Special Needs Stage Troupe Set to Wow Audiences

For the last several years, a very special group of performers has been winning the admiration of audiences throughout the area. On Dec. 10, the public will have another chance to see why when the Starlight Performers put on their production of “’Twas the Night Before...” at.

The Starlight Performers are not your average theater group. The actors are special needs adults whose array of talents enlighten and entertain audiences, according to Dara Simon, one of the cofounders of the group.

The group began in 2006, and was the brainchild of cofounders Lauren Dickinson, Lynel Forlenza and Simon. Each had a developmentally disabled adult in their life with a talent for the performing arts. The connection sparked an idea: why not create a venue through which their talents could be seen by the public?

And so the Starlight Performers were born.

Since then, Simon, Dickinson and Forlenza have written a stage show each year for the now upwards of three dozen performers with the troupe. Next week’s show will mark the group’s second this year, the first time they have put on multiple productions in one year.

“Normally we only do one show a year but we really wanted to do another show because it’s fun,” Simon said.

Simon said all of the troupe’s shows are written by the group, usually adapting a popular work to make it their own. Previous shows have blended favorites like The Wizard of Oz, City Slickers, and reality television into something unique. Each performance is written around the strengths of the players, catering to their individual talents and abilities.

And there are a lot of talents to showcase. Simon said the Starlight Performers boast beautiful singers, a blind pianist, dancers, enthusiastic actors, natural comedians and more. The shows are designed to let them all shine. After all, that is part of what the group is all about.

“It’s a place that they can show their talents. A lot of people don’t realize that those with disabilities have a lot of talents,” Simon said.

The shows began small – the group had only a handful of performers – but these days their productions are as impressive as any local theater group’s.

“I think when people come in and they see what we can do, they’re in awe,” Simon said.

The Dec. 10 show is based on “The Night Before Christmas,” but also incorporates characters like the Grinch and more. For audiences it should be both familiar yet new. Mixing and matching all those elements keeps things fresh not only for the audience, but also for the performers.

“It’s giving our actors more to do,” Simon said. “We look to make it fun for them.”

Simon said some audience members are so taken with the energy and enthusiasm of the actors, they end up volunteering with the group.

So do many of the performers’ parents, an extension of the volunteering work those parents already do. “A lot of our students, their parents are very active in the special needs world,” Simon said.

“’Twas the Night Before...” is being performed at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Toms River Intermediate East School, 1 Hooper Avenue. Tickets are $10 in advance, $6 for children and $12 at the door, $8 for children. To reserve tickets call 609-709-2317.

For more information on the Starlight Performers, visit www.starlightperformers.org, or find them on Facebook. To volunteer, contact Simon at starlightperformers@yahoo.com.