WASHINGTON D.C.—Gallaudet University’s Theatre and Dance Program has launched a new play titled “Visible Language,” pitting Alexander Graham Bell against Edward Miner Gallaudet in a rendition of the cultural battle for Deaf Education in the 1890s.

Bell, who was the inventor of the telephone, was also a supporter of Oralism, the practice of speaking and reading lips without the use of sign language. Bell actively fought for Oralism throughout his lifetime, taking his wife, who had been profoundly deaf since the age of five, to his lectures to demonstrate the effectiveness of Oralism.

Edward Miner Gallaudet was a strong supporter of sign language. His father, Thomas Gallaudet, established the first school for the deaf in 1817.   During their lifetime, both men argued heavily about which method was best for deaf children. The play encapsulates the real-life stories and the beliefs behind the men that impacted the deaf culture and its impact in the present day.

“Visible Language” is performed in both English and ASL, and opened on October 24 and will run until November 15.