Tereek - Stephen Prescod
Artie - Robert Tarango
Tereek -- a young man trying hard not to reveal his lack of a home -- is desperately looking for a bed for the night, texting friends in hopes that he can crash with them. But just when something comes through, he finds himself helping out Artie, a deaf-blind man waiting for a bus home.
The encounter is anything but straightforward, not only due to their differences in abilities but also their different temperaments and ages. But as Tereek helps Artie navigate a ride home, he learns to see the world through another perspective beyond his own -- and broadening his horizons in the process.
Writer-director Doug Roland's Oscar-shortlisted short drama -- executive produced by Marlee Matlin and in partnership with Helen Keller Services -- is a deceptively simple narrative that takes place over one evening between two characters. But this chance encounter -- captured with visual storytelling that's both natural, unforced and still deftly crafted -- uncovers riches of empathy, along with a profound revelation about how people can offer fellowship, help and care to one another, even in the simplest of ways.
Actor Steven Prescod's subtle yet precise performance captures Tereek's arc as a young man unmoored, looking out for himself because he has to. And that might cost him his humanity, especially when he snarls at a homeless man visibly less well-off than himself. But as he helps Artie move through the world, he takes on Artie's perspective and becomes his "brother's keeper," opening him up in both feeling and sensibility at a juncture in life where he may close himself off permanently.
A friend recommended this to me the other day. It and the film made about how they found the deaf-blind actor to play Artie, Robert Tarango, I thought about what a dramatic production for deaf-blind people could be like, what it would mean if you couldn't hear or see it. I don't know but it would be interesting to hear them tell us, I haven't found any place where anyone has. New things to think about, especially for someone whose favorite form is audio theater.
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