Mentor Program: Growing Leaders
Some of our students serve as Mentors in the Wednesday Troupe. They rock as role models for the Troupe Members during warm up activities, rehearsals, or while on stage together! The Mentors are learning leadership skills while participating in a comprehensive study of reflective thinking, goal-setting, and curriculum planning.
The foundation to our work with Mentors is grounded in a belief that we are all learners and that learning is a process that is ever-growing and ever-changing. We ask questions that are open ended to inspire reflective thinking and to grow self-awareness. We model for each other setting personal goals and then changing personal goals when the time seems right.
The Mentors for this year include: Jenny Rainville, Brian White, Jess Bills, Josh Blaushild, Noah Raymond, Nick Panella, and Alauna Boyer. We support the Mentors to feel empowered in their abilities to learn and grow as individuals and actors while mastering leadership skills. The Mentors welcome opportunities to be positive role models as well as skilled "acting buddies." And they are!
Brian and Leif raising arm together back stage before a show.
A theater environment is beautifully vibrant and fertile with many opportunities to practice leadership skills. Mentors learn to speak out and express their ideas, take part in a shared project, solve problems creatively, lead theater exercises, and interact with others in positive and caring ways.
The Mentors have noted that some highlights for them in their mentoring are seeing Troupe Members laugh, gaining experience leading activities and then “getting the hang of it,” feeling a sense of personal growth, seeing people’s faces as they become engaged in activities, and having the experience of doing a good job.
Mentors Jenny and Melody laughing on stage during a performance.
Mentorship Interview with Alauna
Laura Lawson Tucker interviewed Alauna Boyer about her experience being a Theatre Adventure Mentor. Click the image below to watch.
Find out more about our Mentor Program
Growing Love
“Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
In these unsettled and turbulent times we have a strengthened resolve in our commitment to individuals with disabilities to live their lives with dignity, creativity, and passion for their communities. It is imperative that we help empower people with disabilities who might feel disenfranchised, invisible, or misunderstood. We are dedicated to a nonviolent approach to social change that builds opportunities for claiming self, expressing self, and being heard.
As an expressive arts organization we are rooted deeply in a dedication toward inclusion and our refusal to permit any acts of bullying, exclusion, intimidation, or name calling during all classes, rehearsals, and performances. We insist that all students are accepted and that only kindness to others is permitted. We take seriously our job of teaching: all are welcome, all are valued, and all have a place. Valuing diversity is at the core of our work. Valuing the inherent worth of each of our students guides our work in creating remarkable theater together.
Amanda Gorman, Our Poet Laureate is a Miracle of Light, Wisdom, and Power
Amanda Gorman reading her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
We are dedicated to helping our students find their voices to advocate for themselves and others.
Announcing Galen Spiegler’s new book, “The Ability Almanac”
Theatre Adventure is proud to announce, one of our esteemed alumni, Galen Spiegler, has recently published his first book: “The Ability Almanac: 365 Tidbits of Crip Wisdom in Bite-Sized Pieces.”
Within one month of being published, Galen’s book hit number one in the “New Releases in Disabled People Demographic Studies” category!
The book is user friendly. Each chapter is dedicated to one month. Within each chapter, there is a subsection for each week. Subsequently, a passage for each day will give the reader a slice of what it means to live with a disability. These daily readings go well past the superficial and into the heart of the Crip life. The reader will notice that some words have been made bold. The definitions of these bolded words can be found in the glossary at the end of the book. By taking this cultural journey, the reader will be able to interact with the disability community and other minority groups authentically.
If the knowledge discussed in these pages is shared, the world will be more peaceful, understanding, and kind.
Tha Ability Almanac on Facebook
Galen, who currently lives in Keene, New Hampshire, earned his degree at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio area, where he studied psychology with a focus on the mental impact of having a physical disability. He is currently preparing to move to Cincinnati to pursue an Masters in Mental Health Counseling so he may work with patients who are rehabilitating in physical therapy to help take care of their mental and sexual health.
Galen at the The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
After that, Galen intends to pursue a doctorate in clinical and organizational psychology where he aims to, “Revolutionize how we hire people to work with people with disabilities, so we can cut down on everything from misunderstandings to abuse.”
Galen Spiegler and his mother smiling and hugging.
Theatre Adventure
At the age of eleven, Galen helped launch the first ever Theatre Adventure summer program in 2004 by joining our original troupe of actors with disabilities.
