National Penguin Project honors young actors of all abilities
Originally published in the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
A few months ago, 12-year-old Nate Sheppard said bravely to his mother, Julie Sheppard, “I want to go to rehearsal, Mom. It’s where I belong.”
He hasn’t left the stage since.
Nate is among 50 other young actors participating in The Penguin Project, an all-abilities performance program for ages 10 to 25 that will bring “The Wizard of Oz” to the Orpheum Theater this weekend.
More than 400,000 patrons annually attend events at The Washington Pavilion, and more than 155,000 combined tickets have been sold to both Pavilion and Orpheum performances within the past year. The Pavilion’s production last year of “Disney’s Aladdin” alone generated more than $1 million in revenue. Childrens’ plays abound, families return again and again.
But have they seen the Penguins?
What is The Penguin Project? Learn more about the national program named after penguins because they are different than other birds but still thrive.
“This program is our weekly motivation,” said Oliver Mayes, managing artistic director at The Premiere Playhouse. “You will get see so many students on stage with an overwhelming amount of joy and talent that doesn’t normally get to be expressed.
“Seeing them in their true happy place is very moving and an incomparable experience.”
The Premiere Playhouse in Sioux Falls (formerly known as the Sioux Empire Community Theater) started the first and only South Dakota chapter of the national Penguin Project in 2021. Since, they have hosted three plays, about 40 to 50 students on stage, and a full staff that works to provide an inclusive and accessible theater experience.
“We curate the show more so for the kids,” said Alex Newcomb Weiland, manager of the production and education departments at the Playhouse. “Our stage is their classroom, and we pride ourselves on having a safe and fun environment for them.”
Mentorship fosters friendship
The Penguin Project produces modified, theatrical productions for differently abled actors who are paired with a peer mentor on stage to guide them.
“We’re still friends with Emily’s mentor from her first year,” said Darla Groeneveld, the mother of the 18-year-old student who’s performed with the penguins all three years.
She also participates in the United Wolf Pack Special Olympics Team in town.
“We hang out together, and these interactions are good for both sides. It shows our kids that they are just like everybody else," Groeneveld said. "They want to be just like everybody else and have the same childhood experiences. With their mentor, they get to do that.”
Among mentors and castmates, the experience helps to enhance social interaction, communication skills, self-confidence and self-esteem.
Most importantly to the cast, it fosters friendship. Some of them are new to one another, while others have met in school or at Special Olympics events. They become fast friends either way.
“Everyone here is so creative,” said Sara Newitt, a 14-year-old student who is playing the Wicked Witch of the West and also performed in “Seussical” last year. “There’s a lot of, like, inspiration going around the room. This year is more of building individual characters, but that is almost more powerful when we bring it all together as a team.”
There are lots of hugs on stage, and singing voices so loud and proud, as supportive parents and families watch from their auditorium seats.
“You just cheer for everybody up there,” said one of the moms, Jeanette Ross. “It’s good tears.”
Castmates 'are divas now'
Nate says it’s scary at first. His sister, Laura, is also in the play, taking on the lead role of Dorothy, and his older brother, Kainan, will be there, too. He gets a kick out of the part where he gets to throw apples at Nate, who’s playing the scarecrow this weekend.
“But then when I’m done with it, it just feels like a big relief,” Nate said shyly.
Castmate Hunter Ross, a 17-year-old senior at Washington High School who performed with the penguins last year as well, said he still gets nervous, but “that’s a good thing.”
“We have to play three nights in a row, but when I was done with ‘Annie’ last year, I was so much in tears because I did it,” he said. "It was so fun.”
His mom, Jeanette Ross, breaks a smile and nods.
Sara’s mom, Barb Newitt, describes her daughter’s growth throughout the season as learning life skills and figuring out her true talents. Mayes agreed the growth in their students is tremendous.
“The ones that have been with us every year, we joke they are divas now,” he said. “They’ve gotten so confident, they know how good they are, and it’s just a riot.”
“You are discovering aspects of yourself you didn’t notice before,” teenage artist Sara added. She squeezes a rainbow sensory squishy as she chats. “I am getting excited more, because I know that, if I’ve prepared, all that’s left to do is just step on the stage and feel wonderful.”
Sara was not too keen on being cast as the wicked witch.
“She’s cruel," she said.
But it’s another learning opportunity.
“I’m really trying to understand why there’s such a role in the world,” Sara said. “But she represents a paradox in a way, like she’s trying to be understood. She’s trying to seek attention, but she’s doing it in all the wrong ways!”
Mission of inclusivity and accessibility honored
Mayes said The Penguin Project has helped the Playhouse achieve productivity in their mission faster than they would have with any other project. He said some guests arrive at the show and don’t even realize what they are going to experience but leave verklempt, moved, even proud. It’s also changing the staff.
“I’m so grateful this has come into my life,” Newcomb Weiland says. “It’s a passion I never knew I would love more than anything else and is my favorite project we do all year.”
Perhaps it will be for patrons, too.
