Special Gifts Theatre company- presents “Moana, jr.”

**** For years I have told you about the theater program in our area that is called Special Gifts Theatre. They work with children and adults to bring theater into their lives, as well as the lives of their families. They have several schools they work with and the formula is one that works. The families that are seeking “a world where all people with disabilities are valued, included and accepted”, will see that “this is the place”!

This afternoon, I went to Rolling Meadows where I was witness to a production of “Moana Jr.” the Disney musical in a somewhat shortened version. The theater was pretty full and the spirits were very high. The production was a little over 1 hour and 25 minutes and while there are no fancy lighting effects, or sets, what we saw was a wonderful opportunity for these young people to express themselves and build their own self esteem and self confidence.

The performers have “mentors” who have worked with them during the rehearsal period and are there mainly for support. I watched them closely and they were not eager to jump in, allowing each actor to do their thing, and I was quite impressed ( and happy to have joined the board).

I was impressed with the characters they created and in some cases, the vocal range they used to convey the type of character they were.

Here is the cast list: Matthew Aki, Colin Barker, Nicole Bischoff, Braylen Brown, Jon Constantino, Chandler Coupe, Danny DiPasquale, Andrijana Djuric, Meghan Gilles, Faith Haack, Talia Kotel, Omprakash Kothi Vishnuram, Vic Krol, James Leveille, Vieva Cardona Lyke, Maria Maltchev, Jack McGinn, Sam McLeod, Max Meager, Amanda Niemi, Olivia Rywelski, Jacob Spenadel, Keira Treganza, Lindsey Vassallo and Michelle Zellinger- great work!

The system works. The direction and choreography is perfect and allows these young people to take on roles that they might never attempt. Special Gifts Theatre ensures these talented people that they do have a voice and that they can be whatever they desire.

To learn more about Special Gifts Theatre Company and their upcoming shows ( and classes) visit www.specialgiftstheatre.org