Augusta County actor who is deaf enjoys being part of ShenanArts production, 'My Fair Lady'
STAUNTON — It's a bit of a family affair in the ShenanArts' production of "My Fair Lady."
Michael and Ciara Krysiewicz, with their son Elijah, all are part of the cast of the musical, running May 10-12 and 17-19 at the Staunton theater at 300 Churchville Ave. For all of them it was something different. Elijah had never done stage acting and Ciara had never done any kind of acting.
Michael, who is deaf, had done some acting as a kid, but this was his first musical. He is believed to be the first actor who is deaf in ShenanArts' history, although director Jennifer Vaughan is still working to verify that. She said he is certainly the first actor who is deaf to take part in a play since ShenanArts moved to its current location in 2010.
"This is kind of new territory, not just for me, but for ShenanArts," Vaughan said.
Growing up on Long Island, Michael did some acting until his early teen years, but when he moved to Virginia and his school no longer offered theater, the passion kind of fell by the wayside.
Then COVID happened, and while the pandemic shut down many things, it also helped some people find their creative spirit. That was true for Michael, who was teaching some acting to his son through some short, funny videos the two did.
It sparked an interest in both, Elijah discovering acting for the first time and Michael rediscovering it. Elijah, an 11-year-old student at Stewart Middle School, appeared as an extra in a couple of small films. This past January, Elijah was cast as Jed in "Blood and Breakfast," a film by an independent company based in Northern Virginia. The movie has not been released yet.
Michael, who graduated from VSDB in 2006, has appeared in a few commercials, but hadn't done any stage work since he was slightly older than Elijah. He wanted to get back into that kind of acting, and wanted to get his son involved also. He saw an ad for auditions for "My Fair Lady," and reached out to Vaughan. Ciara thought she'd give it a try also, her first time doing any kind of acting, so all three members of the Krysiewicz family tried out and received roles.
Michael was cast as the Prince as well as part of the ensemble.
Using sign language with his wife interpreting, Michael told The News Leader that there are challenges to being in the production as someone who is deaf.
"Hearing the music, knowing the perfecting timing of things," Michael said, was difficult. "That's really challenging. But I'm so grateful to the other actors. They figured out how to work with me a little bit. I just kind of follow their timing. I might be slightly off time, but I get there."
Vaughan wasn't sure how it would work when she first cast Michael. Now, as they prepare to open, she said it couldn't have gone much better.
"His total awareness of his surroundings allows him to be able to fit right in," the director said. "There are scenes I would defy you to pick out where the deaf actor is. You can't tell."
Vaughan knows a little sign language, but it's been years since she used it. There are other members of the production who know sign language.
"As it turns out there were other members of the cast who at least knew some sign and were able to communicate with him," Vaughan said. "I have to give my cast and crew so much credit. From the beginning they were like, "Yeah, we can do this.'"
Michael remembers when he was a student at VSDB, a Los Angeles-based theater, Deaf West Theatre, traveled east and came to Staunton. The non-profit group bills itself as the artistic bridge between the deaf and hearing worlds. Tickets were free, so Michael and some friends went.
"I enjoyed it so much," Michael said. "The perspective, like deaf theater. They had a deaf person and a hearing person with them, so it was one character played by two people. The deaf person was signing and the hearing person was voicing. It was really awesome. It's so interesting."
For three years at VSDB he pushed the school to add a theater group. Finally, his senior year the school agreed, but by the time they said yes there wasn't enough time to do a play. The group ended up shooting a short film in two weeks.
Michael likes that his whole family is taking part in the ShenanArts production.
"I'm happy that (Elijah) is interested in acting," Michael said. "The three of us doing something like this, involved as a family, it's really nice. I love it."
Elijah also has his own Youtube series, "Celebrity Chatter & Things that Matter with Elijah," of which he's done, as of this week, 134 episodes.
Ciara has been singing since she was in elementary school, but this is her first time in a musical. She and Michael met in Florida, working together in retail. Ciara didn't know any sign language when the two met, so she had to learn it. She's done such a good job that now she works as an interpreter at Riverheads High School.
"I taught her everything she knows," Michael said, laughing.
Does Ciara feel protective of Michael when he's trying something different, like a musical?
"Honestly, he's actually helped me a lot," Ciara said. "There's very few things I may do for him. Like I might tap him on the back after one line so he knows. Pretty much everything else, he does himself. He's pretty independent. A lot of times I am the one who makes the mistake."
Michael would like to do more shows after "My Fair Lady" ends, but he said he did find out it's time consuming. He wakes up shortly after 5 every morning, drives to Mount Jackson for work, gets home and rests a little before heading to rehearsal. Add in Elijah's baseball and karate practice, and time is limited.
He said it can be a bit overwhelming at times, but once baseball is over for the season and he has a little more free time he'd love to do another show.
He is proud of his accomplishments, saying he never let his deafness stop him from chasing his dream of being an actor. He also wants those involved with "My Fair Lady" to know how much they've meant to him.
"This crew, the cast, is awesome," Michael said. "It's not just people we're working with. This is our family. They help us so much. They show that they care and they're so helpful and friendly, they're so welcoming. They work so easy with us. I'm really thankful for their patience with me. In the beginning it was really hard, but now, it's nothing, really smooth."
Tickets and more information are available online at ShenanArts' website. Show performances are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays, May 10-12 and May 17-19.
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: ShenanArts' 'My Fair Lady' features cast member who is deaf
