If you're into art advocacy an looking for another film to add to your watchlist, you're in for a treat with SOUL(SIGNS), the 27 minute short film by Brandon Kazen-Maddox that serves as a collaboration between both Deaf and hearing artists. The film features live performances, interviews as well as a music video set to Broadway performer Morgan James' song 'DROWN'. The film co-stars Deaf actors Russell Harvard (Fargo) and Rosa Lee Timm, who also serves as the director of artistic sign language for the music video.
The WNET Group launched ALL ARTS in 2019 to reduce barriers to arts experiences and helping to build new audiences for cultural organizations. Its Emmy-winning programming is available online nationwide through AllArts.org. This year's ALL ARTS Artist in Residence series kicked off on Tuesday, Apr. 8, with Waiting for the Future by artist David Opdyke, a sculptor and visual artist, SOUL(SIGNS), from American Sign Language (ASL) artist Brandon Kazen-Maddox, which premiered Apr.15 and celebrates ASL, music and film, and conclusides on Apr. 22 with Holoscenes, Lars Jan’s film adaptation of his climate-themed installation that toured public spaces worldwide from 2014 to 2022. You can watch the films on the ALL ARTS broadcast channel, YouTube channel, website and free streaming app.
In this interview, Kazen-Maddox, James, and Timm come together to discuss their collaborative work on a powerful new film that blends visual storytelling, movement, and American Sign Language in groundbreaking ways. The trio talk about the importance of authentic Deaf representation, and how their diverse perspectives shaped the heart of the project, which resulted in a a film that challenges convention and celebrates inclusive art.
Culturess: Brandon, as an artist but also the Grandchild of Deaf Adults (GODA), how does your personal journey shape the film's themes?
Brandon Kazen-Maddox: As a hearing person whose first language is American Sign Language, I often find myself navigating my own identity, privilege and position within the many communities of which I am a part. As a Grandchild of Deaf Adults or GODA, my work is informed by my lived experience as a Queer, Black child raised by the village that is my family. My artistic practice honors and celebrates my family. My Black, hearing Nana gave me the gift of Black music and culture and my white, Deaf Grandma gave me the gift of ASL. My whole family has always encouraged me to become an artist. I also deeply honor my mother, a Child of Deaf Adults, or CODA, whose fierce determination in raising me to be a person with honor and integrity has led me to make the decisions I have thus far in my life. I would say that the film’s themes do exactly that: honor my family and celebrate the languages and cultures that make me who I amAn American Sign Language Artist.
How do you navigate the intersection of identity, movement, and storytelling in ALL ARTS Artist in Residence: SOUL(SIGNS)?
BK-M: Perspective is a very important aspect of storytelling. I particularly value the perspective of my partner, Kevin Newbury, who is the director of the film. Kevin has 25 years experience directing film, television, theater and opera and the sensitivity he brings to the process allows everyone on set to thrive. Kevin’s vision is incomparable and his directorial eye captures the intimacy and connection of everyone’s lived experience.
The perspective of our Director of Artistic Sign Language or DASL, Rosa Lee Timm is invaluable, too. She provides an authentically-lived Deaf experience and brings her Deaf eyes, heart, mind and spirit to the creation of this work. I always engage with a Director of Artistic Sign Language with any artistic ASL work that I create, and I do my utmost to ensure that the Deaf perspective is inherently rooted in my work from its very inception. My personal commitment to Deaf culture and linguistic inclusivity is the bedrock of what makes it possible to create a product that is both culturally and linguistically impactful and respectful of all communities involved.
Just like my interest in dance and choreography, I value the quality of movement and the instinctual sign choices of my collaborators. Rosa Lee is one of the absolute best at what she does. Regarding identity, it was important for me to bring artists into the work who personally identify with the characters and the story we are telling. It was important to me to feature an authentically Deaf and LGBTQAI+ protagonist in order to tell this gay love story, and Russell Harvard embodies both.
