In The Know - Elephant Shoes

JEFF CALHOUN (DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER) broke new ground on Broadway as director of the critically acclaimed revival of Big River, launching an enduring collaboration with Deaf West Theatre that, for the first time on Broadway, eliminated interpreters standing on the side of the stage. His 2003 revival won the Tony Award® for Special Achievement in the Theater. Jeff went on to direct the World Premiere of the first original American Sign Language Musical, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2007, and in 2009 directed and choreographed the Deaf West Theatre & Center Theatre Group production of Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum. Elephant Shoes reflects both the continuation of Jeff’s vital partnership with Deaf West Theatre and a vibrant leap forward for the art form. Jeff’s career as director/choreographer stretches across 18 Broadway productions and 4 decades, earning him two Tony Award® nominations for Grease and Newsies. He directed Dolly Parton’s smash hit 9 to 5 in London’s West End at The Savoy Theater, which toured the United Kingdom and internationally. Other Broadway credits include The Will Rogers Follies Bonnie and Clyde Jekyll and Hyde Grey Gardens Brooklyn Annie Get Your Gun and Tommy Tune Tonite. He received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his direction of the Off-Broadway musical Between the Lines. Jeff is an Associate Artist at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.

COLIN ANALCO (ASL CHOREOGRAPHER) is a versatile professional with extensive experience in the field of American Sign Language (ASL). With more than a decade of expertise as a translator, Deaf interpreter, and actor, Colin has contributed to numerous successful and impactful productions as an ASL choreographer. For Deaf West Theatre: Green Day’s American Idiot, Beethoven’s Fidelio with Gustavo Dudamel. Colin travels nationwide to perform, present, and teach ASL literature, translation, and theater at schools and universities, sharing his passion and knowledge with diverse audiences.