Acclaimed alumni take students on a journey with new production: Q&A with James Caverly and Andrew Morrill

“Each subway car has its own story,” says James Caverly, ’11. Who is on board and where are they headed — both on that trip and in life? “Off the Rails,” a new play that premiered last week at Elstad Theater, takes audiences along for the ride. Devised, written, and directed by Caverly and Andrew Morrill, ’16, the show will also be performed at this summer’s Clin d’Oeil, an international sign language arts festival in France.

Caverly and Morrill (pictured above in the Washburn Arts Center) are NYC-based independent theatre artists involved in multiple projects as actors, directors, producers, and writers. 

Locally, Caverly is perhaps best known for his performance as Harold Hill in “The Music Man” (Olney Theatre Center), which earned him a Helen Hayes Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, as well as for his role as Theo in “Only Murders in the Building.”

Morrill has worked extensively as a Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL), contributing to productions ranging from contemporary to classic, including Grey House on Broadway. He received the 2023 Obie’s Michael Feingold Award for his DASL work on the critically acclaimed “Dark Disabled Stories” (Bushwick Starr & The Public Theater). He also appeared in “The Music Man” (Olney Theatre Center) as Mayor Shinn.

For students acting in the play, “Off the Rails” is part of a year-long residency program spearheaded by professors Annie Wiegand and Ethan Sinnott from Gallaudet’s Theatre and Dance program, in collaboration with Fiona Grugan from Education Abroad. It began with this semester’s course with Caverly and Morrill, which focused on creating and staging the show. 

In the spring, they will take a course and workshop with visiting French scholar Philippe Guyon to introduce them to International Sign Language. And then, in the summer, students will study LSF (French Sign Language) in Paris with faculty at the International Visual Theatre (IVT), followed by internships at the Clin d’Oeil.

Caverly and Morrill, who both discovered their passion for theatre here at Gallaudet, are excited to inspire more deaf artists. They took a break from their busy rehearsal schedule to fill us in on their experiences developing “Off the Rails” and their other upcoming projects.

Q: The students you are working with are going to have an amazing experience. Can you tell us more about how that came about and what you hope students get out of it? 

Caverly: I went to the Clin d’Oeil Festival in 2024, and it was inspiring and amazing to watch the performances. I decided to come back again, but also to present something next time! After about a year of turning it over in my head and discussing ideas with Gallaudet’s Theater department, I proposed taking a group of students to the Festival and partnering to create something together. That started the discussion and momentum to arrive here where we are today. 

Morrill: The subway itself is such a universal experience. The Clin d’Oeil festival draws people from all over the world who can relate to their own local subway systems. There are so many stories in the subway that we can draw inspiration from and tell. I want our students to meet, and experience all kinds of different people, languages, and cultures, just like all the diverse people inside the subway. I want them to keep this experience in their mind and lives going forward.

Caverly: Our show has a continual theme of sharing stories, sharing culture, sharing hopes, and a sense of interaction and exchange of ideas. People who go to the Clin d’Oeil Festival are doing the same thing: exchanging stories, cultures, ideas, and making connections. You meet different kinds of people from different backgrounds, and you learn about them, but you learn about yourself as well.

Q: Can you explain the inspiration and premise behind “Off the Rails”? 

Caverly: Each sketch conveys its own message. I always believe in the power of imagination. When you’re sitting in the audience, watching different sketches of what potentially could happen in a New York subway car, you begin to broaden your thinking about what scenarios are possible. 

We’re not using anything special: just some chairs and our bodies. Everything is conveyed through gesture–there’s no ASL being used. There’s some International Sign Language, but that’s it. We use those tools to provide the audience with the ability to connect and develop a relationship without a single word being used in the show.

I got inspiration from National Theatre of the Deaf’s “My Third Eye,” which is a series of sketches all centering around the Deaf experience. Deaf culture is centered around ASL stories being told onstage, at Deaf clubs and events–which is essentially the birthplace of Deaf theatre. I thought it would be very doable to translate those experiences to the stage in different scenarios. 

Q: “Off the Rails” was put together in a matter of weeks. How did you pull that off? What was your process?

Morrill: Three weeks is very ambitious, to be honest. Devising, in general, is not an easy feat to accomplish within a limited time, but we made it work. It requires a strong level of pre-planning, such as visualizing the staging, creating the work list for every rehearsal, and ensuring that we hit our goals within a limited time. Around 70% of the company is relatively new to theatre. However, they’ve been great – very curious, motivated, open! They are a fantastic group!

