With Abilities

A play at the Kelsey Theatre shows ‘we are all special’ and ‘we all have stories to tell.’

By: Megan Sullivan
   Everyone sees the world differently, but what if the world saw you as "different"? Special needs individuals face this challenge daily when members of society see only their disabilities and fail to acknowledge their talents and abilities.
   Inspired by his students, Alan Rosen, a performing arts teacher in the Mercer County Special Services school district’s Junior-Senior High School, decided to write and compose a musical featuring actors of all abilities. The performers will tell poignant stories — filled with both humor and sadness — through a series of vignettes, music and dance.
   "It’s kind of disconcerting how the public sees the people that I’m working with," Mr. Rosen says, "and so I was looking at how these people see the public, how they see the rest of the world through their eyes."
   Presented by ClubArtsOnStage, Mr. Rosen’s Through Our Eyes will be staged at Kelsey Theatre Dec. 1. ClubArtsOnStage is a performing arts program of Allies Inc., an independent, nonprofit organization based in Hamilton that helps individuals with disabilities to lead fulfilling lives in the community.
   The performing arts program offers training in acting, dance, voice, playwriting and composing, as well as directing, producing and technical skills in lighting, set design, construction and painting. The group performs a variety of productions and recitals each year, providing opportunities for socialization and skill development.
   Along with Allies, Mr. Rosen created ClubSpecial, which offers recreational activities to special needs individuals throughout New Jersey. In addition to the arts (ClubArtsOnStage), ClubSpecial also offers activities in computer technology (ClubTech), health and recreation (ClubFitness) and food service (ClubCuisine).
   All proceeds from the Through Our Eyes performance will benefit ClubSpecial, Mr. Rosen says, and go toward the building of clubhouses where these various activities can be offered.
   On a recent evening, a handful of performers gathered at Kelsey Theatre to share their characters’ stories, as well as their own.
   "I used to be involved with all aspects of theater years ago and then about 40 years ago, I developed a high fever, got real sick and I have real slow coordination now," says performer Ed Perry. "…I couldn’t wait to get back into theater."
   In one of the play’s vignettes, Mr. Perry’s character bags groceries in a supermarket. "When you think of special needs people, what kind of jobs do they get?" asks Mr. Rosen. "They bag groceries, they clean up places, they welcome people in a place like Wal-Mart. But that’s not what their intention was.
   "When I first started to write this program, my belief, my theory was that all people who have special needs — my son and my mother were two of those people — were here for a reason and the reason wasn’t to go bag groceries," he continues. "The reason was to teach us compassion and tolerance and all those kind of things that we need to learn. That was my belief, but before I finished writing this thing, I learned that it’s not a belief — it’s the truth, it’s what is."
   Lauren Betzler, who recently graduated from MCSS Jr.-Sr. High School, recited a few of her character’s lines that reveal how "different" special needs individuals can sometimes feel: "My sister has all these trophies on the wall in her bedroom. She doesn’t let me come into her room, especially when her friends are around, because, you know, because of the way I am. Her friends think I’m a freak… or something."
   In another scene, Makayla, played by Cordelia Sheffield, is upset because her parents are fighting and she thinks they are getting a divorce. The real reason they are fighting, however, is because Makayla’s father doesn’t want to have a second child. He’s afraid if he and his wife have another baby, it might have special needs like Makayla.
   "We’re also teaching how people take for granted the fact that they’re going to have a wonderful child," Mr. Rosen says. "He gets so angry and does not want to have another child like this, yet he loves his child and his child is absolutely perfect in his eyes. But he doesn’t want another one until he realizes exactly that, and Makayla has to teach him."
   Performers with "regular" abilities are featured as well, to represent people the special needs characters have been misjudged or mistreated by and who learn important lessons.
   "What I won’t tell you is what kind of special needs people have because — well, I will tell you," Mr. Rosen says. "I wear glasses and I have a shoulder that’s been replaced, two knees that have been surgically operated on, this shoulder has a torn… Oh, I’m sorry, that’s me! Because there’s nobody in here that’s any different than me and we’re all special."
   In the play’s program, Mr. Rosen explains how his life changed when his mother was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease at age 67 and was debilitated for 13 years before her death. "That changed my life — totally changed my life," he says. "And I think she became an angel, teaching us and my family how to cope and how to deal with things that were as difficult as that. We all have our stories."
Through Our Eyes will be presented at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community
College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20-$35.
For information, call (609) 570-3333 or (609) 570-3586. Kelsey Theatre on the
Web: www.kelseyatmccc.org.
Allies, Inc. on the Web: www.alliesnj.org