Visual Gluttony talks to Rob Roy Farmer about his career as an actor and comedian reaching out to a worldwide audience through visual communication.
VG : Hi Rob, great to have you here. When you read the words "Visual Gluttony", what image comes to your mind ?
RR : To be honest, those are not two words I would readily recognise together ! But I guess when I think about it, it means something like gorging your eyes with visual stimulation.
VG : You began your career as a visual artist through acting, and later started your one-man show, which has taken you all over the world. What do you think makes your show visually appealing ?
RR : Being Deaf, I use sign language as my primary form of communication. In my show, I use International Sign, which means I can communicate just about anywhere. Being Deaf also means, quite naturally, that I use gesture, facial expression, and body movement to enhance what I'm signing, just as hearing actors use intonation, pitch and volume to enhance speech.
VG : That's very interesting. It makes sense that a Deaf person would choose to be involved in anything using the sense of vision to communicate thoughts and ideas. For someone who may never have experienced a show like yours, how would you describe it ?
RR : I am a visual performer - a Deaf, stand-up comedian who uses sign language. My show is a mix of signing and mime and I keep both my Deaf and hearing audience in mind. I do use an interpreter who works from a loose script, but really my goal is simply to make people laugh. I tell stories and jokes relative to the experiences of Deaf people. Some jokes translate really well into spoken language, but Deaf people have a very unique humour that naturally relies heavily on sign language.
VG : You really seem to be a stand-out as a stand-up - lol. As someone reliant on the visual, did you have any comedians or actors you yourself loved to watch ?
RR : I loved to mimic what I saw on tv as I was growing up, and Jerry Lewis was one of my favourites. Slap stick is actually a great form of hearing humour that the Deaf can read well.
VG : And what do you see as the future for visual performance ?
RR : Having travelled the world over many times throughout my almost 20 year career as an actor and comedian, I have seen a steady growth in the number of visual performers, and greater opportunities being created for Deaf involvement. I've also seen the steady increase in audience numbers. So I would say that visual performance is an art that has a healthy future!
VG : Phew ! Thanks for sharing your time with us, Rob. We look forward to seeing many more of your performances. Here's to your continued success.
Rob will be involved in the Deaf Nation World Expo, July 18-23, 2010 : http://deafnation.com/ and is touring Canada, North and South America July - December 2010. To check out more about Rob, go to his website : http://www.robroyshow.com
And what's in store next time I hear you ask ? Film review !
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