Theater Works to launch AdaptiveWorks for Actors with Disabilities

(from left to right) Program Lead Zachry Funk,
Chelsea McComb, Ryan Corcoran, Gretchen Burns,
Casey Bagley, and Program Director Brianna Funk.
photo by Andrea Still

from our friends at Theater Works:

Our new theater education program is designed for everyone with special needs, from students who love theater, to seniors looking for a fun, new adventure! The AdaptiveWorks program will provide genuine theatrical experiences to people with both mental and physical disabilities. AdaptiveWorks actors will experience a theatrical production from start to finish - from the audition process to the rehearsal process, and finally, to two performances which will be open to the public. Actors will be able to explore their creativity and talents outside the confines of everyday life. Through the AdaptiveWorks theater program, youth and adults ages 12 and up of all abilities will experience an enjoyable, creative, therapeutic activity while gaining personal growth, empowerment, and building important life skills.

The program will kick-off in the fall of 2017 with a production of Annie Jr. with the first session held on September 4.

Children and adults, who have problems with speech, language and motor skills, can struggle with verbalizing what they feel and need. Imagine being filled with emotion, yet being unable to express those feelings. That’s what many children and adults with disabilities face. Theater activities have been shown to promote cognitive and physical development, strengthen problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, develop a sense of goal-setting, and nurture social skills. By learning these skills, individuals affected by disability will be better equipped to cope with the challenges faced in everyday life, as such, an AdaptiveWorks program is vital to the community. We work to create these opportunities for every actor on our stage.

Theater Works has been providing adaptive theater programming for more than three years. Through our program, an existing show is used and then modified by the students to become their own. The program culminates in a full-scale theatrical show. Participants get the opportunity to work in a professional setting with writers, directors and actors to develop a musical theater production. Theater Works is able to impact a population of individuals that deserve to participate in the arts, as well as further the mission of providing enriching experiences that impact the community. This would be the first program of its kind done in the West Valley.

Participants will meet once or twice a week for 11 weeks in this program designed to accommodate approximately 50 adults and children with disabilities, ages 12 and older. Actors will perform a full-scale musical theater production onstage with lights, costumes, set and props. Theater Works professionals will work with actors on memorization of lines, choreography, and areas of production catering to all levels of skill and development.

The cost of program registration is $180.

To learn more and/or register, please go to: http://theaterworks.org/adaptiveworks/