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The Magi Pay Homage A high, point in the play when the Three Wise Men visit Mary (Carol deary) and Joseph (Bill Gregory) in stable at Bethlehem. actor going through his paces onstage. The young student was one of a cast of more than 50, who have learned the text of the play by heart, readying to expound it before their first public audience. Mr. Graham chooses his cast rom a representative group of students - those who are hard of hearing and can respond readily to conversation and those who are totally deaf with lesser degrees of articulation. To aid the audience the text is projected on a screen as the ageless story unfolds onstage. The prime object, of course, is the exercise in communication it provides for all students. The original text, prepared for the first production 15 years ago by OSD teacher Helen Keeler and music director Alec Gordon, is still used. "It was written to meet the needs of following the Bible story and the language our students can cope with," explains Mr. Graham. "The language, for the most part, is brought downi to their abilities." However, the script provides^ more than a common chal-j lenge in parts. Frequently, Mr. Graham] pauses between watching and cueing action onstage, to callj a young actor aside and help K him clarify a more difficul phrase. The student repeats it several times until both are satisfied on enunciation. Then Mr. Graham "turns back to the scene at hand. "We're awfully proud of the fact that we're getting our children to speak," he says aside. "Remember this is a school where we try to teach orally -- if it can be done. This is one of the ways to do it." His painstaking . work Is matched by the apparent enthusiasm of the students. "They work pretty hard to practice," he says. He turns back to the stage1 and signals a group of young i performers -to start looking busy and react to the seen* around them. "The deaf mainly are quit passive," he explains. "You'vi got to show them. You've go to tell them: 'Come on yw ;