By Nancy Zugschwert
The cast of the spring musical, “Seussical,” welcomed groups of special education students from two Minneapolis schools for a daytime performance on March 25. The students who came were from programs for children on the autism spectrum or with emotional/behavioral differences.
Creating a performance accessible and welcoming to special needs students was the idea of Wayne Matthews, Assistant Professor of Theatre and director of the show. “Here at NCU we believe in doing ‘theatre on purpose,’ Matthews said.
“In other words, we not only want to train students in their craft, but also utilize the powerful potential of theatre to speak into and touch the world with important truths. One of the underlying themes of ‘Seussical’ is that ‘A person is a person, no matter how small.’ It was our heart to have an audience of full of children with special needs, give them the gift of “Seussical” and let them know how incredibly valuable they are!”
Students from the cast and crew, as well as several student volunteers who served as guides for the students and assistants to the teachers and chaperones, took time away from classes and studies to create a theatre experience they hoped would be safe and inviting for all of the young visitors.
“Seussical” made its Broadway debut in 2000 and has played to thousands of audiences in professional theatres, as well as in community, regional, and school theatre settings. The musical was conceived by Eric Idle, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the works of Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.
The setup for the show is well articulated by The Guide to Musical Theatre:
“A strange and fantastic red-and-white striped top hat appears on an empty stage, full of possibilities. A boy enters and is drawn toward the magical hat. He begins imagining what type of wonderful person would wear such a hat, when The Cat in the Hat suddenly materializes! ‘You’ve got quite a mind for your age,’ quips the Cat as [he] begins singing about the power of imagination (‘Oh The Thinks You Can Think’). Throughout the fun and silly song, famous Seussian characters are introduced who will figure in the musical: Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz—the bird with the one feather tail, the Whos of Whoville—including the Mayor and his Wife, the General Genghis Kahn Schmitz, Mayzie La Bird, Sour Kangaroo and the Citizens of the Jungle of Nool. As the energizing opening number comes to a close, the Boy and the Cat use their imaginations to transport everyone to the Jungle of Nool for the first adventure (‘Horton Hears A Who’).”
From the opening scene to final curtain, the visiting students kept their eyes on the stage, captivated by the colorful characters, lively music, and continuous action. With a two-hour show, Matthews was concerned it could be a long time for the students to stay engaged, but as they left, one of the teachers said she had never seen her students sit that still for that long.
Matthews hopes to continue to explore ways to bring NCU theatre to people in the community who have fewer opportunities to access the arts.
