ZEICHENSTURM - a stage performance in sign language

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Jonas Akanno - On Stage
Born in Nigeria in 1982, Akanno lost his hearing as a baby due to a disease and attended a deaf school. In 2007 he came to Austria as a political refugee. He is an active union sportsman in athletics and loves listening to rap music with full volume over headphones. "I'm a nice, educated black guy", Akanno says with a smile. 


Nicolas Cheucle - On Stage
Is a juggler and circus artist from France. He performs in stage productions and also teaches deaf and hearing children and adults in juggling and dancing. He is a founder of the performance-company “1880”, with which he focuses on the theme of the deaf culture and history in sign language. In the year 1880 an international congress of teachers took place in Milano where the abolition of sign language in public schools was decided, which as a result affected the social life of the Deaf people strongly. With the company “1880” Cheucle accounts for the traumatic events in the history. He is deaf since he was18 months old.


Peter Dimmel - On Screen
(Prof.) Born deaf in 1928, Dimmel attended the Döblinger school in Vienna, an elite school for deaf people for four years before it was destroyed in 1938. He studied in the section pottery at the Academy of Applied Arts Vienna. More than 50 years he is working as sculptor. Since 1962 he is voluntary engaged in the deaf movement where he even today is active as leader of the National Association of the Deaf Unions in Upper Austria. One of his outstanding achievements is the organisation of the Worldcongress of the Deaf in Vienna “Towards Human Rights and the acknowledgment of Austrian Sign Language” in 1995. According to Dimmel, deaf people today still feel discriminated and are facing a lot of barriers in their daily lives.


Mischa G. Hendel - Cinematography & Edit
After his late leaving from his parental home and narrowing hometown of Vöcklabruck Hendel started his African Studies at the university of Vienna. Since 2008 he is editor of the socio-cultural radio programme “Sweetspot” on Radio Orange. He has directed several several films including "Literary Voices of Equatorial Guinea (Docu, A 2009) as well as "Writing to be read" (Docu, A 2010). Mischa G. Hendel wakes up at night despite his healthy sleep and notes down sentences such as "Too sick for a hug“, "It is a luxury to have individual problems" or "After sex is before sex".


Xiaoshu Alice Hu - On Stage
Born in Shanghai in 1983, Hu became deaf like many other babies in China during the 1980’s who got injections with disqualified vaccine in hospital. She attended a university for the Deaf in Shanghai before she came to Vienna where she studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. At the moment she is working in a travel agency as graphic designer and organizes group tours for deaf people. Xiaoshu Alice Hu regularly dances as the only deaf person in a hip-hop class.


Michael Jackson - On Screen
Was an outstanding pop-singer and dancer. He undertook numerous plastic surgeries in order to look more and more like a white man. Among many other messages, he sang "it doesn't matter if you are black or white". In ZEICHENSTURM one of his songs is sung in sign language!


Florian Kovacic - Sound & Stage props
Born in Vienna and works as musician and composer. Kovacic plays and composes music for concerts and films, and was one of the representing musician at the Austrian pavilion in Shanghai Expo 2010.


Michikazu Matsune - Concept & Direction
Born in Kobe and lives in Vienna. Matsune is an artist working in and around performance developing projects in various formats and contexts. He presents works in public spaces as well as in theatres, museums and galleries - involving manifold of cultural and social factors.


David Dawei Ni - On Screen
Born in Qingtian, China, Ni is deaf since he was 6 years old. He spent his youth in Vienna and studied at the Federal Academy for Social Work. He now studies Linguistics at the University of Vienna. He is a sign language teacher at the Language Center of the University of Vienna since 2003 and a presenter and translator at SignTimeTV since 2008. His passions are travelling and the communication in sign language.


Andrea Rohrauer - On Stage
(Dipl. Päd.) Born in Upper Austria, Rohrauer works as free-lance sign language interpreter in Vienna. Since her early years she has been interested in languages and after studying education sciences she discovered the fascination for Austrian Sign Language. She is one of the leaders of the organisation "Childrenhands" where children and parents can immerse to the world of Austrian Sign Language in a playful and creative way.


Paulina Sarbinowska - On Stage & Interview
Grown up as the only deaf person in a family, Sarbinowska has learned early to read lips. When nine years old, she moved with her family from Poland to Austria where she was for the first time confronted with sign language and took it deep in her heart. Since 2007 she is active as communication-coach between the Deaf and Hearing. Besides studying Psychology at the University of Vienna, she is also an education adviser for deaf and hard hearing people. She likes singing karaoke in sign language.


Marianne Scepka - On Screen
Born as fourth child in a farmer's family in Waldviertel in 1952. When she was three years old Scepka fell sick with meningitis and became deaf. At the age of seven she came to a school for hard hearing children where she was classified as "stupid" and was transfered to the deaf and dumb school (deaf school today). She was positively promoted there with language exercises. Scepka worked as dental technician. She is especially proud of her daughter Sabine who studied in the USA and is now working as interior architect in Hong Kong. She refers to herself as a "thirsty sponge" who likes to have challenges and goals in her sight.


Gerhard Scepka - On Screen
Born deaf as the youngest of three sons in a wealthy family in Duernkrut in 1945. One of his brothers is also deaf. Scepka went to school at the deaf and dumb institute (deaf school today) and became welder within the field of electric industry. Before retirement he worked many years at the Austrian National Bank. Since childhood his passion is collecting model railways.


Florian Schweitzer - On Stage
Had no time to write an appropriate curriculum vitae and says: "You are welcome to speak to me personally after the performance if you want to know about my life, in sign language and/or spoken language!"


SignTimeTV - On Screen
Is a web-based independent TV station broadcasting news and entertainment in Austrian Sign Language. ZEICHENSTURM presents news clips of SignTimeTV with the caster Claudia Schweinzer.


Katharina Steger - Film edit & Webdesign
Is born in Innsbruck in 1986, studied media technology with focus on audio and video technology in St. Pölten. Besides her diploma thesis about barrier-free television Steger began working for SignTimeTV. Currently she is attending a second study of Cultural and Social Anthropology.


Monika Wittmann - On Screen
Born 1942 and grown up in countryside of Austria. At the age of 10 months Wittmann fell sick with whooping cough and became deaf. Already as little child she had to move to Vienna separated from her family in order to attend the deaf school. She worked for more than 15 different employers in the field of fashion and manufacture before she started working as costume designer at the state theatre in Vienna for 16 years. Since 1997 Monika Wittmann is retired and spends her time with reading, Tai Chi and travelling. She is married with Hans Wittmann for 47 years.


Hans Wittmann - On Screen
Born 1941 in Vienna, Wittamnn lost his hearing by diphtheria at the age of two and a half years old. At the age of six he attended a school for Deaf and a boarding school. After working three years as trainee in glass and China painting for chemist pots, he graduated from school of arts and advertising. Wittmann worked at the shoe company Delka as decoration designer for over thirty years. Since 2001 he is retired. His hobbies are painting, acting, making films and taking photographs. Together with his wife Monika Wittmann he has two hearing children and two grandchildren.