Love. Silence. Desire – Signed, Spoken, and Felt.
Lady Madelyn Patterson, GoneMad Production Contributor
I walked into The Vortex in Austin last week expecting a play. What I experienced was a divine appointment that reignited my purpose and reminded me that God speaks in more languages than I had imagined.
When I learned that Another Kind of Silence would be performed in both English and ASL (American Sign Language), I anticipated some sort of interpretation—English to ASL, maybe vice versa, the kind of accessibility accommodation we’ve come to expect. But this wasn’t accommodation. This was artistry. This was a completely reimagined theatrical language that didn’t just include Deaf and hearing audiences—it transported all of us into a world where communication transcends words.
From the moment the performance began, I was drawn into a roller coaster of emotions through movement, sound, and silence. The ASL “chorus”—additional performers paired with each character—moved us through every scene and challenge, revealing interior thoughts and emotional truths that spoken dialogue alone could never capture. The actors spoke, signed, and expressed their way through intersecting stories of love, fulfillment, hunger, and the spaces between us that words can’t always bridge.
This bilingual play by L M Feldman, directed by MoMo Holt, examines relationships shaped by difference. Deaf, Deaf-Blind, hard-of-hearing, and hearing characters navigate the ebbs and flows of connection—how we communicate with our partners, how we grow together and apart, what it means to be truly seen, and how we respond when something new sparks or ignites a reaction we didn’t expect.
But it was more than a story about relationships. It was an experience. This is not a play you watch from a comfortable distance. You are present. You are immersed. The layered communication—what is signed, what is spoken, and what is left beautifully unspoken—forms a richly textured theatrical language that expands what bilingual theatre can be.
A Divine Message in Movement
As I watched the performance unfold, something shifted inside me. My doctors have informed me that my ability to speak is impacted—and I am acutely aware of this reality because of my tracheostomy and ongoing surgeries. Lately, I had found myself falling into grief for the current loss and the potential of future loss. I’ve been working with an ASL tutor, learning to communicate in other ways, but there were moments when the weight of what I might lose felt overwhelming.
But that night, watching Another Kind of Silence, God spoke to me clearly: “I have more than one way to communicate, and your purpose is not tied to a physical voice.”
The non-verbal communication—using our faces and hands to share emotions and expressions—creates connection in ways that sometimes words cannot convey accurately. The layered storytelling, the chorus revealing what characters couldn’t or wouldn’t say aloud, the way silence itself became a language—it all reminded me that communication is so much bigger than speech.
That night, I was reignited. I was revived.
The Revelation Behind the Performance
After the show, I had the privilege of meeting two of the actors, and what I learned deepened my appreciation for what I had just witnessed—and for what God was teaching me through them.
The actor who plays Anna is H.L. Pave, a Deaf-Blind performer. During the performance, she moved with such confidence and precision that I had no idea she navigates the world using tactile signing and normally uses a cane. When I spoke with her afterward, she explained that preparing for this role required memorizing all the blocking—every movement, every position on stage.
Her “chorus” was played by Jelena Stojiljkovic Rhymes, a Serbian actor who served as the speaking voice for the character Anna. What made their partnership even more remarkable was that Jelena is still learning ASL. She is fluent in another sign language and was able to navigate ASL more easily because of that foundation. Together, these two women developed a system that integrated their roles through their various methods of communication. They moved as one unit, flawlessly, throughout the entire play.
Meeting them was truly spectacular. It was emotional for me in ways I didn’t expect.
A Fighter, An Overcomer, A Mirror
Pave is a Deaf-Blind actor who has the spirit of a fighter, an overcomer, a victorious human that transcends time. My time spent with her gave me a new release and a renewed sense of purpose.
You know, I think that when God allowed me to end up with a hole in my neck, He opened my eyes to all of His creation. He has given me a platform to elevate, highlight, and make space for those who may not fit the social norms—those who may not look like the masses, and those who may not feel like they are seen, heard, or enough.
Those are my people.
Watching Pave command that stage, watching her and Jelena create something beautiful through collaboration and adaptation, watching the entire cast redefine what communication and storytelling can be—it reminded me that limitations are often invitations. Constraints can become creativity. Loss can become a new language.
A New Language of Transformation
Another Kind of Silence is part of the National New Play Network (NNPN) Rolling World Premiere, and it’s being performed at The Vortex in Six Square—Austin’s Black Cultural District. The fact that this groundbreaking work is happening in a space dedicated to Black cultural expression feels significant. It speaks to the intersections of identity, communication, and community that the play itself explores.
What struck me most was how the production challenged my assumptions about what theatre can be and who it’s for. Signed ASL and spoken English aren’t just “integrated” into the performance—they are woven together to create something entirely new. The chorus doesn’t interpret; they embody. They reveal what the characters can’t or won’t say aloud. They make visible the interior landscape of desire, fear, love, and longing.
As someone who lost my physical voice and had to find new ways to communicate, I felt seen by this production in ways I didn’t expect. The play reminded me that silence isn’t absence. Silence can be presence. Silence can be power. And sometimes, our strongest stories are told in the quietest ways—or in ways that don’t require sound at all.
Why This Matters
In a world that often equates communication with spoken language, Another Kind of Silence offers a different vision. It shows us that there are multiple ways to be heard, multiple ways to connect, and multiple ways to tell our stories. It centers the experiences of Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hard-of-hearing people not as a novelty or an accommodation, but as essential voices in the human conversation about love, longing, and what it means to truly understand one another.
This production is a reminder that when we expand our definition of communication, when we create space for different bodies and different languages, we don’t just make theatre more accessible—we make it more truthful. We make it more beautiful. We make it more human.
For me, this wasn’t just a night at the theater. It was a divine encounter that reminded me of my purpose. God has opened my eyes to see His creation in all its diversity. He has given me a platform—not in spite of my tracheostomy, but perhaps because of it—to make space for those who are often overlooked, underestimated, or unseen.If you have the opportunity to experience Another Kind of Silence before it closes, go. Don’t just watch it. Let it wash over you. Let it challenge you. Let it remind you that there is always another kind of silence waiting to speak—if we’re willing to listen.
About Lady Madelyn Patterson
Lady Madelyn Patterson is a beacon of faith, resilience, and empowerment, dedicated to inspiring and uplifting individuals through her authentic voice and unwavering commitment to service. As a mentor, author, speaker, and pastor’s wife, she gracefully bridges the realms of ministry, marriage, and motherhood, offering wisdom and encouragement to women navigating their unique journeys.
Through her platforms, including www.ladymadelyn.com and her vibrant social media presence, Lady Madelyn fosters a community rooted in love, faith, and personal growth. Her mission is to create safe spaces where stories are shared, lives are transformed, and the power of God’s grace is celebrated. Lady Madelyn empowers women to lead with purpose, live authentically, and embrace their God-given identity—even when that identity is being redefined through unexpected challenges.