Braille: The Early Life of Louis Braille

Louis Braille was a boy determined to open, once and for all, the doors to literacy and knowledge for the blind. The play provides audiences with a thoughtful theatre experience, which illustrates the universal human bonds uniting all of us, whether blind or sighted. The role of Louis Braille may be played by two actors. He is first seen briefly as a child who has an accident in which he loses his sight. For most of the play he is seen as a teenager who must deal with his own blindness by developing his unique system for reading with his fingertips and beginning his special crusade. His approach is greeted with skepticism. However he perseveres despite great difficulties, and at 15 years of age, he invents a system for which grown men had searched for decades. He gave a precious gift: the freedom to read, and by reading to see the world! This play combines extraordinary insight as well as dramatic theatricality. In the playbook, you'll find information and guidance for your own production such as how to play a blind role, correct pronunciation, etc., along with a great deal of fascinating background information.