Abilene theater troupe reaches out to add realism to latest production

In his original 2021 work "Wheels," playwright and actor Jess Westman brought realism to the Behrens Auditorium stage at Hardin-Simmons University.

Not only were actors in wheelchairs, those who use chairs in reality were included in the cast.

It added realism to the production, and gave audiences a better feel for how life rolls for those who need an alternate means to get around.

Another take on that

The same idea came to Keith May and Tyler Sparks, co-directors of the show "The Boys Next Door." It opens a two-week run Friday evening at Abilene Community Theatre.

The play is set at a group home where four young men - Arnold, Barry, Lucian and Norman - are there to learn how to live in the mainstream world. Each man has a developmental disability.

Interwoven is the story of their social worker, Jack, who enjoys his job but is burning out under the burden of what it requires.

There is a cast of nine. and then some.

"Keith and I and Gary Varner, our set designer, were talking about the nature of the show and the very real people it talks about," said Tyler Sparks, who is co-directing the show with May. "Because the show is all inclusion and people with intellectual developmental disabilities and health issues, we thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could get some residents from the Abilene State Supported Living Center involved?'"

May and Sparks contacted the southeast Abilene campus. Would it be possible to have a few of your residents participate in our show?

"We talked to three people on their leadership team and they were immediately on board," Sparks said.

Of course, there were questions - tell us more about the show - what would be required?

Eventually, the directors got a yes, and several residents will make their acting debuts Friday.

How this will work

Sparks and May had a good idea of how it could work.

There are a couple of scenes in the show that take place at a community dance for group home residents. Those would be the best opportunities to expand the cast.

"It would be like an actual dance that they could go to," Sparks said.

It may be a bit chaotic - the first go at it was Tuesday evening at the ACT playhouse. The first "lesson" was about theater etiquette. They were shown the lighting so as not to disturb anyone when sensory issues.

"We'll talk them through what we want to do, piece by piece, step by step. Then put it all together and see what it looks like," Sparks said while May was making that happen.

It's about inclusion

The joint effort is being viewed as a win-win.

"Everyone on all sides of the equation, the theater side and the State Supported Living Center side, have been have been excited about this involvement," Sparks said.

Besides those in the show, another resident may hand out programs in the lobby.

"We're hoping that component becomes an ongoing thing," he said. "Theater, in general, is all about inclusion and making space for people and spotlighting people who don't necessarily have as much of a voice in the community as they should.

"This is one way to broaden our reach and reach our goal of inclusion."

Interacting with the public is a great thing for the residents, said Susan Kilpatrick, director of education and training at the facility. She has been there for more than 20 years.

She was at the first rehearsal.

Are there advantages for the residents?

"For us? Oh my gosh. The residents get to do something ... they're integrated into our community, which is tough to do sometimes," Kilpatrick said. "We're always thankful when this opportunity comes so we can be a part of the community.

"They get to see a different side of Abilene. They get to be a part of Abilene, a big part of an Abilene adventure."

'They are very, very, very excited'

She said when the request was made to the living center, a list of names of possible residents was compiled and then reviewed.

"It just kind of came down to this group," she said of those who were at the theater Tuesday evening. From four to six residents are participating. "Time, ability, medical issues. You have to look at all different factors."

There was excited hollering and laughter inside the auditorium.

Are these "actors" pumped?

"Oh my goodness yes. They are very, very, very excited," she said, smiling. "They think this is cool.

"They don't know exactly what they are doing, but they are excited to be doing it."

The directors just want their guest actors to be themselves.

"I think that's going to happen," Kilpatrick said, laughing again.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene theater troupe reaches out to add realism to latest production