M A R C H / A P R I L - 1 9 9 8

An award-winning actress on stage and in movies, Michelle Banks is the founder and artistic director of Onyx Theatre, Inc. Banks has performed in movies and plays, including an appearance in Spike Lee's Malcolm X. Her one-woman show, "Reflections of a Black Deaf Woman," has toured several cities. Banks is featured in an article in the February, 1998, issue of Essence magazine.

WAY: Tell us about growing up.
Banks: I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. I have one older brother. All my family are hearing except me.

WAY: How did you become deaf?
Banks: I became deaf at age one from spinal meningitis.

WAY: How did you communicate with your family?
Banks: As soon as my parents found out that I was deaf, they immediately took sign language classes. We communicated in sign language. I would say more in total communication.

WAY:Where did you go to school?
Banks: I was on the Gallaudet campus from the time I was three years old—first at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES), then the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD), and finally Gallaudet University. I transferred in 1987 from Gallaudet to finish my degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase.

WAY: When did you start thinking of acting as a professional career?
Banks: At MSSD, the director Tim McCarty encouraged me to develop my theater interests further.

WAY: Why did you transfer to SUNY?
Banks: I was looking for a challenge, and I knew that New York was a better place for theater, so I went to study drama at SUNY/Purchase. I was the first deaf student there.

WAY: What was your experience?
Banks: I had to fight for my right to have an interpreter in classes. Some of the students knew sign language and fingerspelling, so we able to communicate. I felt lonely at times but also made some good buddies.

WAY: When did you start your own professional theater company?
Banks: 1990. In my senior year of college, I formed my own theater company called "Onyx." It is the only Deaf theater of color in the U.S.

WAY: Why did you call your theater "Onyx"?
Banks: Onyx is a black stone—the black represents people of color, and the stone represents deafness.

WAY: Did you get any support from the National Theatre of the Deaf?
Banks: I went to their professional theater school in 1987. As Onyx started to grow, I got some support from them and other communities.

WAY: How has the Deaf community reacted to your company?
Banks: They were very excited about the idea of a new theater company.

WAY: Tell us about the company.
Banks: Onyx is a company of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing actors of color. We do productions based on our life experiences and how we view society.

WAY: Are your performances in ASL?
Banks: Yes, ASL and spoken English. We have hearing actors who reverse interpret sometimes on stage, sometimes off.

WAY: What are your dreams for the company?
Banks: I hope to buy a theater for Onyx, to tour nationally and internationally, and to become more involved in diverse communities.

General comments may be sent to: Ken.Kurlychek@gallaudet.edu
Last modified May 21, 1998
Copyright © 1997, All Rights Reserved
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center

Gallaudet University 800 Florida Ave. NE Washington, DC 20002-3695