A story about theater, sign language and accessibility takes center stage.

Sometimes a story appeals to me because of the turn of a phrase. News events—soil test results from the Vistra battery storage fire in Moss Landing and Carmel’s fixation with the nuisance of pickleball in the current edition of the Weekly, for example—catch my eye. Even the photo may draw me into an article.

Dave Faries here, adding another point of attraction: that someone carried through on a good idea.

In this week’s 831 feature, Associate Editor Erik Chalhoub writes about performances at PacRep that are interpreted for fans of theater who are deaf or hard of hearing. The theater company—Pacific Repertory Theatre is its formal name—has experimented with American Sign Language-interpreted plays in the past, according to its executive director, Stephen Moorer (also PacRep’s founder). But he tells Chalhoub that the company has committed to more.

Two people—Trevor Tuell and Damiana Kelsey—are tasked with communicating every aspect of the performance, from song lyrics to sounds, energy and, of course, dialogue. The idea, Chalhoub notes, is “to bring theater to an audience that historically has been left out of such an experience.”

The article is not only a good read, it is good to know that PacRep is eager to make productions more accessible, good to know that Monterey County Bank stepped in to sponsor the effort (PacRep is a nonprofit) and simply good to read. We learn what it takes to interpret multiple voices and effects that happen quickly, how the two operate and more.

Reaching out to bring traditional theater to those otherwise unable to share in the experience is, honestly, something that had not often crossed my mind until I read Chalhoub’s story. But in 750 words or so, he emphasizes the importance and the effort involved.

It is an interesting and enjoyable piece. I hope you appreciate it as much as I did.