Investigate the following and discuss each one's impact on the theater world: The National Theater of the Deaf, Louie Fant, Bernard Bragg, and Phyllis Frelich.

Alexander Graham Bell was a teacher for the deaf long before inventing the telephone. He is famous for creating "Bell's Visible Speech." Gather more information on this subject, and pay special attention to the chart, if available.

Over the years, a debate has persisted between oralists (who advocate for speech and lip-reading only) and manualists (who support learning sign language). The Clarke School for the Deaf in Massachusetts and the John Tracy Clinic in California are valuable resources for the oral perspective. Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, is an excellent source for the sign language viewpoint. Use these resources to illustrate how Sarah's character has been shaped by these opposing views.

Just as spoken language has dialects (like the southern drawl or the New England twang), sign language also features dialects and different ways to express the same idea. Research American Sign Language (ASL) and the various forms of signed English. Demonstrate how these signing dialects play a crucial role in the play.

Compare the characters of James and Anne Sullivan from William Gibson's "The Miracle Worker." How does each character approach their role as a teacher? How do their teaching methods differ?