Interpreter program · 2027 cohort
Breaking Down Broadway
One show. Nine months. Way too many notes in the margins.
A small-cohort, book-club-style deep dive into theatrical interpreting. We take one musical and stay with it for the season, analyzing it, translating it, and building the interpreted performance as a team.
Questions? Email info@handsupproductions.com
6 seats
Small on purpose
5 Sundays
Jan through Aug 2027
$420
Includes your show ticket
CEUs pending
Pending PARID approval
Not a workshop. A season.
Interested in interpreting theatre but not sure where or how to start? Already doing some performance work and want a sharper process for taking a script apart and putting the interpretation back together? This is the forum for you.
Most trainings give you a taste of a show. Breaking Down Broadway gives you the whole meal, slowly. Six interpreters, one musical, and the better part of a year to do it properly: script study, translation choices, team decisions, rehearsal, feedback, and finally a performance.
It’s the same process our teams use on a production. We just stretch eight weeks out to nine months, so there’s room to ask every question.
How the season runs
01
One script, all season
We choose a musical that suits the cohort and you stay with it all season. You’ll analyze it for meaning, intent, and characterization, and weigh translation choices for message equivalence.
02
Five Sundays, one team
The full cohort meets every other month. The cohort splits into two teams, Act One and Act Two. Between meetings, your team keeps working the script using a video of the production.
03
A final performance
It all builds to August 15, 2027, when each team performs its act of the show. The audience is past cohort members and mentors. Nobody else.
A typical Sunday
Together first. Tips, tools, and the questions that came up since last time.
Then into the work. Teams break out with Deaf coaches and hearing mentors to take on the next stretch of script.
Then show us. Each team presents what they’ve built and gets feedback.
Kickoff · Friday, December 18, 2026
First, watch the pros
The cohort starts the season together in the audience. On Friday, December 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM, you’ll attend the Hands UP interpreted performance of Operation Mincemeat at the Forrest Theatre, interpreted by Brian Morrison, Donna Ellis, and Jessica Harnley-Cooper, with ASL coach Fred Beam.
You’ll watch a finished interpretation before you start building one. Your ticket is included in the cost.
The calendar
All sessions meet on Sundays, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Location: Philadelphia area, TBA. We’ll confirm it before the first session.
Date | What |
|---|---|
Fri, Dec 18, 2026 · 7:30 PM | Kickoff: Operation Mincemeat interpreted performance, Forrest Theatre |
Sun, Jan 10, 2027 | Session 1 |
Sun, Mar 7, 2027 | Session 2 |
Sun, May 2, 2027 | Session 3 |
Sun, Jul 11, 2027 | Session 4 |
Sun, Aug 15, 2027 | Final performance |
Who it’s for
Interpreters with a minimum of three years of working experience who want to further enhance their interpreting skills and knowledge in the theatre setting.
You don’t need a résumé full of shows. You do need enough language to play with. You have to be able to bend ASL the way you’d bend English for a pun. You also need to be someone a team can count on: someone who shows up, takes feedback, and has their partner’s back.
“I need to know my team is there for the same reason: not for me, not for you, but to tell the show.”
Donna Ellis
What you’ll be able to do
At the conclusion of the activity, participants should be able to:
Identify techniques to enhance performance interpreting.
Develop strategies for script and text analysis.
Analyze a script for intent, content, and characterization in order to create an effective interpretation.
Compare and contrast script translations to identify those most effective for message equivalence.
Apply effective team interpreting strategies in a theatrical setting.
Produce an interpretation of a musical at a final performance.
Whether or not performance interpreting becomes your main gig, this work makes you a better interpreter everywhere else. You will never be scared of a dentist appointment again.
Who you’ll work with
Brian Morrison, M.Ed., CI, CT
Brian has spent nearly thirty years in the interpreting profession and more than two decades teaching it. He trained at Theatre Development Fund’s Interpreting for the Theatre program at Juilliard, has interpreted more than a hundred plays and musicals, and is Program Coordinator of the ASL/English Interpreting Program at Community College of Philadelphia. He’s also a past president of both CIT and CCIE.
Donna Ellis, MFA, CI, CT, SC:L
Donna came to interpreting after ten years as an Equity actor in New York. In nearly forty years she’s interpreted more than a hundred Broadway tours, regional productions, and experimental works, and she’s trained a good share of the region’s theatrical interpreters.
Plus Deaf coaches and hearing mentors who join the working sessions and give feedback on your choices.
More than 30 interpreters have come through Breaking Down Broadway so far.
How to apply
Cost: $420. That includes your ticket to the Operation Mincemeat interpreted performance.
Limited to 6 seats
Record yourself interpreting any Broadway song. Phone video is fine. We want to see your interpreting, not your production values.
Email it to info@handsupproductions.com with “Breaking Down Broadway 2027” in the subject line.
Do it by Friday, November 20, 2026. We’ll review every video and let you know about a seat in time to get your ticket for December 18.
Email your video →
CEUs and policies
CEUs: Pending approval. We’ll post the CEU details here as soon as PARID approves the activity.
Policies: For information about registration, payment, refund, and cancellation policies, or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Brian Morrison at info@handsupproductions.com.
Non-discrimination: Hands UP Productions does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability, and is committed to an environment of mutual respect, free from bias.
Questions people ask
Which show will we work on?
We choose the musical once we know the cohort, so it fits the people in the room. You’ll find out at the start of the season.
Is the final performance open to the public?
No. It’s a workshop on day one and a workshop on the last day. The audience is past cohort members and mentors, which makes it a safe place to try things.
Do I need theatre experience?
No. You need at least three years of working experience as an interpreter and some knowledge of the topic. Curiosity about theatre helps. A love of show tunes is optional but common.
What happens between sessions?
Your team keeps working the script on its own schedule, using video of the production, and brings that work to the next Sunday.
What if I miss a session?
You can miss one session and still be eligible for CEUs, but we expect full participation. The work builds from one Sunday to the next, and your team is counting on you.
I’m new to theatre interpreting. Is there a smaller first step?
Yes. StageCraft is our one-day introduction to theatrical interpreting. Think of it as the first two hours of Breaking Down Broadway. We’re planning the next dates now. See the pathway →
One part of a pathway
Dates coming soon
StageCraft
Explore the craft. One day.
You are here
Breaking Down Broadway
Develop the process. One season.