Bernard Bragg s Role Model - 956 Words

Bernard Bragg is a deaf individual who was a major player in making deaf performance theater come into the mainstream. In his life he managed to teach hundreds of students about performing, and touched countless others by these performances. He is an individual who not only had a major impact in the deaf community, but his actions also resonated in the hearing community just as loudly. Bragg was a founding member of the National Theater for the Deaf, and in the establishment of a new concept, he tore down barriers that had stood for ages. Bernard was born on September 27, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York to parents who were also deaf. Bernard’s first role model in life, much like many young men, was his father. The name of his father was â€Å"Wolf Bragg, who was a talented actor† (â€Å"Bernard Bragg†, 2007). Wolf was not a well know actor but was involved enough in the theater to cause Bernard to take a large interest in the matter. Bragg attended school at the New Y ork School for the Deaf, which is referred to as Fanwood by many members of the Deaf community (Evans, 2015). After completion of primary school Bragg continued his education at Gallaudet College, as it was known at the time, and studied theater. During his time at Gallaudet Bragg lead many different productions including â€Å"Molià ¨re’s The Mister, The Bourgeois Gentleman, and Tartuffe† (Evans, 2015). However, he did not only spend his time in productions of plays, he was also a highly awarded poet during