Audience members conversed with one another through American Sign Language from across the room.

Laughs and a raise of hands swept Ice Auditorium on March 14 when “Deaf Puppy Dog Follows: A Storytelling Experience” attracted members of the Deaf and hearing communities.

Linfield’s adjunct professor of American Sign Language, Heath Goodall hosted the event with Patrick Fisher.

When Goodall isn’t at Linfield he teaches at Portland Community College and Chemeketa Community College, bringing in a variety of all of his students and creating a lively crowd.

Fisher and Goodall alternated telling stories through American Sign Language and other forms of visual humor including miming and acting. Goodall used his background of growing up in Seattle to tell stories  about how he orders coffee and his love for Starbucks in “How I Met Coffee.” Goodall presented himself in a relatable and humorous way that had everyone in the room laughing along.

Fisher signed stories based off Deaf culture such as, “How to Identify Deaf?” by having a deaf student come on stage and participate with the duo. Fisher also presented “Top 20 Errors ASL Students Make” and “Portland Deaf News” where Goodall went into the audience looking for a mirror and ended using Fisher’s bald head as a reflection and dumped baby powder on him.

Fisher and Goodall recruited eight other audience members to make two teams where each performer coached the group of four. Together they held competitions to see who could create the best animal or machine out of their bodies including elephants, cars, monkeys, and airplanes. They even used the contestants as laundry for their man made washing machine and dryer.

The English Language and Culture Program, the Department of Theatre and Communication Arts, the Department of Modern Languages, and the Linfield Offices of Academic Affairs and Multicultural Programs hosted the event.

Rosa Johnson / Copy editor

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Patrick Fisher (left) and Adjunct Professor of American Sign Language Heath Goodall shared the stage on March 14 in “Deaf Puppy Dog Follow” that combined the visual humor of acting with American Sign Language.

Rosa Johnson/ Copy editor

Adjunct Professor of American Sign Language Heath Goodall pretends to use Patrick Fisher’s bald head as a mirror during their act “Portland Deaf News.”

Rosa Johnson/ Copy editor

Rosa Johnson/ Copy editor

Adjunct Professor of American Sign Language, Heath Goodall (right) brings one of his Deaf students from one of his other classes at another college on stage.