'Special Stars' Theatre Program Launches Another Year

The Special Stars theatre group kicked off its annual six-week program on Sunday at the Dance Attitudes Studio in Marlboro. Founded in 2010, the group includes children with a variety of special needs and is sponsored by the Marlboro Community Players.
 
Program Director and Marlboro Community Players Preseident Mindy Gollin launched Special Stars after realizing that the area lacked art enrichment program for special needs children. Gollin herself is a parent of a special needs child.

"The more I researched I saw not only were there no programs available, there were only a limited handful of programs scattered throughout the country," Gollin said. "Our program has children with Autism spectrum disorders, Down’s syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Brain injuries and other developmental disorders. We accept children of all abilities and provide a safe environment for these kids to sing, dance, act and tell jokes."

During the program's six weeks, each child is paired with a non-disabled "buddy." These volunteers, Gollin said, are family members and teens from local theater programs, those interested in special education and those who just want to help out. Together they learn a song and dance number to be performed in a recital the end of the program. A licensed speech therapist is also there to help facilitate communication between buddies and participants.

Also coordinating Special Stars is Andrea Cooper, assistant program director, and artistic directors Patrick Starega and Vicki Tretola.
 
"Our mission, which is recreational as well as educational, teaches compassion right in 'everyone’s own backyard' by reconnecting these children to their community," Gollin said. "They get to sing, dance, make new friends and just have a great time."