Galen performs in the role of the Wizard in a dress rehearsal for The Best of Wizard of Oz.
In the 2006 production of The Best of Wizard of Oz , Galen was then thirteen and wasn't thrilled with the prospect of skipping down the yellow brick road so he played the Wizard. Galen recalls, “When I was waiting for my part in rehearsal, I noticed Darlene working with the light board and I thought, why am I up here when I could be comfortably off stage working behind the scenes. That was my pivot point. From there I became a mentor slash light geek.”
Galen running the light board for Theatre Adventure’s 2007 production Peter Pan.
Galen returned to Theatre Adventure in the summer of 2012 to work in the tech department filming a short documentary of the Summer Program titled Theatre Adventure on the Silver Screen. Galen was able to strap a camcorder on his wheelchair to create smooth dolly like cinematic effects.
Here a clip of the documentary, “Theatre Adventure on the Silver Screen,” which Galen helped to create. You will notice that Galen attached a camcorder to his wheelchair to capture dynamic footage of our students and their creative process.
By the summer of 2013 Galen’s psychology studies had really taken off and as he puts it, “I didn't want to leave the comfort of my apartment on Wright State University's campus outside of Dayton, Ohio.”
His vision and passion launched him out into the world to greet new adventures. We are so grateful he was able to leave his mark on our Theatre Adventure community and are looking forward to watching his work unfold.
Galen explains, “Even though I am no longer part of the day to day program, I will always hold Theatre Adventure close to my heart. It is not every day you get a personal concert of “Bad to the Bone” or see five people playing the same character and pull it off.”
Well put Galen, and from all of us at Theatre Adventure, Break a Leg!
Thank You Robin Foundation!
The Board of Directors of Theatre Adventure, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a substantial grant from the Robin Foundation.
The grant funds will be utilized to retain professional staff and contractor services including bookkeeping, grant-writing, marketing, and web development. These team members ensure that Theatre Adventure will continue serving as a visible and accessible resource for people with disabilities in the region.
Theatre Adventure is an inclusive non-profit organization for youth and adult actors with developmental disabilities. Theatre Adventure provides opportunities for people with disabilities to learn and grow while cultivating their imaginations, problem-solving capabilities, and social skills. Participants in Theatre Adventure learn to work as a team, act as positive role models, think reflectively, and see projects through to completion. Theatre Adventure has come to be recognized as one of the region’s only theater arts environment for youth and adults with disabilities to come together in a creative, respectful, and nurturing learning setting.
Laura Lawson Tucker
Greeting the New Year with Open Arms
Our Fall semester was tremendous!
The Wednesday Troupe dove deeply into their work on our May production, Charlotte’s Web. The Thursday Troupe performed their reimagined show, Ordinary Heroes in November--- wildly acclaimed for its inventiveness and positivity, the show was a triumph! Many bore witness to the glorious talent and dreams of our inclusive theater troupe of twenty actors.
You can now watch Ordinary Heroes below or by visiting our Vimeo page.
Reviews for Ordinary Heroes POURED IN from:
Taiwan, Australia, Bermuda, California, Vermont, Illinois, Virginia, Washington State, Vermont, and Austria!
Both troupes accepted all offers
They ventured into the unknown world of crafting online productions. As a result, throughout the semester, we witnessed brave leadership, inventive puppet-making, daring acting, articulate self-expression, joyous painting, caring teamwork, empathic listening, and heartfelt dancing.
The Mentors begin Wednesday January 6, a week before the students. They rock as role models for the troupe members! The Mentors are learning leadership skills while participating in a comprehensive study of reflective thinking, goal-setting, and curriculum planning.
One of our mentors, Jess Bills performs live at West Village Meeting House.
The Wednesday Troupe is poised to continue developing their unique telling of the Charlotte’s Web story with puppetry, painting and scenic design, dancing, sound, and poetry. The Thursday Troupe will embark on a new project for their April production, Daydreaming. This new show will highlight the power of dreams, imagination, puppetry, and costuming to lift spirits with a kaleidoscope of storytelling adventures.
Daydreaming
April 2021
Peter Pan flies into the open windows of the nursery. Those open windows invited quite a fantastical journey of other worlds of adversity, discovery, triumph, and claiming one’s belonging. Windows of inspiration.
Charlotte’s Web
May 2021
The Wednesday Troupe will present an original adaptation of the well-beloved story about a child named Fern who falls in love with a pig, a clever and caring spider, a rat who saves the day, and many other endearing characters.
