All forms of art allow for emotional expression, but theater may be the most physically expressive of all.
When Wendy Carroll began taking her son Toby to various productions she was involved in, she noticed his interest in the stage begin to blossom.
"Toby and I were a package deal. If I was hired for a production, they knew Toby was going to be there helping in any way that he could," says Carroll, executive director of the nonprofit My Turn Theater.
"After a while, I knew he was wondering when he would get a turn on stage," she adds. "That's where the idea came from."
That idea was to create a theater company for people with disabilities and/or special needs. Toby has autism along with some other physical disabilities, but that never stopped him from pursuing his dream to perform. Carroll started Out of the Shadows Theater in 2016, with the first four productions staged in Coeur d'Alene.
In 2019, Carroll and her son relocated to Spokane, hoping to bring opportunity for special needs actors to the city's thriving theater scene while Out of the Shadows continues to do the same in Coeur d'Alene.
"When things started to look up after COVID, I started making plans for My Turn in full force," Carroll says. "I just noticed a need for people with special needs to get their chance, and I wanted to be able to give them that opportunity in Spokane."
My Turn Theater has a unique way of making sure that their actors feel comfortable and confident when they're onstage.
"Each actor has their own shadow actor," says Carroll. "The shadow actors learn all of the [main] actor's lines and blocking, but also act as their friend. They all have great relationships on and off the stage."
Rehearsals for the company's upcoming production of Guys & Dolls look like nothing out of the ordinary. Some actors carry scripts while others have set theirs aside, everyone is singing along to Frank Loesser's lyrics, and the director, Trudy Rogers, interjects intermittently with advice and helpful tips.
Occasionally a shadow actor prompts a line or takes someone by the hand to lead them off into the wings. Carroll says that the shadow actors' main goal is to blend into the background most of the time and let their partners take the reins.
"During every rehearsal we see miracles that the audience will never know about," she says. "I've had parents tell me that their child has started speaking more often, that their reading fluency has improved. My own son started reading at a seventh or eighth grade level once he got a script in his hands."
After Guys & Dolls performs this month at the Bing Crosby Theater, Carroll plans on seeking out more actors, volunteers and venues for future productions. As a nonprofit, the theater company continues to run solely on donations and with help from volunteers. Carroll says My Turn is always looking for volunteers to be shadow actors or stage crew.
"We're planning on two musicals a year from here on out," she says. "We want to be able to continue teaching and showing audiences to recognize ability over disability." ♦
Guys & Dolls • Sept. 9-11, Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm and Sun at 2 pm • $20 suggested donation • Bing Crosby Theater • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • myturntheater.com • 509-227-7638
