Upcoming Event

Beethoven's Nightmare on PBS

March 21, 2007

"Through Deaf Eyes,"  a two-hour PBS documentary exploring nearly 200 years of deaf life in America, will air early next year. The film was inspired by the exhibition, "History Through Deaf Eyes," curated by Jack R. Gannon of Gallaudet University.

The documentary will air nationally on PBS on Wednesday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).

The film presents the shared experiences of American history - family life, education, work, and community connections - from the perspective of deaf citizens. Interviews include community leaders, historians, and deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology and identity.

Poignant, sometimes humorous, these films draw on the media artists' own lives and are woven throughout the documentary. But the core of the film remains the larger story of Deaf life in America -- a story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that reaches the heart of what it means to be human.

The film features a rock‘em sock‘em performance by Beethoven's Nightmare. We see interviews, in sign language, with band members Ed Chevy, Steve Longo and Bob Hiltermann, who comment on the joys of performing very loud and entertaining music for appreciative audiences all over America.

”As deaf people we have a rhythm inside our bodies and we’re famous for being story tellers; it’s a huge important part of Deaf culture.  If you can see a beautiful storyteller telling a story in ASL it’s just fantastic. And to pair it with that beat, the creativity that it elicits is wonderful," said bassist and singer Ed Chevy.