Keith Wann
Keith Wann has been performing since 2002, starting with an ASL Improv group, and then in 2004 started his solo career which quickly took off in 2006 due to his viral You Tube ASL video parody rendition of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby”.
Keith Wann | |
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Born | January 4, 1969 |
Occupation | Stage actor, comedian |
Website | keithwann.com |
Performing artist
As a hearing child of Deaf adults, or CODA, Wann is a performing ASL artist and has been featured in several short films with ASL. He currently stars in a popular ASL Children's book iTunes APP, is also a writer/actor for "Sign It! American Sign Language Made Easy" (a new Signing Time Foundation project), and has done the annual "Read for the Record" story since 2009. Keith Wann has also done several commercials for Pepsi, appeared in Law and Order, Quantico, and several short films, and he travels the United States performing almost every weekend with his solo show and the ASL Comedy Tour.
Along with performing Keith also teaches workshops and maintains his National Certification as an interpreter, NIC:Master and CI/CT and has been an artistic ASL consultant on video projects including the artist Sia.[1]
ASL advocate
Respected in the industry as an ASL advocate, Keith has reached across the cultural divide between deaf and hearing worlds through humor, to bridge misconceptions and cultural gaps. After changing careers from interpreting to personal development, Keith and his wife Emilia joined LegalShield as independent associates and now travel all over the nation providing affordable access to the legal system and focusing on providing personal development to the ASL Community.
Career
Keith Wann is an American comedian and performance artist.[2][3] The child of two deaf adults, he was born January 4, 1969.[4] He has turned his lifelong dealings with American Sign Language into a performance art show. He caters to all hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing audiences. In his act, Wann takes his audience on a "visual" journey into his childhood experiences. His current show is Watching Two Worlds Collide. Keith has also appeared as an extra on Law and Order – "The Silencer", and was a consultant for Pepsi.com. Keith has appeared as a demented character in Mosdeux's Resonare movie and soon will be appearing as a prison convict in the film, "How I Killed My Girlfriend's Cat". Keith travels around teaching workshops and interpreting on Broadway. Many ASL students have used Keith Wann's Monthly ASL song club to help them learn sign language in an artistic way.[5]
Various roles
Keith Wann has interpreted several Broadway shows including School of Rock, Noises Off, West Side Story, Shrek: The Musical; Little Shop Of Horrors, Hamlet, Beauty and the Beast, and 39 Steps. Keith holds CI CT and NIC:Master certifications and teaches interpreting workshops focusing on Storytelling Surrogates and Improvisation for ASL Students. Keith has worked with Sia, on her music video “Soon We'll Be Found”, appeared in several short movies, was an extra on several tv shows, and starred in a series of online Super Bowl commercials featuring sign language. As an ASL performer since 2002, Keith has produced several solo shows and hosted the ASL Comedy Tour 10 years in a row but now focuses on storytelling for Deaf children in the annual Read for the Record event. He is currently involved with the Signing Time Foundation producing, writing, and acting in "Sign It ASL" which is an online ASL course for adults. He is also making appearances in a popular Signed Stories App hosted by itv. Keith completed TDF’s Interpreting in the Theatre Program at the Juilliard School in 2007.[6]
References
- "Meet Your "Sign It ASL" Instructors". Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Ramirez, Chris (April 6, 2012). "Nobody Talks at ASL Fight Club, a Sign-Language Immersion Course". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – via Questia (subscription required) . Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- Dent, Karen (October 31, 2012). "Story App for Deaf Is US Hit". Newcastle Journal – via Questia (subscription required) . Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- "MySpace.com – Emilia's Husband – 39 – Garçon – The Stage, New York – www.myspace.com/codawann".
- Wann, Keith. "Welcome to Keith Wann". America's Worst ASL Stunt Performer and a little comedy...
- Wann, Keith. "Welcome to Keith Wann". America's Worst ASL Stunt Performer and a little comedy...