Hearing Actors Play the Role of Deaf Characters

When it comes to artistic expression should hearing actors be given the opportunity to explore the use of sign language in plays portraying as deaf or hard of hearing characters? And why not? After all, shouldn't sign language be one of the forms of self expression in plays run by hearing actors?

Here's a play in Miami called "Fill Our Mouths."

It is a play about two women, one a lesbian who works at a famous Paris cafe and the other a writer with a husband, who fall in love. It is also a play about deaf and hard-of-hearing people, about the political and personal issues involved in communication.

These actors are all hearing and they all had to learn sign language to do the play. After all, if Keith Wann can pretend to be a Deaf character in the Pepsi's slapstick comedy "Clam Chowder," "Hot Dog," and "Perfect Season" why not other hearing actors who take the time to learn ASL in order to play the part of a deaf or hard of hearing character? Now, wouldn't it be safe to say that after reading this people will not go into an apoplectic fit about "Fill Our Mouths" play that they'll start emailing them complaining how dare they have hearing actors play the role of deaf characters? But not Keith Wann?