Finishing the Penguin Project

"Our penguins may not be able to fly, but that does not prevent their spirits from soaring."

The Quad Cities has just said farewell to the second season of an inspiring program that truly allows spirits to soar.

Established in 2004, the Penguin Project came to the Quad Cities two years ago thanks to a collaboration between the Center for Living Arts in Rock Island and Augustana College. The Penguin Project produces musicals in which the roles are filled by young artists with developmental disabilities including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and other neurological disorders (Penguinproject.org).

According to the Center for Living Arts, this remarkable and inclusive program aims to "provide opportunities for children with special needs to participate in a community theatre experience, facilitate an appreciation of the challenges faced by children with special needs and their families, and identify the impact of community theatre."

This program has warmed the hearts of audience members nationwide, and this year's production of Beauty and the Beast Jr., directed by Dino and Tina Hayz, was no exception. All six of the performances were sold out!

Senior Kelci Eaton mentored her artist Alison Atkins. Atkins beautifully portrayed Mrs. Potts in this production that ran Feb. 23-March 4. Below is an interview with Eaton about being involved with the Penguin Project.

What has been the most rewarding part of this process?
What hasn't been the most rewarding part of this process? In every rehearsal, you learn something new. It's amazing to see how much the artists grow from day one to the final performance. On day one of the first year I was with Alison she didn't even want to stand up and say her name in front of everyone. Let me say, that is no longer the case!

How has Alison grown from this process?
Alison has grown in so many ways, so to pick only a couple is hard. I have watched her confidence grow as well as her ability to be social in any situation. She has high sensitivity to sound and light, which was a challenge at first, but by the end of it all, she was able to get past it and perform without any problems! She has also impressed me with her growing ability to memorize! During our first year, Alison had a smaller part as "Molly" in Annie with about 10 lines and it took a while for her to begin to remember them. This year she was cast as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast Jr., which was a considerably larger part with an entire song all by herself. Alison and I worked in and outside of rehearsal to ensure she felt comfortable with her part and she got it down without a problem!

Did the audience respond well?
‘Well' is an understatement! Our entire six-show run was sold out before we got to opening night. The audience laughed and cried and truly made the kiddos feel great about themselves and all their hard work. My favorite part was watching Alison from a distance after the show as she was being given all her flowers and hugs and congratulations and compliments. She earned every single one.

Can you describe the rehearsal and show process?
We begin rehearsals around the end of October/early November. We rehearse two days per week for a little over an hour at a time. The rehearsals increase as we approach opening. My job in this process is to learn Alison's part and be behind her as much as is needed. For Alison, this means I am behind her the entire time. For others, it means they hang out in the wings until their artist needs a reminder.

SAU Theatre is incredibly proud of all that our students do, especially when they are using their gifts to help others. Eaton is truly an example of what it means to be an Ambrosian.

If you are lucky you may still see Eaton around next year, as she begins to pursue her Master of Speech-Language Pathology degree at St. Ambrose. Way to go Kelci!