[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Between Two Worlds: I Wasn’t Cancelled… Just Confused! – Chronicles of the Not Deaf Enough Girl, written and performed by TL Forsberg as part of Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest 2026.
TL Forsberg is a very accomplished actress, singer, activist and American Ambassador on Disability. She is partially deaf, and her show is fully accessible with ASL interpretation throughout.
TL’s story begins when she loses her hearing as a child. While she does recover some, from that moment on she was propelled into the Deaf community. She grew up with all the assistance one might expect with a disability, but she could also hear and had heard fully in early childhood. So, as a person not born deaf, she was made instantly aware of the many worlds within the Deaf community. Some might say that within the Deaf community, she was not Deaf enough. While she holds no animus toward anyone, hearing or non-hearing, being put on the outside of a part of this world that is already on the outside was a struggle and at times one she found hard to bear.
This is a story not often told, and as a person who enjoys full hearing and no kind of disability, which is, of course, the majority of humans on the planet, TL drawing back the veil to her world and her lived experience was a profoundly moving and inspiring experience.
TL is a stunningly good storyteller. She communicates with her entire being. Her voice, her body, her ASL. She was a hugely successful singer, opening for Alanis Morissette no less, and she has also composed for major Deaf arts festivals and films. Multi-talented and a rising star, she was publicly outed by some members of the Deaf community as hard of hearing, who argued that because she still had the ability to hear, she was not ‘Deaf enough’ to represent them. This is absolutely not what she or anyone who worked with her was doing, and it almost broke her. This play is the story of all of it and how she pushed through and became even more herself.
Few of us can really understand the challenges of having any kind of disability in this country or anywhere. But TL does a really excellent job of getting us to see inside it. Walk in her shoes, look through her eyes, and even hear as she can. This is a truly spectacular show.
Solo shows can sometimes skim a subject, entertain, but not really dig in. TL is fearless in her ability to get right to the heart of the matter. To open herself up to us and to share everything that comes along with pushing back against her own unique experience of bigotry within a culture. She in no way places blame, though, or holds on to anger. She instead tries to understand, and she forgives. We are all only human after all, with all the faults and foibles that come along with that.
TL Forsberg tells her story as a gifted actor. She connects to her audience with an almost effortless delight. She is there to share, not perform—although she is truly excellent at that! The show is interactive, encouraging comments and spoken thoughts about the themes of the show: forgiveness, grace, understanding and finding your power.
TL is a tender soul with battle scars and a stunning ability to pivot and love the life she has created. Be prepared to cry, laugh a lot and leave thoughtful and inspired. Bravo!
You can find out more about TL Forsberg and her incredible solo show Between Two Worlds: I Wasn’t Cancelled… Just Confused! – Chronicles of the Not Deaf Enough Girl on her website: https://www.tlforsberg.com/