The Traveling Troupe
The Traveling Troupe is made up of adult actors with disabilities who bring years of performance experience to their work as paid professionals, performing and leading workshops for schools, advocacy and civic groups, library programs, arts organizations, and special community events.
In our School Partnership Program, the Traveling Troupe brings performances and classroom workshops to mixed-aged groups of all abilities. They lead activities that create a positive group culture. Participants practice skills such as team dynamics, helping others, self-reflection, positive role modeling, and critical thinking. Learning directly from leaders with disabilities helps participants develop positive views of people with disabilities while building their own leadership skills.
The Troupe will share excerpts from Theatre Adventure’s documentary A Ballad of Belonging and lead a talkback session about claiming one’s life with pride and confidence.
Our new documentary celebrates twenty years of creating theater opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. Theatre arts are remarkable! Actors discover greatness and audiences broaden their thinking about people with disabilities.
The workshop goals include:
Hearing new perspectives about developing feelings of belonging.
Sharing stories about self-advocacy and advocacy for others.
Discussing topics and triumphs as presented in the documentary.
Experiencing how the theater arts can impact individuals, groups, and communities.
“The Travelling Troupe performance of Stone Soup was deeply resonant with the moment we’re living in, and the collaboration touched many people in the room. As one friend shared at the end of the evening, it was beautiful to see advocates who hadn’t been engaged for some time reconnect, with the Troupe, with one another, and with their love of performing.”
~ Audience Member
“Thank you SO MUCH for bringing this performance to our school today! The story, ‘Stone Soup,’ was so beautifully told, and the emotion and energy of all the actors gave such life to the themes. And the whole message was just what we aspire to here at our school---'Bring what you’ve got and put it in the pot!’”
~School Principal
The Troupe also offers theatrical performances that include puppetry, stories about pursuing one's dreams, love, and connection.
Workshop participants have expressed how much they enjoyed the experience and appreciate what they learned.
TRAVELING TROUPE MENU OF CHOICES FOR HOST SITES*
1 Hour Presentation that includes Disability Justice concepts, personal stories about self-advocacy, and brief interactive activities with participants.
1 Hour Presentation that includes clips from documentary and discussion.
1.5 Hour Presentation that combines #1 and #2.
1.5 Hour Presentation that includes clips from the documentary that is followed up with small group work and role plays.
2 Hour Presentation that combines #1 and #4
Follow-up sessions can be arranged.
*All of the above can be custom-designed to best meet the needs of a specific group.
Approximately 4-7 Traveling Troupe members will facilitate the sessions with the Director, Laura Lawson Tucker.
For more information or to book a gig with the Traveling Troupe, please contact the Director: info@theatreadventure.org
802-387-0765.
ADD PHOTO OF small groups on Floor with Laura in Distance at Putney school