Illusion Theater is pleased to announce this coming June The Hypernovas, a Deaf, Queer owned, and operated Production Company led by Jules Dameron and Joshua Castille will bring their acting, directing, American Sign Language skills to Minneapolis to develop a play in Illusion’s Fresh Ink Series. The play is called What is Emily Drawing and will feature an Ensemble of a mix of eight deaf ,hard of hearing and hearing performers.

Jules Dameron is a deaf queer film & theatre director who graduated from Gallaudet University with a B.A. in TV/Cinema and received an MFA in film directing at USC. Jules’ creative techniques came from her film works such as the music videos “Different Colors” for AT&T, Sean Forbes’ “Let’s Mambo” (featuring Marlee Matlin), “Lazy Song” (Miles Barbee) “Rolling in the Deep” (Amber Zion), “Hero” (Sean Berdy), and “Somebody I Used to Know” (Azora Telford). Jules directed series such as Reverse Polarity (onDPAN.TV ) and the TV series, “Møkkakaffe” which has aired on Norwegian public television. Jules has also won Best Director in Mockfest for Crazy Town, starring Sean Young (Blade Runner). Jules has also made the crossover to theatre and acting. Jules directed Jordan Harrison’s Maple & Vine for New York Deaf Theatre, and also acted in Deaf Broadway’s virtual plays such as Brad Majors in Rocky Horror Picture Show and Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables. For Canada, Jules directed a virtual ASL version of Phantom of the Opera for Deaf Antlers. Jules is slated to direct Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project in 2022 with Deaf Austin Theatre. Jules is a co-owner of Hypernovas Productions with her talented best friend, Joshua Castille.

In March Jules found out that her screenplay for a feature film is slated to begin production later this year. She will direct Deaf President Now, the real-life story of the 1988 protests at Gallaudet University, (the first school or deaf and hard of hearing students, )where the students demanded that the President of the University be deaf. Sam Sokolow, one of the producers of this feature film, says “This was a watershed moment in the deaf community’s history that actually helped shape the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the broader civil rights movement,” Sokolow said. “We’re honored to help bring this important and empowering story to the screen led by such a profound and exciting new voice we found in our writer-director, Jules Dameron.” For more information please visit julesdameron..com

Joshua Castille is a Deaf performance artist based out of Los Angeles. He too is an alum of Gallaudet University who went to work at the Deaf West Theatre Company in California, performing in Spring Awakening. The show ran in Beverly Hills, then moved to Broadway. He has performed in 5th Ave Theatre's production of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and ACT Theatre's Romeo and Juliet. Growing up he was involved in over 20 community theatre productions, while being involved in 3 high school theatre programs. The programs trained him in the art of "Speech and Debate/Drama" (Presentational Performance), Theatre of War/Politics/Revolution, and Original Works. He also took improv classes at UCB and Groundlings, both focused on character and story development within improv. He has worked alongside artists such as BD Wong, Marlee Matlin, Camryn Manheim, Jules Dameron, Russell Harvard, Michael Arden, American Authors, Ingrid Michaelson, and Andrew Keegan-Bolger. Josh has worked in different roles including ASL master, director, actor, set designer, and more.

Most recently, Josh was an actor in Gustavo Dudamel’s star-studded Ensemble performing a new version of Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio. Dudamel lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a deeply emotional, innovative, semi-staged production. The audience included both Deaf and hearing people.

Joshua has witnessed the power of media and arts has over social change, activism. Drawing from his depth of experience, he hopes that the finished product of What is Emily Drawing? increases empathy and will make actual change in children’s lives

For more information please visit joshuacastille.com