HONK! An Inclusive Theatre Program for Typical and Special Needs Children

M. Wade Shrader, M.D., Carol M. Shrader, Steve Rodriguez, and Sharon Rodriguez

Center for Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH), Phoenix, AZ Moezart Productions, Phoenix, AZ

Introduction Significance

Description

!   Moezart Productions, a non-profit theater company for young people and the largest of its kind in Arizona, strives to teach youth the art of theater while presenting quality performances.

!   With directors who believe all children have innate gifts, the company strives to be inclusive for those children with special needs.

!   For the child in a wheelchair or with crutches, a ramp is built into the set to allow stage-access.

!   For the child with vision impairment, recordings are made of the script, and stage blocking takes visual issues into account.

!   All of the participants, special needs and typical students alike, are able to experience the joy of using their acting talents, adapting to different roles and different situations, and learning to be a valued member of a team.

!   This year’s large musical production was HONK, a tale of the ugly duckling with a special twist: the lead actor had spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. The entire show focused on how he as well as how others viewed his disability, how some accepted him, and how some rejected him. The finale, of course, reveals to all that our beauty and self-worth come from within, and not how we appear externally.

!   The development of an inclusive theatre program for both typical children and children with developmental disabilities was widely accepted throughout our community as an example of how such integrated programs should be designed.

!   Our children, parents, volunteers, and spectators consistently commented on the powerful message of inclusion and community that this program projected.

“Like Ugly, I have experienced exactly that in life – people who really accept me, and

people who reject me. I joke that I was not even acting in the show.”

- Mason, 15, played role of Ugly in Moezart’s production of Honk.

!   The advantages of adaptive recreation are well known to both families and care takers of children with special needs.

!   An inclusive theatre program would combine the positive attributes of the performing arts with the discipline required to sing, dance, and work as part of an ensemble cast to provide an enriching environment for children with developmental disabilities, their families, and the community in general.

!   Designing that program to be inclusive by integrating the children with special needs with typical children in a combined theatre production would be ideal.

!   One youth community theatre group was able to create an incredible experience for children, parents, and local community.

!   The purpose of this demonstration poster is to discuss the development of an inclusive theatre program for children of all abilities to provide stimulation and a template for similar programs worldwide.

A song in Honk says, “Different isn’t bad, different isn’t wrong. Different is just….different.” An inclusive-program embraces exactly that attitude for the performers.

Visually-impaired students are accommodated through creative blocking, script recordings and set-design.

Creative costuming allows the wheelchair or crutches to be part of the costume. Ramps built into the set allow for access without distraction.

Young performers work on their acting skills – emphasizing their innate gifts rather than any limitations.

The ugly duckling finds acceptance in unexpected places – a group of frogs.