SPRING 2018 14 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM Spring Arts & Culture Directory NewStars UNIQUE THEATER PROGRAM ENGAGES PERFORMERS IN THE SPECIAL-NEEDS COMMUNITY ADAPTIVEWORKS CREATES By Lynette Carrington | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SPRING 2018 FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM | 15 Spring Arts & Culture Directory Since 1986, Theater Works has operated as a vibrant nonprofit theater, appealing to every age of theatergoer and performer. Recently, a program called AdaptiveWorks sprang forth within the theater company’s YouthWorks, creating unique performance opportunities for kids ages 12 and over within the special- needs community. Producing artistic director for Theater Works, Chris Hamby, said this is the inaugural year of AdaptiveWorks. The group had its first production in November 2017 with Annie Jr. In its first year, AdaptiveWorks incorporated 20 participants — their target for their first year, accomplished with the help of their instructor, Brianna Funk. Funk worked within the disability and nonprofit communities for a decade and has been involved with Theater Works since her junior year in high school. “AdaptiveWorks is the culmination of about 10 years of programming with special-needs populations here at Theater Works,” Hamby said. “We have partnered with lots of outside organizations, mainly a fantastic group called One Step Beyond that works with young people and adults with cognitive disabilities.” The One Step Beyond partnership flourished, but if a performer wasn’t a part of one of those outside organizations, they couldn’t participate. AdaptiveWorks was born out of the theater wanting to bring wider exposure to special- needs performers. The unique needs of the AdaptiveWorks artists are directly addressed with extra hands on deck. “One of the unique things one might see if they came to the AdaptiveWorks Annie Jr . as compared to our Theater Works Annie Jr. are shadow performers,” Hamby said. Shadow performers are dressed in black and work alongside actors, but their goal is to disappear. They serve as a hands-on resource for performers by prompting an actor with a line, helping with choreography or assisting with mobility challenges. The program seeks to give more resources to special-needs performers so they have every chance to shine. Feedback from AdaptiveWorks performers and audiences has been overwhelmingly supportive. “The feedback has been great, especially from the families of the performers,” Hamby said. “I’m noticing that there is not only a community of performers developing, but also a community of service providers, caregivers and family members that are finding their niche here, too.” He said performers and their family members are developing their own sense of collaboration and ownership in just about every area of theatrical production. The AdaptiveWorks 2018-2019 season includes two productions. The spring production of Disney’s The Aristocats KIDS takes place at 7 p.m. on April 10 and 11. The fall production is yet to be determined. Each seasonal program through AdaptiveWorks runs 13-14 weeks. In addition to AdaptiveWorks, other Theater Works programs include MasterWorks, YouthWorks and PuppetWorks. “As an organization, we plan out an entire season and our calendar is very tight,” Hamby said. “We try to share as many resources as we can, and our busy calendar is the key to that.” The Theater Works program is supported through tuition and fundraising. Hamby said that this inaugural year, they did receive some funding from the Peoria Arts Commission, and their annual gala also helps to raise money for programs like this. Theater Works’ home theater is the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, located at 10580 N. 83rd Drive in Peoria.