Last week, students enrolled in American Sign Language classes had the opportunity to take the stage, or cheer from the audience, at the ASL Variety Show — a celebration of Deaf culture, creative expression and community connection. 

The three-hour event took place last Thursday morning in Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall, bringing together students of all language levels in their appreciation for Deaf arts. 

“The variety show is about getting to experience showcasing ASL not just as a form of communication but also as a form of art and sharing stories,” Sydelle Buyungo ’27 said. 

Buyungo was one of the performers in last week’s event. 

Now in her fourth semester of ASL classes, she felt confident enough in her signing ability to take the stage.

Whether it’s translating songs or creating skits about history or poems, Buyungo said that this experience allows people to personalize their learning, link their language learning experience and make ASL something functional and practical in their own lives.

Buyungo, alongside her classmates, performed a rendition of the founding of the National Theater for the Deaf. Through sign, they were able to tell audiences about the origins of a cherished institution for the Deaf community.

“I like how the variety show is inspired by ASL Slam and other important Deaf events,” said Amelia Wilkinson ’27, an ASL student. “It encourages people to express themselves through performance.”

Thursday’s event showcased a myriad of different performances from faculty members to some of the ASL department’s most dedicated students. 

Bellamie Bachleda, a lector in the ASL department, captivated the audience with a dynamic storytelling performance that skillfully wove together recurring handshapes. 

Some students chose to debut original stories or works, like Chloe Shiffman’s ’26 poem  “My Signing Friend.” 

Audiences experienced everything from an interpreted performance of “Out There” to “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and a silent film dedicated to the concept of “Deaf-Gain,” which reframed Deafness not simply as hearing loss but as a form of sensory diversity with the possibility of positive contributions to society. 

Along with other level four ASL students, Wilkinson participated in a reimagining of Gallaudet University’s fight song known as “The Bison Song.” Known for its rhythmic ostinatos and energetic lyrics, “The Bison Song” easily lends itself to parody. 

Her group substituted its lyrics with the history of the National Theater for the Deaf, while other groups signed about Dinner Table Syndrome, a term used within the Deaf community to describe the isolation and exclusion experienced by Deaf individuals when surrounded by hearing people at gatherings. 

“You can see the growth that all ASL students experience,” Wilkinson said. “We were all L1 at one point, and it’s fun to see my own growth through the current students and show them how much they will grow in just a few semesters.”

All of Thursday’s acts were completely “voice off,” meaning that no actor or actress spoke any lines. Instead, all dialogue was signed, forcing some students out of their usual comfort zones. 

If audience members’ ASL was not developed enough to keep up, two interpreters were present to prevent any loss in translation.

“This event is an instrumental part of Deaf Culture at Yale,” said Dayne Neff ’28, a level one student. He said that it was evident how much effort the students and professors put into their performances through their combinations of “signing, storytelling and learning.”

The ASL Department became a permanent curricular option in 2018.