Disability No Hurdle for Budding Actors in New Theater Collaboration

Sixteen newly minted thespians showed off their acting chops learned through a remarkable collaboration between the city's youth playhouse and agency that encourages those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find their voice.

Parents, friends and supporters gathered in Middletown on May 24 to watch MARC Community Resources participants demonstrate skills they'd learned from the first eight-week session offered by Oddfellows Youth Playhouse, including beginning acting, mask theater and comedy and improvisation.  

Oddfellows teacher Kimberly West led students, seated in chairs side by side across the Oddfellows stage, in warmup exercises meant to limber up the body and vocal chords, then sent an ordinary object — in this case a giant red inflatable crayon — down the line for an impromptu skit.

The task required quick, creative thinking as West's ebullient voice encouraged each participant reinvented the crayon into another object — and audience members guessed at their interpretations of a baseball bat, rifle, golf club, telephone and other incarnations. 

“The process of theater is a skill building process, and we believe that MARC’s consumers will strengthen fundamental life skills that will help them live more independently. The focus on expression and communication should help consumers develop their ability to interact with others, and better comprehend social cues,” said Oddfellows’ Executive Director Matthew Pugliese. 

“This is an underserved audience that is in equal need for the experience and excitement of theater and the arts in their lives.” 

The goal is for this arts training to build important skills for MARC consumers to use in their everyday lives, Pugliese says, including "collaborative ensemble skills, becoming more comfortable with public speaking, learn to better communicate ideas, and express their imaginations and emotions."    

Andy J. Heuer, Development Director at MARC: Community Resources, says staff members engage in theatrical exercises alongside participants. He's eager for the next set of classes. "We anticipate, given the response, that many will do it again and that we will gain new participants." 

The next eight-week session begins July 19 on Fridays.   

MARC and Oddfellows will work together to fund the program moving forward. Still , individual, foundation and corporate support is still needed. For information, see here and here. 

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• Oddfellows Playhouse and MARC: Community Resources Embark on New Programmatic Partnership