E. B. White’s rich language creates a pastoral backdrop for the passage of the seasons on a New England farm.
Noah’s favorite all time performance was being the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. He loves playing a villain! Above, Noah is pictured playing the villain Turkator in the 2018 production, Questery.
Noah is a Mentor and Actor in the Wednesday Troupe. Noah is a natural performer in everything that he does, whether it’s selling raffle tickets at his local library or claiming the stage during play performances. His passion is obvious.
We send out to you our hope for sparks of imagination, love, and goodwill during 2021.
Winter Solstice Salutations
Today is an auspicious day. How could it be that on this first day of winter the length of our days begins to increase? That is, the beginning of our season of cold and dark is juxtaposed to the lengthening of daytime.
A hand drawn solstice wheel illustrating the waning light in winter.
And this is what I am feeling today, this strange contradiction is offering feelings of hopefulness. This pandemic has certainly brought many hardships: loss, isolation, separation, illness, lack of physical touch for some, financial hardships, and yearnings to return to life, “as we knew it.”
A balm for our spirits might be to know that as we brace for winter weather challenges, at the same time we are being offered an opening of more light in our days.
We have had an amazing 2020, our first year as our own organization, and during a pandemic. Another strange contradiction? There is power in theater and the arts. We have witnessed our actors express themselves through the arts with abandon, courage, and vitality.
An exaltation of self in relationship to others in a community of love and care has carried us through 2020. We look forward to our 2021 spring shows, Daydreaming and Charlotte’s Web as opportunities for our Troupe Members to sparkle and flourish!
Thank you to everyone for your part in helping shine a light on Theatre Adventure artists, truly, on anyone. Together, our collective work is creating an abundance of sunshine in our communities.
The Twelve Months of COVID
by Leslie Kinney
On the 1st month of COVID my true love gave to me…
a large case of toilet paper.
On the 2nd month of COVID my true love gave to me…2 rubber gloves
and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 3rd month of COVID my true love gave to me…3-ply masks,
2 rubber gloves and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 4th month of COVID my true love gave to me…4 hand sanitizers
3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 5th month of COVID my true love gave to me…
a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 6th month of COVID my true love gave to me…6 virtual hugs,
a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves,
and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 7th month of COVID my true love gave to me…7 lonely texts,
6 virtual hugs, a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves, and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 8th month of COVID my true love gave to me…
8 hours of FaceTime, 7 lonely texts, 6 virtual hugs, a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves, and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 9th month of COVID my true love gave to me…9 wistful emails,
8 hours of FaceTime, 7 lonely texts, 6 virtual hugs, a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves, and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 10th month of COVID my true love gave to me…
10 bags of groceries, 9 wistful emails, 8 hours of FaceTime, 7 lonely texts, 6 virtual hugs, a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves, and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 11th month of COVID my true love gave to me…FINALLY VACCINATIONS!
10 bags of groceries, 9 wistful emails, 8 hours of FaceTime, 7 lonely texts, 6 virtual hugs, a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves, and a large case of toilet paper.
On the 12th month of COVID my true love gave to me…AT LAST A DREAM VACATION!!
finally vaccinations, 10 bags of groceries, 9 wistful emails, 8 hours of FaceTime, 7 lonely texts, 6 virtual hugs, a Pro Zoom Account,
4 hand sanitizers, 3-ply masks, 2 rubber gloves, and a large case of toilet paper!
Thanksgiving 2020 ~ A Message from Theatre Adventure
Here we are rising up together
We are fearless, yes we are strong,
We’ll make it through all kinds of weather
Here we stand, hand in hand, listen to our song.
By Rich Nethercott
During this pandemic our actors, all of whom have disabilities, breathe life into the words of this song. They consistently demonstrate a can-do attitude and the belief that together we will make it through this challenging time.
The Theatre Adventure teachers and Board members are grateful for our students for inspiring in others a spirit of positivity, generosity, and caring for others.
We also give thanks for the tremendous outpouring of support we receive from our students’ family members, community partners, colleagues, donors, and our audiences.
And lastly, we consider ourselves fortunate to be in the company of such a richness of diversity, creativity, and innovation that all of the arts organizations in our region provide our community.
Yes, together we will make it through all kinds of weather. What will sustain us? Creating art and loving one another.
Thank you,
Darlene and Laura
Theatre Adventure Year-End Appeal
Please gather around for our story...
