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The Penguin Project is celebrating the fifth year of its junior-sized productions by taking a Disney favorite to the stage next month.
“Beauty and the Beast Jr.” will have three performances on the second weekend of January at Eastlight Theatre in East Peoria.
The Penguin Project features a group of young people who perform a modified version of a well-known Broadway musical.
However, these productions are unique because all of the roles are filled by young artists with developmental disabilities.
They are joined on stage by peer mentors, a group of children without disabilities who have volunteered to work with them side-by-side through the rehearsals and on stage.
Dr. Andrew Morgan, a developmental pediatrician and chief of child development at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, conceived the Penguin Project to give children with disabilities an opportunity to participate in the performing arts.
“Yes, you will always have Special Olympics, but this is unique because it gives the kids a chance to be stars and perform on stage,” Morgan said.
The name “Penguin Project” comes from the unique characteristics of penguins, which are playful and work well together, but can’t fly like other birds so they adapt to the challenges of their environment.
“We set the bar pretty high for some of these kids and every time they’ve come through. We give them the self confidence to succeed in any venue,” Morgan said.
Morgan said when casting the show, they simply identify which kids would be capable of certain roles and tasks and do without the entire tryout process.
“We usually take a chance every year with a few of them and probably stretch what they are capable of a bit. That can be exciting,” Morgan said.
Morgan added many of the kids have went on to participate in other community theater productions or ventured out into other arenas which they might have previously thought were out of reach.
“We had one girl in a wheelchair who went on to try out for cheerleading. Another kid who couldn’t tolerate interaction of any kind with others is making jokes and has lots of friends now,” Morgan said.
Morgan added many of the mentors have also went on to pursue careers in special education because of their positive Penguin Project experience.
Morgan said productions are usually a four-month commitment for the kids, starting around Labor Day until opening night in January.
The Penguin Project is celebrating the fifth year of its junior-sized productions by taking a Disney favorite to the stage next month.
“Beauty and the Beast Jr.” will have three performances on the second weekend of January at Eastlight Theatre in East Peoria.
The Penguin Project features a group of young people who perform a modified version of a well-known Broadway musical.
However, these productions are unique because all of the roles are filled by young artists with developmental disabilities.
They are joined on stage by peer mentors, a group of children without disabilities who have volunteered to work with them side-by-side through the rehearsals and on stage.
Dr. Andrew Morgan, a developmental pediatrician and chief of child development at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, conceived the Penguin Project to give children with disabilities an opportunity to participate in the performing arts.
“Yes, you will always have Special Olympics, but this is unique because it gives the kids a chance to be stars and perform on stage,” Morgan said.
The name “Penguin Project” comes from the unique characteristics of penguins, which are playful and work well together, but can’t fly like other birds so they adapt to the challenges of their environment.
“We set the bar pretty high for some of these kids and every time they’ve come through. We give them the self confidence to succeed in any venue,” Morgan said.
Morgan said when casting the show, they simply identify which kids would be capable of certain roles and tasks and do without the entire tryout process.
“We usually take a chance every year with a few of them and probably stretch what they are capable of a bit. That can be exciting,” Morgan said.
Morgan added many of the kids have went on to participate in other community theater productions or ventured out into other arenas which they might have previously thought were out of reach.
“We had one girl in a wheelchair who went on to try out for cheerleading. Another kid who couldn’t tolerate interaction of any kind with others is making jokes and has lots of friends now,” Morgan said.
Morgan added many of the mentors have also went on to pursue careers in special education because of their positive Penguin Project experience.
Morgan said productions are usually a four-month commitment for the kids, starting around Labor Day until opening night in January.
Although an outside company provides the script and music for the pint-sized cast, Morgan said his team still must handle choreography, sets, costumes and stage direction.
“One of the reasons why we picked ‘Beauty and the Beast’ this year is obviously because all the kids and parents know and love it, but it’s also because we can have lots of fun with the costumes and sets,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the kids have to be willing to put in lots of time for the plays because the schedule can get intense.
“We start with rehearsals twice a week then increase to four times and then near the end, it’s every day,” Morgan said.
Past junior-sized productions have included “Annie,” “The Music Man,” “Guys & Dolls” and “High School Musical.”
Morgan said since the first production of “Annie,” the group usually experiences about two-thirds carryover of the same cast for each production.
“The only negative aspect of this experience has been turning away kids when we have too many wanting to be in a production. We make sure they are at the top of the list for the next year though,” Morgan said.
The future goal for the Penguin Project is to take the program to other cities, allowing children with special needs across the nation to participate in a life-altering event.
Morgan said Bloomington-Normal will be the first replication site with a production set for June 2009 at Central Catholic High School.
“They will only have to worry about production costs because we will provide the technical assistance, infrastructure and materials,” Morgan said.
Morgan said they will write grants over the next year in hopes of getting other interested communities like Dekalb, Chicago and New Hampshire to become replication sites.
“Bloomington will be an important test for us to see if we have the right formula to move forward with the other cities,” Morgan said.
However, Morgan said they are missing the national recognition which would hopefully get them over the hurdle to bring in more funding.
“Some exposure like a spot on Oprah or Ellen could translate into an ongoing grant and lots of Penguin Projects nationwide over the next four to six years. We just can’t seem to get in the door for those shows,” Morgan said.
Morgan added they also hope to start a traveling troupe of teens from past shows who might be interested in touring to perform for interested groups or at special events.
Morgan said by providing access to community theater, the Penguin Project demonstrates that the special challenges of a disability do not need to handicap a child’s ability to participate in life’s experiences.
“Our penguins may not be able to fly, but that does not prevent their spirits from soaring,” Morgan added.
For tickets to “Beauty and the Beast Jr.,” call 699-SHOW (7469) or order online at www.EastlightTheatre.com.
Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 and 10 and 2 p.m. Jan. 11 in the theatre at East Peoria Community High School.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth.
For more information, visit www.penguinproject.org.
