Putting on a play is demanding both mentally and physically. It dominates time and takes creativity in dealing with technical and production problems.
This month, the Black Hills Playhouse presents The Snow Queen Part 2 with a unique cast of characters who are also working hard--many of whom have a disability.
Deb Workman is the education director for the Black Hills Playhouse and discusses The Snow Queen and the Playhouse’s partnerships through its inclusive, all-abilities Expanding Stage Program.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The following transcript was auto generated and edited for clarity.
Deb Workman:
It's an adaptation of a very well known story and this show was longer, so we did it in two parts. But you don't have to see part one to see part two. The first part...all the setup and meeting the characters and then the snow queen left and built her castle.
And that's where it picks up—she's at her ice castle and they find out what true love and what friendship and family means in a light-hearted holiday show.
Krystal Miga:
And how many cast members do you have in this one?
Deb Workman:
Usually with DakotAbilities, we have 11 to 15 participants. So in The Snow Queen, we have 11.
Krystal Miga:
So I'd imagine that each actor and each disability presents itself differently in each actor. How do you support or accommodate that?
Deb Workman:
How this programming works is we figure out what each actor needs and we support that. DakotAbilities serve people with physical and mental disabilities and so if they don't vocally speak, we look at how they communicate and then determine. Sometimes they might hold up a sign. If they communicate through pictures, we do it that way.
If they don't speak vocally, sometimes we bring in voice actors. So we look at their character, their gender, their age, and then we find a voice actor that fits that and the voice actor records the lines.
And then depending on the actor, they determine when the line is set so that varies. But with every actor, sometimes they will hit a button and then the technical engineer, she records the line, she cuts them, she's fancy, then she knows to hit the go button. Sometimes they hold a prop up and she hits the button. So we figure it out for each actor.
In regard to dexterity, we figure out what props that character needs and then how do we make it work for that actor? If they're using a flag, do they need a bigger handle to hang on to?
In The Snow Queen Part 1, we had an actor who was a server. We attached a metal tray to their wheelchair and then we had a heavy duty magnet underneath. And then we had a magnet on top of the serving tray and the cups also had magnets on them. So, when the actor would move in his wheelchair, nothing would fall off, but they could take the glasses and hand them to the other actors.
Krystal Miga:
I'd imagine that's pretty time-consuming working with 11 actors in such an individualistic way.
Deb Workman:
Yeah it is. This is kind of the harder side of it. That means more people and more hours. It's oftentimes hard to find funding for adults with disabilities on a lot of fronts. You know, when you make it that personalized, it takes a lot of time and that financially that's the hardest rewarding though.
Krystal Miga:
What do you hope or what do you think these programs give to the actors who participate?
Deb Workman:
It gives them what it gives everyone. You step in to someone else's shoes and play a character. You learn about different stories, different cultures anytime you're acting, you know. The part that I hope they get from it is they're being seen for who they are and being able to bring that forward.
Gosh. They're just so many things depending on age and disability—the isolation. We gather twice a week to work together. There's that final performance where we bring even more community in. They support each other. They aren't in every single show. We get new casts but we have many, many returning people into our casts and they know how hard it is to be in a play. They've been in it. I know DakotAbilities have mentioned sometimes when they have new people, they will talk to them and see if they want to be part of it. And it helps them integrate into knowing people and helps the staff get to know them in a different way. It helps them create those bonds right off the bat. There's just so many good things with theater.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Snow Queen Part 2 shows on Dec. 12 and 13 at 1 p.m. at the Longfellow Center in Sioux Falls.
To volunteer for future Black Hills Playhouse productions, contact Deb Workman.