Theatre Adventure actors are youth and adults with developmental challenges who share a burning desire to act, dance, sing, paint, draw, and write poetry. For fifteen years, our troupe members have been rocking the boat with their astounding artistry and courage to go to their growing edge, both on and off stage. This is especially true now during the pandemic.
We are approaching the close of our first year as our own nonprofit organization and are asking for your support. Last March we moved all our programming and performances online, which resulted in unexpected expenses. More than ever, our students need outlets to express themselves creatively. They certainly have passion for creating art in community! Our work continues with fortitude and optimism.
Please join us as pioneers in a new frontier. Theatre Adventure actors are discovering that their online performance spaces are windows of self-discovery. We welcome your participation in our artistic adventures that empower our students.
We invite you to visit our website, make a donation, and become an audience member.
We will premier our original musical, “Ordinary Heroes” November 11, 12, and 13. Help us create our online audiences. More information is available on our website:
Together we are strengthening our communities by nurturing the self-confidence and creativity of individuals with disabilities and talent.
An Update From Melody
Dear Friends,
I can’t believe that we have been in Theatre Adventure classes for almost a month already. We are busy creating our November show, Ordinary Heroes" just as if we were meeting in person at the West Village Meeting House. Our teachers are amazing! They are helping us create our first ever online production. It’s so neat to me to see how the show is unfolding before my eyes.
https://www.theatreadventure.org/shows/ordinary-heroes
This past week while meeting online we each showed our costumes to our wonderful Costumer, Lori. She wanted to see what our costumes looked like from our Zoom windows. We had earlier had a curbside pick up of our costumes. It was so amazing to watch our Costumer look at each costume. She then asked each actor specific questions regarding how it fit or if they had any ideas for their own accessories. I saw so many happy faces on the actors as they stood proudly in their Zoom windows wearing their costumes.
With your support of Theatre Adventure, we can continue to do wonderful things in theater and that’s what we are striving to do. With your generous donation, this can happen and you will be amazed at what we can do!
Please consider supporting Theatre Adventure in our Sustaining Supporters Campaign!! Please check out our fun and ever-changing website that is filled with upcoming events and new art that is a part of this year’s theater. We’re having a blast doing it all!
https://www.theatreadventure.org
You, my dear friends, can make a huge difference in many people's lives and isn’t that what matters? Become a member of Theatre Adventure! Do it today! It will bring a smile to YOUR face!
Thank you!
Melody Squires
Theatre Adventure Student, Board Member, Summer Painting Teacher
Melody Painting on Her Tablet
Creating Art in Community is Nourishment for All
The current covid-19 crisis has clarified to us in Theatre Adventure the fact that our students live their lives being resilient. They are good role models for the rest of us in learning how to go with the curve balls, take things in stride, and expect the unexpected. Our actors know about sticking with learning new skills over long periods of time and keeping on, keeping on.
We talk about the “hard stuff” in our lives---which of course can change---and that everyone has a growing edge or two. Our growing edges offer opportunities to discover self and to then feel triumphant.
Quotes from our students:
“My growing edge is to sit tall---to stand tall.”
“I am working on speaking out.”
“It is hard for me to trust myself.”
“We can do it!”
“I’ve got it.”
“How did I do?”
“We did it!”
Their love for theater, for imagination, for singing, acting, and creating art provides our actors with a source of new fuel when the going gets tough for them.
At the same time, when Theatre Adventure actors perform they are giving audience members a lift in remembering what matters most in our world: expressing self, being valued, and connecting with and helping others---all while claiming the stage with gusto and pizazz!
Mark your calendars now for the Thursday Troupe ONLINE show, “Ordinary Heroes” November 11, 12, 13. Come experience the magic of self-expression and artistry during a Theatre Adventure show.
Our Fall Semester Unfolds 🍂
We are discovering that all art-making is nourishment for one's spirit and a source of joyful energy during this pandemic.
Theatre Adventure Artists are loving their art boxes, using the materials, and using their imaginations and colors to create beautiful art. And, there is so much more...
Exploring scenic art from the perspective of one's performing window--- while we are online--- is a new form of theater art for us. Learning to think about what is behind us in our performing space, learning to consider the best lighting, and then also playing with color by what we choose to wear and how that impacts the visuals of our windows---well, we are in a new frontier for sure!
As artists we are also moving, dancing, singing, writing poetry and songs, acting, drawing, and constructing puppets while enjoying being together in our creative community.
