A DEAF WOMAN CONFRONTS HER IDENTITY WHILE DOING A REHAB FOR LOVE ADDICTION

The Book That Won't Close- Confessions of A Love Addict

TL identifies as a Deaf woman. She is not, however, profoundly deaf. She straddles the worlds of the deaf and the hearing. She can sign and she can speak. She can also sing, which lead to her having a profile as a Deaf entertainer, a deaf singer, The Deaf Lady Gaga. But the fact that she could travel in both cultures earns her disapproval from some individuals in the deaf community, who challenge the authenticity of her being a Deaf woman. From some hearing people, on the other hand, she receives condescension and pity.

The particular facts of her situation as a differently-abled individual intrude on her private life, resulting in a string of failed relationships with men….a Love Addiction.

Things begin to look up for TL when she meets Treva, a fluid, Transgender Orgasmic Meditation coach. (You’ll have to see the show to fully grasp what that means.) Treva walks TL through rehab of her Love addiction to confront her unhealed shame around the parts of her that are both hearing and deaf.

The Book That Won’t Close utilizes music, dance, video projection, American Sign Language, and spoken voice, with the support of an ASL interpreter as TL portrays multiple characters in the service of an informative and fascinating narrative. She also contributes her own original rock music compositions to the show’s score. As a Deaf entertainer, her use of spoken voice is controversial, as it collides with certain political orthodoxies within the deaf community. The Book That Won’t Close challenges hearing and deaf audiences alike to learn about the diversity that currently exists in the deaf world.

TL Forsberg, a Canada-born triple threat., has credits from stage (Children of a Lesser God; Pippin), television (Earth: Final Conflict; Hendrix; SuperGroup; a recurring character on Switched at Birth), and film (See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary).

Jessica Lynn Johnson develops and directs The Book That Won’t Close.. Acclaimed both as a solo performer and as a director of solo artists, she is the founder of the company Soaring Solo Studios.. Her directing credits include Unemployed Finally, The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly, 365 Days of Crazy, Triangles Are My Favorite Shape, Bully-mia, Not My Show, Answers Outta The Blue, Dear Yoko, and more.

ACCLAIM FOR The Book That Won’t Close: The show played to sold-out houses when it debuted at the Binge Free Festival at Santa Monica Playhouse in 2019. It won Best of Fest Awards at Solofest in both 2020 and 2021 at the Whitefire Theatre. It received a Diversity Scholarship for the 2021 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The Book That Won’t Close: Confessions of a Love Addict will be performed in front of live audiences at Broadwater Black Box. It will also be live-streamed, so there will be that option for online audiences as well.

You’ll root for TL, as she integrates all the parts of herself, deaf and hearing, to become a vital, whole person.