Caverly: It’s a good challenge for us to gather the students and say, “OK! Let’s create something from nothing.” We provide prompts, and students create their own perspectives of the stories. Then we bring them all together, Andrew and I look the options over, and we decide which stories we feel are going to really fit into the overall arc of the show. We organize the pieces, write a script, each group practices, and they give their performance.

Q: You both are alumni of Gallaudet. Can you tell us about your time as students here?

Caverly: I began at Gallaudet in 2007, and from day one, I decided my major was theatre. It was my passion. As time passed, I realized theatre is more than just acting: it’s about directing, scriptwriting, lighting, set design…there are so many jobs involved, and I was able to get a taste of everything. By the time I graduated in 2011, I had worked in so many of those different fields, earning my keep…well, I’m continuing to do that now! 

Morrill: I didn’t major in Theatre Arts when I was a student, but I minored in it instead. I graduated with a dual major in History and International Studies. During my undergraduate career, I was involved in the Theatre Arts department as an extracurricular or elective class for the first two years. I really loved theatre, but never once thought to pursue it as an actual career. During my third year, I decided to take a break from theatre by shifting my focus towards student organizations such as Student Body Government. Then, in my final year, Ethan Sinnott, a professor, sought me out to be involved in their production of Julius Caesar. I agreed and then returned to the stage. That was when I realized that I had found my fire in my heart. Theatre is what I want to do for the rest of my life. After graduating from Gallaudet, I did an MFA in Acting to pursue theatre arts as a serious career.

Q: Any lasting impressions Gallaudet has had on your lives?

Morrill:  The program impacted me profoundly as a student because I learned the power of creating something. In academia, you take classes, and it’s all about learning. But in theatre, you’re given something to create. It could be something written, constructed, painted…whatever magic you make out of nowhere! You have agency and power to give something made from your heart and mind. The theatre program is the only place that can provide that.

Caverly: I learned a lot about my Deaf identity here at Gallaudet. I came here from a mainstream program, and then I came here and I learned about my Deaf identity and how to advocate for myself.

Gallaudet is a space that truly supports Deaf artists like ourselves as we continue to grow. I always find myself coming back to Gallaudet and working in spaces here.

Q: How did you start collaborating with each other? 

Caverly: In 2019 there was a summit held in Boston called the Deaf Theatre Action Planning Session, where many different artists–directors, writers, and actors–came together to discuss what the world needs in deaf theater today, which is more Deaf stories, writers, and talent. 

After Andrew graduated from his MFA program, he moved to New York, and we connected. We started to collaborate more frequently, writing stories and plays that the world needs to see from deaf writers and deaf perspectives. 

The first play we wrote together is “TRASH”. We staged it at Gallaudet. It was successful, growing into workshops and readings. I’m proud to announce it will soon be premiered as an off-Broadway show at the Perelman Art Center in New York in March 2026.

Q: Congratulations! You didn’t just co-write Trash. You are the two lead actors! Can you tell us what the play is about?

Caverly: “TRASH” is a story about two Deaf roommates. One day, the trash bag is full, and it leads to an incredibly raw dive in through the trash. The trash is used to analyze each of the characters’ lives and their journey as deaf people in a hearing world. His point of view and my point of view are really different, despite the fact that we’re both Deaf. The story is about a very messy friendship. 

Q: What are your other projects? 

Morrill: We recently founded a company called Go Ahead (GA). This company is a space to foster and support new works by Deaf Artists in American Theatre. We are slated for our first Off-Broadway as the playwrights and lead actors in our new play, “TRASH” at Perelman Arts Center. We’ve hosted a series of ASL Improv Nights known as “Just Laff Laff,” an opportunity for us to raise the money to support our upcoming developmental project, “Thank You Ryan for a Clean Microwave” (pretty long title, I know, but it’s fun)! This developmental project will be presented at a very reputable venue, The Shed in New York City, in Summer 2026. [Interviewer’s note: Morrill and Caverly were one of 17 groups to be chosen out of 1,000 applicants for this opportunity.]

Caverly: We set up Go Ahead because we’ve been working collaboratively on different projects for the past three or four years. We decided to set up a company to show that we’re serious about our work, and we’re serious about supporting more deaf stories to be out there in the theatre world.

---

Gallaudet’s Performing Arts program fosters talent like Caverly and Morrill. Gallaudet’s Education Abroad offers students one-of-a-kind international opportunities.

Follow Caverly and Morrill’s company, Go Ahead, on Instagram @goahead_ga, buy tickets to “TRASH“ showing in NYC in March 2026, and keep informed about their summer performance at The Shed.