🌞 A Message from Melody Squires
Dear Friends,
Our new Theatre Adventure fall semester started last week! We were in our own Zoom windows and seeing our friends---seeing old faces and some new was great. It doesn’t really matter that we weren’t in the same room. Everyone was talking and laughing like old times. Some people called out to me, “Hi Melody!” and it made me so happy that they were happy to see me. I haven’t seen them since last May.
My fellow cast members and I were ready to drive right into theater and we were happy to sing songs with our friend, Rich. We just love singing his songs that he writes especially for us.
This fall our show is, “Ordinary Heroes.” We are focusing on how we are managing through the pandemic.
It is so much fun to be with my theater friends. The morning went so fast that it was over before I knew it. In truth, we didn’t want it to end! It was hard for our teacher, Laura Lawson Tucker to end the class. We just wanted to stay with our friends and talk and talk.
One of the things that was new to me this semester that I thought was pretty cool was dividing into different Break Out rooms on Zoom. It was pretty neat that we could do it as if we were there with each other at the West Village Meeting House in West Brattleboro. When we went back to the whole group, everyone started talking again, wanting to share what they did, whether it might be showing a drawing, writing, or moving to music.
Please join us on November 11, 12 and 13 to find out for yourself how much fun we have together and how much we care for each other. If you are really interested in our amazing program, please consider of becoming a supporter! You will be the very very first to know about our shows!!
As I said many many times before, you, my dear friends, can make a huge difference in our theater!
Melody Squires
Theatre Adventure Student, Board Member and Summer Painting Teacher
Watch Questery: A Hero’s Journey
Joshua Blaushild as Sheronzo
It is with great pride that we announce our documentary:
Questery: A Hero’s Journey
Click here to watch it on Vimeo
“From the ashes our hero rose, gained honor and fame, from the woodlands near and far, proudly call out his name, Questery, Questery, Questery, the brave and noble fox.”
Once upon a time a young man with Autism wrote an adventure tale from times of yore about a fox named Questery. The author of the story, Joshua Blaushild is one of our performing artists and a Mentor. Nick Panella, also a Theatre Adventure performing artist and Mentor had the idea to create a documentary about our 2018 staged production of Questery.
Included in this documentary are interviews led by Nick Panella with the author, a few actors, and the singer-songwriter interspersed with excerpts from the show.
This student-driven project highlights the power and social impact of inclusive theater.
Nick Panella as Azercot
An Invitation to Become a Sustaining Supporter
We invite you to join our inclusive theater community and become a Sustaining Supporter. You will have opportunities to become acquainted with our actors and our shows are super. We would love to have you check us out!
Please consider becoming a Theatre Adventure Supporter so that you can make a great difference in the lives of our actors. If you love theater as much as we do, then you will be very very excited at what we can do in our shows.
Our show on November 11, 12, and 13 will be on Zoom. We would like you in the audience so that we can wow your socks off!
I will personally send you an electronic thank you card if you choose to become a Supporter.
Thank you very much for considering becoming a Supporter of Theatre Adventure, our area's only inclusive theater organization dedicated to empowerment for actors who have developmental disabilities.
You, my friends, will be happy that you chose to become a Supporter!
Melody Squires
Theatre Adventure Actor, Board Member and Summer Painting Teacher
Questery and Questery: A Hero's Journey are airing on Youtube!
Coming up this weekend!
Saturday, August 29th, at 7 p.m. through Sunday, August 30th at 5 p.m.
Landmark Community Theatre is pleased to present from Theatre Adventure the 2018 original production
Questery
And The New Behind-the-Scenes 2020 Documentary
Questery: A Hero's Journey
on YouTube
Joshua Blaushild as Sheronzo in Questery
“From the ashes our hero rose, gained honor and fame, from the woodlands near and far, proudly call out his name, Questery, Questery, Questery, the brave and noble fox.”
- from the Questery theme song
This is a limited engagement provided to our audiences by the inclusive theater artists of Theatre Adventure in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Questery is an original adventure tale written by Theatre Adventure Actor and Mentor, Joshua Blaushild. The production follows the titled character, Questery, a fox, on his quest to rescue his beloved from the villainous vulture, Turkator. Along with the help of some woodland friends, Questery embarks on his journey encountering unusual characters and challenges along the way.
