LAFPI

“The Book That Won’t Close: Confessions of a Love Addict” by TL Forsberg.

TL identifies as a Deaf woman. She is not, however, profoundly deaf. She straddles the worlds of the deaf and the hearing. She can sign and she can speak. She can also sing, which lead to her having a profile as a Deaf entertainer, a deaf singer, The Deaf Lady Gaga. But the fact that she could travel in both cultures earns her disapproval from some individuals in the deaf community, who challenge the authenticity of her being a Deaf woman. From some hearing people, on the other hand, she receives condescension and pity.

The particular facts of her situation as a differently-abled individual intrude on her private life, resulting in a string of failed relationships with men….a Love Addiction.

Things begin to look up for TL when she meets Treva, a fluid, Transgender Orgasmic Meditation coach.  (You’ll have to see the show to fully grasp what that means.) Treva walks TL through a rehab of her Love addiction, and to confront her unhealed shame around the parts of her that are both hearing and deaf.

The Book That Won’t Close utilizes music, dance, video projection, American Sign Language, and spoken voice, with the support of an ASL interpreter as TL portrays multiple characters in the service of an informative and fascinating narrative. She also contributes her own original rock music compositions to the show’s score. As a Deaf entertainer, her use of spoken voice is controversial, as it collides with certain political orthodoxies within the deaf community.  The Book That Won’t Close  challenges hearing and deaf audiences alike to learn about the diversity that currently exists in the deaf world.

A Hollywood Fringe Festival selection. Written, produced and performed  by TL Forsberg. Directed and developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson.

Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 10:00 p.m. PDT. Thursday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m. PDT. Sunday, August 29 at 1:30 p.m. PDT.

http://hff21.co/6444