For four days, sign language will be the unspoken word on the Baker University stage as the production of “Reckless” is well on the way, bringing a silent, but expressive, comedy with it.

“[The sign language] provides a lighter comic relief from a dark comedy with great facial expressions,” senior Kari Hilmes said.

Three characters sign in the show: Rachel, played by Hilmes, Pooty, played by senior Courtney West, and Lloyd, played by senior Jeff Milton.

To help them sign the lines correctly, Hilmes, West and Milton revamped the script to be simple, and therefore easier to sign.

The three cast members enlisted the help of senior Ashley Bledsoe, who is fluent in sign language, to learn their lines.

“They told me the lines that needed signed in the show and then video-taped me doing the signs, so that practice could happen without me present the whole time,” Bledsoe said.

In sign language, not every word has to be signed and some words do not even have a sign, which is the challenge.

“It’s (a) difficult task because it’s not like regular productions when we just have to memorize lines, but we have to learn a new language,” West said. “I feel like I’m cheating because I’m only learning my lines and not the entire language.”

Learning sign language came right after rehearsals started for “Reckless.”

“The first week and a half was mainly improved sign language,” Hilmes said.  ”At the beginning of rehearsals, there was more faking the sign language, but as rehearsals progressed, it got easier.”

The memorization of the sign language and meaning forced the three actors to change the learning process, as well as change the repetition process.

The first week of rehearsals was used to block the show and work on facial expressions. Facial expressions provide the audience understanding of what is being signed.

“Each expression has to match the meaning of the word,” West said.

The production of “Reckless” runs April 28 through May 1 in Rice Auditorium.