It was also important to me to feature a person who identifies as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), Nuria Timm, who was excited to have the opportunity to work with her mother, Rosa Lee Timm. Representation is so important in this world, and CODAs, GODAs and other signing members of the “of Deaf” community do not often have the opportunity to tell their story. I was also excited to work with assistant director Thomas Dellamonica, another CODA, whose lived experience offered so much to the production process. Thomas is so supportive and in tune to the needs of communication on set, and ensured that every person could feel empowered to be their best selves. Our ASL interpreter Juana Aguilar also played an integral role in the process. The way Juana moved through the set and how she facilitated communication between the Deaf and hearing members of the team was exactly the kind of energy we needed to make the art we made.
Of course, we could not have made this work without the phenomenal voice and music of Morgan James, and her husband, Doug Wamble. Their love story influenced the creation of this work, as “Drown” was the first song they ever wrote together. Everyone on our team embraced the full experience of the journey, and the joy, community and camaraderie that we felt along the way was just as important as the final product.
In SOUL(SIGNS), you blend American Sign Language with contemporary dance. What challenges and creative opportunities did you encounter in merging these forms to create a cohesive narrative?
BK-M: My inspiration in dance is rooted in the conversation between ASL and music. When I hear music, I instinctively begin to craft a narrative in my mind. That narrative is always led by the five grammatical parameters of ASL, which are handshape, movement, location, palm orientation and non-manual signals or facial expressions. I blend this grammar with my trained knowledge of ballet and contemporary dance, and my lifelong career as a professional acrobat, dancer and aerial artist.
The biggest challenge in merging ASL and dance is understanding how to create a relationship between the upper and lower body while dancing and signing. In ASL, the majority of the attention is paid to the communication that happens from the waist up. In American Sign Language Dance Theater, however, I consider the full-body performance akin to Indian classical dance, which has ancient roots and possesses many of the same qualities as ASL, such as mudras or handshapes, eye gaze and storytelling through the body. I have a passion for exploring the dynamics of dance as expressed through the entire kinesphere of the body and discovering different ways of storytelling through the language and poetry of ASL. It is also incredibly important to me to consider the involvement, perspective and participation of the Deaf community in my art.
In your roles with being in the film, and director as creator and ASL choreographer, how do you balance artistic expression with the technical demands of film and performance?
For me, it’s all about building a strong team. Our SOUL(SIGNS) team has been collaborating on this type of work for the past four years and we have developed a shared vocabulary and rhythm on set. We also did a lot of pre-production work so that I could be present as an actor once we were on set. I felt so supported by Kevin, Rosa Lee and our entire team. James Daniel, our Director of Photography and Editor, and his camera team (Phil and Hannah Bradley) have such an eagle eye for capturing the nuances of all of our performances. Everyone was so patient and open to learning from each other throughout the whole process. It also helped that we had perfect weather for all of our beach shoots.
What message do you hope audiences take away from the film, particularly in terms of representation and inclusivity with including hearing and deaf artists?
Collaboration is a beacon of hope that has the capacity to illuminate any of the dark times that the world might cast upon our lives. You are not alone on your journey. If you feel lost, look up, look around and find the people who help you shine and who bring out your brightest light. As my partner Kevin always says, “The best idea in the room wins”, and having a deep understanding of how important it is to bring the right collaborators into the room to fulfill your vision will make all the difference. I like to surround myself with life-long learners. It’s important to remember that, when working across cultures, languages and communities, there will be unexpected hurdles to overcome, and keeping a strong sense of empathy, patience and communication can lead any project to a place of true success.
Morgan, as an accomplished Broadway actress and singer-songwriter, you have been a part of productions such as Motown, Godspell, and The Addams Family. I'm curious what drew you to SOUL(SIGNS) and what is your relationship to the ASL community?
Morgan James: Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know me a little bit! I am really honored that my music is featured in Soul Signs, and that Kevin and Brandon felt inspired by the music!
I think because I came to songwriting after being in theater and being an actress, my songwriting has always been and will always be rooted in storytelling. It’s so important to me in that lyrics are evocative; so they leap off the page, even if you couldn’t hear the style in which they were being sung. I grew up listening to such incredible songwriters, and I fell in love with great lyricists. I think it’s a testament to a great song if the poetry stands on its own. In this project, the poetry and lyrics have to be able to paint the full picture, without the music being heard.
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t have much of a relationship with the ASL community before getting to know Brandon; but my knowledge of their particular artistic brand of ASL interpretation has definitely broadened my creative worldview.
