would happen if it was just a one-time event where someone
would come into the classroom and read a book but that’s not how it
happens. I really try to reach out
beyond the walls of my classroom to have New York…the whole idea is that New
York is this great cultural center so I try to take advantage of what’s going
on here. And when I have a
performer come in, say Alison Fraser…
Seth:
The original Trina in Falsettos, well, March of the Falsettos…go on…
Gary:
We’ll talk about her work for a week or two prior…
Seth: You mean, you and the kids will?
Gary:
Yeah, yeah
Seth:
And they are like, 6-years-old?
Gary:
Yeah, six, seven, seven-years-old.
Seth:
Aren’t they like, “What’s Equity?” How do they understand anything?
Gary:
Well, we have discussions about that.
I really let them lead the discussion and, you know, I start with
Googling Alison Fraser or Bryce Pinkham and we have a discussion about
that. What really helps is if I am
really into that performer.
Seth:
Of course
Gary:
Like Alison Fraser, I love her work so much.
Seth:
Yeah, she’s amazing.
Gary:
So that I am able to talk about what she did in Romance/Romance or The Secret
Garden so one day we just talk about The Secret Garden and all of those things
play into what the kids are going to bring into the conversation.
Seth:
So, even if they’re musical theater stars and a lot of the kids are hearing
impaired it doesn’t matter that they can’t necessarily hear them singing.
Gary:
No. And Elizabeth Ward Land, I
don’t know if you know…
Seth:
I know Elizabeth Ward
Gary:
She came in and she sang a song.
Alison Fraser sang a song. Most of the kids in my class are CODAs, that
means they are Children of Deaf Adults so their first language is American Sign
Language so the interaction there is that they can obviously hear but I have
the support of the interpreter there to make sure that their first language is
covered.
Seth:
Wait a minute, so the kids are actually hearing. So, what’s the ratio of the
kids in your class of hearing vs. not hearing?
Gary:
I have 21 kids and 17 of them are CODAs.
That means most of them are children of Deaf adults.
Seth:
But they themselves can hear?
Gary:
Yes
Seth:
And then the other children are Deaf?
Gary:
Deaf or hard of hearing, right.
Seth:
I see. What an interesting combination. What kind of school is this?
Gary:
It’s a dual language school.
Seth:
I see.
Gary:
We do spoken English and written English and then ASL – American Sign Language.
Seth:
Oh, it’s all so creative on so many different levels. So, you have these
Broadway performers come in and perform and read these books. What I like about
it is I’ve met so many Broadway stars who say it wasn’t until they were 20 that
they realize they could have a career as a Broadway…like “We didn’t know you
could get paid for being on Broadway” So I love that you are telling these
6-year-olds from the very beginning that you can actually have a job as an
actor because a lot of people don’t realize that.
Gary:
Yeah, and if anything else it’s an appreciation of the Arts, right?
Seth:
Exactly
Gary:
They live in NYC so I want not only to build maybe somebody who might be a
performer but to build an audience so Broadway keeps going.
Seth: I know. It drives me crazy that so many
people that actually live in NY don’t go to Broadway. I love that you’re doing this. Who decides on the
books? You do?
Gary:
The original idea was that I would have the performers bring up a book that
maybe they loved from childhood that was a favorite but that didn’t really go
over.
Seth:
Why not?
Gary:
Nobody really had a big suggestion or they were more hesitant…
Seth:
I sure do
Gary:
…about bringing something in. Well, I have a book idea for you too. I want you to come.
Seth:
What? I want to bring in my own book!
Gary:
Oh, you could do that. But, I got
you this book right here.
Seth:
Oh, this is the book. Oh, hold on.
Let me see it then. I’m unwrapping on the air because people love dead
air. Okay, so hold on. It’s so
well wrapped. Did you wrap this
yourself?
Gary:
Yeah, yeah.
Seth:
I am the worst wrapper. I am super
depressed. Okay, so this is the
sound of paper tearing. (Opens present) Audience can you verify that I am
unwrapping and it’s not some bad sound effect? The back is beautiful.
Ahhhh, this would be a good book for me. Audience look It’s called The
Bear and the Piano.
Gary:
Do you know that one?
Seth:
No, I don’t know it at all. OMG, it’s so lovely.
Gary:
Yeah, it’s a beautiful book. It’s
about learning to play the piano and it’s about going off and following your dreams
and coming home again to the people that love you.
Seth:
It’s a more sensitive book. Mine that I’m obsessed with is Nosey Mrs. Rat. Do you
know that book?
Gary:
No, I don’t.
Seth:
It is hilarious. It’s about a Be-yitch of a rat who is really snoopy and she
literally has helium balloons so she can float up and look through the windows
of her neighbors, she’s such a bitch (laughs). Anyway, but this one is much more sensitive The Bear and the Piano. It’s so
beautiful too.
Gary:
No, if you come you can read whatever you want. You know, I would love that.
Seth:
I love the illustrations in this.
So, this is…I am trying to think of how people can adapt this. They don’t always have Broadway
performers so how would you adapt this to another city?
Gary:
Well, what I…the idea is to take what you have in your community…
Seth: Ahhh
Gary:
…and make the most of it. So, at
the very least teachers can invite parents in to read a book. And it’s about
building excitement for literacy.
It’s about kids wanting to come to school. You know, when I was little
if there was an event I was more excited to go to school.
Seth:
Totally
Gary:
And obviously I am someone who loves school in the first place but I remember
waking up early and really wanting to come to school and I want to give that to
the kids I teach.
Seth:
So you build it up. You don’t just say, “They’re coming today” You build it up
weeks in advance.
Gary:
Yeah, weeks in advance. And then
we talk about it afterwards. Right
now they are very theatrically wise. Michael Urie was in…
Seth:
Ah, he’s so great.
Gary:
Yes, he was. He was
fantastic. He was the last one,
the last guest we had this year.
Right before him was Julianne Moore and Nathan Lane…
Seth:
NATHAN LANE! Did he scare the kids with a loud voice?
Gary:
No, No and I was hoping he would (audience laughs) but he didn’t. But the kids became very theatrically
wise so they went off script because most of the time I ask them to come up
with three questions, which we develop and we kinda stick to that but by the
time he came they were asking him, “Do you have any Tony Awards?” “Do you
know…”
Seth:
Oh, so they hurt his feelings. Wonderful. (laughter) He has to say, “No, I
don’t” It’s very kind of you. Do not ask me that question if I come because
I’ll be literally devastated.
(laughs).
Gary:
(laughs) Okay
Seth:
So, in conclusion…Okay, this particular program is called
Gary:
Broadway Books First Class
Seth:
Broadway Books First Class. Oh, I
get it First Class. And you can
develop it in your community and how can people contact you to just say, “How
do you actually do it?” Do you have a website or something?
Gary:
Yeah, it’s Broadway Books First Class dot com
Seth:
Oh, that’s easy
Gary:
And there’s a tab where it says “Contact” and you can send me an email and I’ll
get that and I’d love to talk to people about it.
Seth:
And there’s no apostrophe in Broadway’s books?
Gary:
No, no
Seth:
Wait, Broadway Books. I see,
Broadway Books Fist Class dot com.
It’s such a great idea. And
get this book it’s so beautiful it’s called The
Bear and the Piano or Nosey Mrs. Rat,
which is hilarious. Alright, thank you Dr.!
Gary:
Thank you so much. I appreciate
it.
Seth: Applause from the audience in the next room. Excellent fake applause people.
Seth: Applause from the audience in the next room. Excellent fake applause people.