On April 28, the lights will come up on a show unlike anything ever seen at PV. After decades of theater, PV Drama is making strides towards inclusivity, putting together a production of “The Wizard of Oz” that will feature exclusively special needs students from grades 7-12 across the district through an initiative called Spartan Spotlighters.
Spartan Spotlighters is the passion project of junior Mallory Carslake, who presented the idea to drama director Christina Myatt last spring. For Carslake, the issue of inclusivity for special needs students hits close to home. She was inspired by her cousin with special needs . “I realized that she doesn’t have as nearly as many opportunities for her to get involved,” she explained. For “The Wizard of Oz,” Carslake will be the assistant director.
For the program to be successful, modifications have to be made to the ordinary rehearsal process. A schedule has been designed to give cast members ample time to learn and practice their parts, rehearsing only a few days a week so no one gets overwhelmed. The green room and stage are already wheelchair accessible, but some crew-oriented spaces may still need to be adapted.
To make the show run smoothly, each participant will be paired with an experienced mentor to work one-on-one with them, help them navigate theater and keep the program as low-stress as possible. The format is reminiscent of the Penguin Project, which locally performs annually through the Center for the Living Arts and has seen immense success.
Juniors Madi Ramirez, Sean Myers, and Jazzie Zupancic are all thrilled to be a part of this program at PV. “I’ve never gotten the opportunity to perform at a high school theater,” Myers shared. Additionally, the three look forward to making connections with other students and improving their performing abilities. “I want to make friendships,” Ramirez explained.
Theater opportunities should be accessible to all groups of individuals as a variety of life skills can be cultivated through participation. Performers become more confident, learn better communication skills, work better with others and are generally more empathetic than their peers.
Sophomore Ryan Pottratz is stage managing the show. He is hopeful that Spotlighters participants might find the same sense of belonging that he died within the department. “The theatre community is a really good place for newcomers because you get to see people from all sorts of different backgrounds and skill sets.”
Though Spotlighters is a step towards inclusivity, it’s not the end. As special needs students become more comfortable within PV theater , the hope is that they will be inspired to participate in other shows as well. The department wants to be as welcoming as possible, emphasizing that students with special needs are always welcome in their program. Carslake believes that the benefits go beyond performative inclusivity, “Everyone has different talents, and you can’t utilize them if you don’t give everyone a chance.”
