FREE Players Shine in Damn Yankees

Hundreds gathered at Sunday afternoon for the final performance of famed musical comedy, "Damn Yankees" by the FREE Players. 

The FREE Players are derived from a day program at Family Residences and Essential Enterprises (FREE), a Long Island-based agency that serves over 3,000 developmentally challenged individuals in Nassau and Suffolk County. FREE was founded by a group of parents and consumer advocates dedicated to providing alternatives to community, residential and employment needs of those differently-abled.

Founded within the agency in 1993 as a part time program, the FREE Players now rehearse daily and perform for a large audience each year.

"We run the program like a college where they have classes they can pick from every day," said Tara Palen, FREE Players dance specialist. "They get to learn social skills and other things that can help them find jobs in the future."

"I think the best thing about our program is it builds their self confidence," she added. "When they were in school, a lot of these guys were denied sports and social clubs. This really gives them that social interaction and feeling of team spirit which makes wonderous changes."

The theater group's past three performances have been held at East Meadow High School. Proceeds from the show and its sales benefit the district's SEPTA and SERCL programs.

"The district has been wonderful," Palen explained of East Meadow. "Three years ago, a parent invited the superintendent and some of the school board to come see one of our shows and they were very impressed. They invited us to perform and we've been here every year since."

Palen also commended the students of the East Meadow School District who dedicate their time after school to the production side of the performance.

In addition to its theater program, FREE also offers family assistance, career services and education. For more information about FREE or to find a location, visit their website.