In addition to the 2018 recording of the show, there is a follow up documentary, Questery: A Hero's Journey available for viewing on our YouTube channel as well. Local Connecticut community theater actor and Theatre Adventure Mentor, Nick Panella, conducts interviews with the author, a few actors, and the singer-songwriter interspersed with excerpts from the original staged production from 2018. The interviews take an in-depth look at how Questery came about and the breadth of emotions the actors put into their characters.
To watch Questery and Questery: A Hero's Journey click below:
🌞 Our Amazing First Week of Summer Camp!
We had a fun-filled week exploring songwriting, percussion, movement, puppetry, art, poetry and sense meditation in nature. Our inspiring students have displayed so much creativity and willingness to explore.
🌲 NATURE CONNECTION
Sensory awareness is happening--as expressed with Sitting Spot stories as well as the creation of beautiful group poems and painted rocks.
The seeds of inspiration from Nature-Our-Muse have been planted. We are hearing beautiful stories about connecting with nature from Sitting Spots.
Alex shows us his sit spot on wheels!
Go Alex!
🎭 PUPPETRY
We have explored shadow puppetry concepts and delved into creating a world of characters with sock and bag puppets.
Puppets by Brady
🎨 ART
Painting and the connection to set design and backdrops have been made while exploring the shapes and textures and the rhythms of nature with colors and paintbrushes and other art materials.
👐MOVEMENT
Integrating all of these experiences into our bodies with sound and movement has been centering, relaxing, refreshing and soothing.
Sher leads the class in some grounding movement after we gather.
🎸SONGWRITING AND PERCUSSION
Learning about songwriting has been exciting---opening the door to learning about rhyming and expressing one's ideas with poetry and music---as well as percussion!
Playing around with creating sounds with handmade instruments and found objects has also been great fun.
🌱And we are just getting started!🌿
Discovering our Artist Within--Expressive Arts Taking Flight
Markers, Paints, Pens Oh My!
Our student art boxes are stocked with fun supplies! 🎨
Thank you Christopher Reeve Foundation!
We give a big shout out to the Christopher Reeve Foundation for awarding us a grant to make art accessible for all of our students enrolled in Virtual Summer Expressive Arts Seminar! We were able to supply these educational materials summer participants so they can follow along with the curriculum from home -- Art Box at the ready for any activity they chose for the day!
Darlene offers us a sneak peak into what might be included in each box. 🔎
Our Commitment to Anti-Racist Practices
As a small theater arts organization in southern Vermont we join all others across our globe in a united front against racism and violence toward Black people. We take seriously the impact in our society from the horrific killing of George Floyd, one among too many other Black people in our communities over too many years. As an arts organization, we understand the important role that we have in helping open people’s emotions and empathy toward a diversity of culture, race, gender, abilities, and more.
The actors of Theatre Adventure share a passion for performing. They also live with physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges. As an organization, we are rooted deeply in a dedication toward inclusion and our refusal to permit any acts of bullying, exclusion, intimidation, or name-calling during all classes, rehearsals, and performances. We insist that all students are accepted and that only kindness to others is permitted. We take seriously our job of teaching: all are welcome, all are valued, and all have a place. Valuing diversity is at the core of our work.
However, we have much more work to do here as an organization that has a core belief for universal acceptance.
“The choices we make matter. And it is the impact – not our intentions – that should guide us. If the effect is hurtful – or has the potential to be so – then we have to pay attention and reconsider our choices.” –Josie Holford
Theatre Adventure is making a commitment to study its curriculum, production choices, hiring practices, policies, and more. Each staff member and teacher is soon going to participate in an anti-racist reading and study group. We recognize how critical it is to begin with each of us as teachers in a self-study process so that we are able to identify and own what biases and prejudices we individually might carry.
In the words of Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
This is such a disturbing time---we join all others around the globe in speaking out against hatred and violence toward Black people. It is our civic responsibility as teachers and as an organization to understand what messages we are bringing to our classroom and to our performances on stage by the choices we are making.
Theatre Adventure Staff and Board of Directors
June 2020
Melody Brings her Talents to all Aspects of Theatre Adventure
Theatre Adventure is a non-profit organization in West Brattleboro offering year-round theater arts programming for youth and adults with a burning desire to perform. Many of the Theatre Adventure actors have developmental differences or physical challenges. Most importantly, all troupe members bring a breadth of talent and abilities to the stage.
