Theater Bay Area Article Summer 2004
Keep an Eye On Tristan Thunderbolt
By Amber Adrian, Associate Editor
He has played Doris Day in a gay bathhouse. Hes played Chief Massasoit, savior of the Pilgrims. Hes played a deaf lesbian. Hes even performed in several musicals a feat made slightly more difficult by the fact that hes hearing impaired. It appears to the casual observer that Tristan Thunderbolt likes a challenge.
"I was born a ham," he confesses. After writing a controversial one-man play at the age of 18, the criticism it elicited made him step away from theatre for 20 years. "I came back at 38, but ever since Ive been on that first stage, Ive never looked back," he declares. "Ive fallen in love with it, and now I take every criticism good or bad as a positive thing."
He has no trouble getting acting jobs in the Bay Area, a fact he attributes to directors who have been willing to take a chance in casting a person with a hearing disability. "Ive been extremely blessed. I think that deaf people on stage helps people understand the differences, the difficulties just like someone Chinese or Latino has a different culture, a different language."
Having grown up in a culture very different than that of the standard American suburbanite, Thunderbolt knows whereof he speaks. He was born on a reservation in Ontario, Canada, of which experience he says simply, "It was poor. Very poor." With no running water until he was nine, his youth consisted of lots of cold, snowy trips to the outhouse. "Leaving the reservation was a very big thing," he says. "Its hard to break out of that; a lot of our folks never leave the reservation. I think its a good thing to leave. You can still respect the culture and teach other people about it."
He believes his unusual youth has been beneficial to his acting career. "I think a Native American upbringing helps you think clearly; [it teaches you] not to criticize people or make people feel bad." His heritage has also brought him luck in a very definable you-could-almost-argue-fate sort of way. He still returns to the reservation every few years to visit his parents and attend the pow wows. A recent visit yielded advice from an elder on the reservation, specifically regarding his film ideas. The elder made it clear that if you want something done, you need to do it yourself. Later that same weekend, Thunderbolt hit a jackpot in an Ontario casino. He used the winnings to buy film equipment and establish Broken Ears Productions. Its first short film, The Deaf Warrior, is based on his original idea and will be released soon to film festivals.
Though he is delving into the movie world, Thunderbolt remains active in theatre. He also remains flabbergasted that anyone would cast him in a musical. "To me its just mind boggling that they continue putting me in musicals. I'm deaf!" He uses his residual hearing to pick up pieces, but he cant hear all the words to the songs and has to be trained carefully to stay in harmony. He also uses cues from the other actors. "It could be someone elbowing me or tapping at the back of my knees. Sometimes people wink."
Auditioning, for Thunderbolt, is interesting especially when it requires singing. His first musical audition was for Hair. "I walked in there and said, Im not going to sing for you. [The auditors] both looked at me strangely. I signed "Hey Jude" by the Beatles in American Sign Language." His approach (and possibly his long hair) paid off, and he was cast. "For auditioning, I have to come in with a different perspective. You have to sell yourself, tell the director why you think they should have you in this play and be honest about what you would bring to the play." He continues, "Sometimes you get told, Make sure the door doesnt hit you on the way out and thats OK. I can live with that."
Judging by his resume, Thunderbolt doesn't often get shown the door. Since 2001, hes worked with the San Francisco Fringe Festival, Julia MorganTheater (numerous times), New ConservatoryTheatre Center, San Francisco City College and others. "I've been honored by working with people who make a difference and really put the effort through. Im hoping that I can open the door just a little bit to other deaf people who want to make theatre." He appreciates the directors who have taken a chance by putting something different on stage. "It helps not only that theatre company, but it helps theatre audience members, and it helps motivate other people to do theatre."
There are multiple ways to get that message across in the theatre, some more obvious than others. One of Thunderbolts favorite anecdotes is of a play he did in which one of the characters states in a love-struck tone, "I just like the way he looks at my lips," only to be mortified when another character retorts, "The reason why he is looking at your lips is because he is deaf!" Of that moment, Thunderbolt recalls, "The whole audience went nuts. It's OK to laugh at it. It makes people comfortable that way. Its a way to break down the barriers."
