<P> The selected plays to perform came from traditional literature as well as from the collection of many plays written by D / deaf playwrights . </P> <P> Hearing audiences gave supportive reviews for the NTD performances from the start and throughout the history of the NTD, while D / deaf and Hard of Hearing (HH) audiences had mixed reviews for the work of the NTD . D / deaf and HH audience members expected performances to be focused more around the deaf experience, and they expected ASL to be more' realistic' and less theatricalized . Some D / deaf viewed NTD performances to be an attempt to cater toward Hearing audiences which was not well received . Throughout the years, many D / deaf have come to appreciate the work of NTD . </P> <P> The history of the NTD has been recorded in a variety of sources . Helen Powers, a journalist, wrote extensively about the NTD in her book Signs of Silence . The NTD has been discussed by D / deaf individuals in their published biographies such as Lessons in Laughter: An Autobiography by a Deaf Actor by Bernard Bragg and in primary sources such as personal interviews for newspapers such as Silent News (a publication for the D / deaf), journals such as the Puppetry Journal, and television shows such as Deaf Mosaic which aired regularly during the 80s and 90s . Additionally, several scholars have included details about the NTD, its formation and development, in their academic dissertations when obtaining advanced degrees . </P> <P> The NTD has provided a fertile ground for D / deaf actors to develop their theatrical talents and to share this art form with audiences worldwide . The work of the NTD has been and is currently also a way for D / deaf actors to achieve greater visibility and acclaim . At times this public exposure enabled D / deaf actors to gain roles in Hearing television and theater . Since the NTD was the first Deaf troupe to travel the world extensively and to perform in so many diverse locations, the NTD is notable for building international relationships among D / deaf actors worldwide and between D / deaf and Hearing actors across the globe . The performances given by the NTD have and continue to influence the perceptions of Hearing viewers regarding D / deaf individuals . Through viewing sign language as including, for one, the form of art depicted in NTD performances, many Hearing people have come to realize the talent and capabilities of the D / deaf . </P>

The national theater of the deaf made a guest appearance on what 90’s television series