Melody Squires is an actor in the Thursday Troupe. She has two types of Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility, and assistive technology for communication. Melody joined Theatre Adventure in 2016. When asked about her original impressions upon becoming a part of her troupe Melody stated:
The Theatre Adventure teachers, Laura and Darlene, welcomed me with open arms and never thought that I was weird. I have a really bad speech problem and I was more scared and very nervous about that. What if people laugh at me? Or, what if nobody listens to me? These thoughts were going around in my mind, but after I was in Theatre Adventure for about two weeks, those thoughts vanished and acceptance came into my mind! I thought, oh my God, I literally have somewhere to go and be myself, where people want to listen to me and won’t laugh at me!
Melody has been in eight performances. She says her favorite play so far has been Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Melody played Nick Bottom. She loved playing this character because she loves to kid around and play tricks on people. In Melody’s words “That’s right up my ally. I love playing jokes on everyone!”
When Melody is not in theater class she is painting! Because of her Cerebral Palsy, Melody needed to be quite inventive in order to use a paintbrush. The solution was to create a helmet with a headstick that holds the paintbrush. It is quite amazing to watch Melody’s proficiency as a painter!
Painting by Melody Squires
Melody takes classes at the River Gallery School of Art in Brattleboro and had her first art show in March of 2018. Melody is deeply appreciative of the guidance she receives from her painting teacher Ross Smart. When asked about her first art show Melody had this to say: “So many people came to see my art. I am surprised because I never thought that I could be a painter. Seeing my art show made me realize that I can do this even though I have physical disabilities. All my life, I thought that being an artist meant that you have to have everything working, but now I see that is not true.”
With the help of a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts Melody was hired by Theatre Adventure to be a painting teacher during summer camp in 2019. The students were studying “Charlotte’s Web” and Melody based her lessons around themes from the story. She had assistance from Darlene Jenson, Disability Specialist and Co-Director of Theatre Adventure, as well as her own support staff, Ross. Melody states “At first, I was very frustrated because the students were looking at Darlene and Ross as the teachers and not me. I wanted them to know that I was there to be the teacher, even though I am in a wheelchair.”
Melody spoke to the Theatre Adventure Directors about how she could change this dynamic and together they decided to use a skill Melody had learned in theater class, “Call and Response.” The next day Darlene explained to the class that when Melody gave an instruction they were invited to listen and watch and then respond with their own paintbrushes and specific colors and/or shapes on their own papers. Melody added, “It took a while for the students to learn this method, but within a few days, everyone figured it out and everyone was looking at me and connecting with me as their teacher.”
Additionally, some of the NEA grant money was used to purchase adaptive equipment similar to the headset Melody uses so that students could experiment with different physical adaptions to painting.
In November of 2019 the Theatre Adventure Program became its own 501c3 non-profit, Theatre Adventure, Inc., after fifteen years of partnering with the New England Youth Theatre.
A Board of Directors was formed and the founders of Theatre Adventure, Darlene Jenson and Laura Lawson Tucker, asked Melody to join the Board of Directors. Laura states, “We wanted Melody’s voice on the Board. Melody is as a smart, thoughtful, and caring person and an artist. She is also as a person who lives with physical challenges and has her whole life. She is an amazing self-advocate. We thought that the board would be stronger and more honest with a Board member who has all of Melody’s talents as well as the fact that Melody knows from the inside out what it means to live with Cerebral Palsy.”
When asked what her reaction was to being invited to join the Board Melody shared, “I didn’t know what to think, I was dumbfounded! I couldn’t believe that they wanted me to be on the Board. I told them yes right off. Even though I was very, very thrilled to be on the Board, I started thinking to myself, what am I doing? What do I know about being on a Board? There’s a lot to learn, but it is very rewarding!! I just love it!”
Melody said that at first learning about the budget was confusing but she is developing a better understanding of the finances of the organization. Her committee assignments are Marketing and Fundraising. She is excited about helping the public learn more about Theatre Adventure, and of course helping to raise money to fund program costs and student financial aid. Melody is thrilled to be a part of a vibrant new Board of Directors and to learn behind the scenes details that are so important in making the organization successful.
At the end of our interview Melody shared that when she was first introduced to Theatre Adventure she was simply planning on helping a friend with scenery design. At the time she thought to herself that she could never be an actor and perform on stage… “But here I am, I am a student, an art teacher and a Board member! At times, I just cannot believe that I have come this far in theater and I just love every moment of it. I have made a lot of great friends whom I love so much! We are one big happy family!”
~Laura Howe with Melody Squires
May 2020