Your background in musical theater brings a rich depth to your performance. How did you adapt your vocal and stage presence for this film, especially in a piece that emphasizes visual and non-verbal storytelling?
MJ: When I started writing music, and started to find my own voice, I didn’t have to look very far. Although I came from the musical theater world, my deeper influences were Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Sade, Prince. I think I have a knack for being able to transform my instrument, and I think it’s my duty to always serve the music at hand— and to really pay attention to style. That’s truly my job. So when I left the Broadway world, and started to make records full-time, my own style became stronger and stronger, and anytime I venture into a different set of music or a different genre, it’s my duty to honor that style with authenticity.
The music that is featured in SOUL(SIGNS) was already written, so I didn’t necessarily adapt it to fit the project, but rather, the music and the project/vision were meant to find each other.
What was the most meaningful or transformative aspect of working on SOUL(SIGNS) and including seeing your song “Drown” performed in ASL, particularly in relation to how the film challenges traditional ideas of communication and expression?
MJ: Seeing the incredible and varied interpretations of my song were very emotional for me. I hear and see my song in a new light, and it makes me appreciate things about it that I didn’t even know were there. It makes me feel proud of my writing. And more than anything, it makes me feel happy that an entirely different sect of viewers/listeners would be able to find what I created. It also makes me realize how important it is to make art visible, where it’s normally not visible. It makes you think about things that you took for granted, for sure. So I’m honored that my songs were chosen for such a special project. I hope it’s the beginning of many more collaborations of this nature, betwixt songwriters and the ASL community!
Rosa, as the Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) for SOUL(SIGNS), what was your approach to ensuring that American Sign Language was not only accurately represented but also integrated in a way that felt artistic and fluid within the film’s storytelling? How was working with Brandon to make sure that work remained constant throughout production?
RLT: My approach was grounded in honoring ASL as a full, rich visual language with its own grammar, rhythm, and cultural nuances—not simply as a translation tool. From the start, I looked for opportunities where ASL could live as a central artistic element, not just as an access point. This meant working closely with the creative team to ensure that the language wasn’t an afterthought but woven into the very structure and emotional arc of the film.
Working with Brandon was a gift. He was deeply collaborative and open to my input, not just as a language consultant but as an artistic partner. We established early on that ASL would shape the pacing, tone, and even the cinematography in some scenes. Throughout production, we maintained a consistent dialogue to ensure that each shot upheld the integrity of the signing while still serving the larger emotional narrative of the film.
What challenges did you face in translating abstract or emotional concepts into ASL, and how did you overcome them to ensure the film’s themes resonated with both Deaf and hearing audiences?
R-LT: Translating abstract and emotional concepts into ASL can be deeply challenging—and deeply rewarding. ASL is incredibly expressive, but it doesn’t always have a direct equivalent for every abstract term in English. So the work becomes less about “translating” and more about interpreting the feeling or embodying the metaphor.
In SOUL(SIGNS), we leaned into visual storytelling—using space, body shifts, facial expressions, and intentional pausing to convey emotion in ways that didn’t rely on spoken language. I often asked the actors to focus on the energy behind the words: What does grief feel like in the body? How does love swell in silence? That emotional resonance, when signed with intention, becomes universally felt—even by hearing viewers who may not know ASL. The key was trusting ASL’s power to carry emotion beyond literal meaning.
Taking a look at your social media, you value educating the masses in an entertaining way and that’s incredible. What do you hope the future of ASL education looks like for the next generation?
R-LT: Thank you! I’ve always believed that education and entertainment don’t have to be separate. In fact, they’re more powerful when they’re combined – especially in ASL, which is already a language rooted in performance, rhythm, and human connection.
For the next generation, I hope ASL education is joyful, creative, and widely accessible. I want to see ASL in mainstream media not as an occasional feature, but as a norm. I want Deaf creators to lead the way in how our language is shared, taught, and celebrated—not just interpreted or borrowed.
I hope young Deaf kids grow up seeing their language reflected back at them everywhere—in movies, classrooms, and online spaces—and feel immense pride in who they are. That’s the world I want to help build.
You can watch SOUL(SIGNS) on ALL ARTS' official YouTube channel now:
To learn more about ALL ARTS, visit AllArts.org/Everywhere.