TP_041119

18 | April 11, 2019 | the tinley Junction life & Arts
tinleyjunction.com
Down in the Southland to present ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Amanda Del Buono
Freelance Reporter
The story of “Alice in
Wonderland” is one of enchantment
and wonder that
brings back the joy of childhood
imagination for many.
From April 11 to April 13,
the community is invited to
experience the wonder of
this story in a performance
by Tinley Park’s Down in
the Southland. The performances
will take place
at Evergreen Park High
School.
Down in the Southland
is a non-profit organization
that is focused on encouraging
social and educational
growth of individuals
with Down syndrome and
their families. The organization
also works to build
community acceptance
of individuals with Down
syndrome and other special
needs.
“I started Down in the
Southland 14 years ago.
It was just a mom’s play
group, and then it sort of
morphed into its own entity
and took on a life of
its own,” said Juliette De
Nova, president and founder
of Down in the Southland.
“We incorporated
nine years ago and became
a 501 c(3), and really the
goal of everything that we
do is creating opportunities
for community inclusion
for people who have
Down syndrome and their
families.”
Four years ago, Down
in the Southland began its
musical theater program,
as many individuals with
Down syndrome are fond
of song and dance, and
have a passion for being on
the stage, Juliette said.
With each performance,
Juliette can see the growth
of the cast and crew involved,
she said. In fact,
her daughter, Natalie De
Nova, 16, is among those
who Juliette has seen significant
growth.
“We have cast members
who have Down syndrome
and cast members who do
not have Down syndrome,
and they’re there as peers.
A lot of programs will pair
them up as a buddy or a
helper, and we just don’t do
that, because it’s not necessary,”
Juliette said. “These
young actors who have
Down syndrome are just as
capable to be on stage without
somebody standing in
black behind them.
“I mean, my daughter,
for example, the first year
we did ‘Annie,’ and she
was Pepper, so she was
just one of the orphans,
she only had a few lines.
She was also Bert Healy
and she had some lines
there. Then she moved up,
and the next year we did
‘Jungle Book,’ and she was
Shere Khan. So, she moved
into a bigger role, and then
last year, we did ‘Aladdin,’
and she played Jasmine,”
Juliette added. “So, she was
thrilled to be able to be the
lead in the show and be Jasmine.
She’s grown every
step of the way, and to see
the change in her has been
good. She’s always been
very confident when she’s
been on stage and things
like that, but she’s grown in
other ways, too.”
Natalie, who will be performing
as a Cheshire Cat,
a part to be performed by
three individuals, in the
“Alice in Wonderland”
performance, said she’s excited
for the production this
weekend.
“I’m pumped,” Natalie
said. “I want the whole
team to make everyone
proud.”
Juliette said that Natalie
isn’t the only actor with
Down syndrome who has
grown from their participation
in the theater program.
Many of the actors with
Down syndrome have gotten
more comfortable being
on stage and speaking more
lines as each year passes,
she added.
However, it’s not only
the actors with Down syndrome
who grow from the
experience. Those without
Down syndrome gain an
understanding that their
peers with Down syndrome
are just that, peers, who are
as capable and don’t need
help as much as they need
a friend, Juliette said.
“It’s exciting to watch
the whole cast grow,” she
said. “I think the kind of
unexpected thing for me
has been the change and
the growth in the actors
who don’t have Down syndrome.”
This year’s presentation
of “Alice in Wonderland”
will feature a cast and crew
totaling about 30 individuals,
Juliette said.
With tryouts taking
place this past October, the
cast has been working on
the program for about six
months to prepare for this
week’s performances.
All those who tried out
were given a role that fit
their personal comfort level
on stage, Juliette said. Juliette,
along with a special
education teacher and an
occupational therapist, act
as liaisons between the volunteer
theater professionals
and the actors with special
needs, helping to explain
and adjust the parts as
needed for the performers.
“The three of us tend to
say, ‘OK theater people,
what are you trying to get
the cast to do, and how do
you want them to do it?’
Then, we help facilitate
that learning for the cast.
So, sometimes it’s, ‘Let’s
put some tape on the floor
and do the dance moves
Brendan Koehler, of Chicago Ridge, will act as Mad Hatter in the production of “Alice
in Wonderland” by Tinley Park’s Down in the Southland April 11-13. Photo submitted
and show them where to
put their feet,’ and other
times it’s ‘I don’t know if
doing it in that way is going
to work. Let’s modify it and
change it so it’s physically
less challenging for all of
the actors.’”
However, it’s not often
that major adjustments are
made to accommodate.
Instead, Juliette works to
develop with solutions that
help the actors succeed in
the performance as it was
intended.
“Most often, we can
come up with something.
It’s very rare that we actually
simplify it in some
way. We try not to do that,
because that’s not what
this is about,” she said.
“It’s about getting them to
realize where their ability
is and then holding them
there, and not bringing it
down below them just to
make it easy.”
For those who attend, Juliette
says they can expect
a great performance by a
passionate group of people.
“I think with the curtains
open, people expect to see
something that is cute no
matter what they do, and
I want them at the end of
the show to realize, well
at some point during the
show, that they stop seeing
the differences of the actors
on stage, and just start seeing
a performance, and get
caught up and enjoy the
performance, and see the
capabilities of everyone
that’s on stage,” she said.
Admission to the show
will be available at the
door, if not sold out, for
$15, which will support
Down in the Southland’s
theater program. Tickets
can also be purchased online
for $11 by visiting
hwww.classy.org/event/
performance-tickets-foralice-in-wonderland-jr/
e214732.