A Musical That Beats the Odds
Theater Group Is Undaunted By Disabilities

By Melissa Arseniuk
loudounextra.com Staff Writer
Thursday, March 13, 2008

When Meredith Bean McMath was asked to direct the Very Special Arts production of a new musical in Purcellville, she went in with high expectations. But even with that mind-set, McMath said, she realized after the play's debut last weekend that she had underestimated her cast.

About 35 of the 50 people in the production have a physical or mental disability. Many of the actors are dealing with autism, Down syndrome or varying degrees of developmental delay.

"What amazed me is watching them turn on a light bulb during a show, and there they are," said McMath, who directed "The Old Homeplace: A Loudoun Valley Tale," which continues this weekend at the new Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center. "It's the interaction they have with the audience that suddenly brings them to a new place. It's a blast to watch."

Very Special Arts, or VSA, was founded in1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith to showcase the accomplishments of artists with disabilities, and the organization's Loudoun County affiliate has been staging shows every year since 1989.

Ben Shoenberger, who produced the show and is a VSA specialist at the county's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, echoes McMath on the dramatic effect that VSA performances have on the participants.

"It's amazing to see that growth in them," he said. "It really is the most amazing thing about the production."

"The Old Homeplace" is the story of a Purcellville area farm family and blends fiction with historical fact. The script was written by Alice Power, a Loudoun VSA board member who has written all the plays performed by the Loudoun company.

Power smiles as she recalls the process of writing "The Old Homeplace."

"I started in April last year and finished in July," she said. "Then we tweaked it. We tweaked and tweaked and tweaked and tweaked."

The final version was completed in October, and rehearsals started a month later.

Since then, the cast has met for 90-minute rehearsals twice a week. In the early stages, the actors also benefited from classes in acting, dancing and clowning.

"In the beginning, a lot of the time was spent doing just music and dance," said McMath, a playwright and historian who is the founding artistic director of Aurora Studio Theatre. It wasn't until the new year that they started incorporating pantomime and reading lines, but McMath said it all came together.

"They were ready," she said. "Opening night went really well."

The show is narrated by Great Grandma Mary, the matriarch of the unnamed Purcellville family, who is played by McMath's 83-year-old mother, Maxine Bean.

Like Purcellville, which is observing its 100th birthday this year, the narrator is celebrating a centennial, and she marks the occasion by telling stories from her past. As she does so, historical scenes are projected on a screen behind the stage. The images displayed are pantomimed reenactments, historical photographs and, in some cases, digitally aged photographs featuring cast members.

As Mary recalls her past, the audience learns about turning points in Purcellville's history, including the fire of 1914 and how life on the once-omnipresent dairy farm changed after Dulles International Airport was built.

The 90-minute, two-act musical ends with the entire cast singing "Happy Birthday."

"I thought it was quite unique," said Jean Gray after the final curtain fell. She and five friends drove from Round Hill to watch a matinee performance on Sunday. Gray, 79, said she was curious about the play and the venue. As others filed out, she lingered to admire the new auditorium. The play was the first full-length production to be staged at the 270-seat Franklin Park theater, which opened last month.

"I think it's a very lovely theater," she said.

It was a significant change from last year's Loudoun VSA production, which was staged at Belmont Ridge Middle School.

Power said it was time for the annual production to have a professional venue to call home.

"We really have reached the point where the quality is really there. Our actors are not professionals by any means, but we're getting there," she said, noting that everyone who auditions gets a role.

None of the actors is paid, but most of the production staff members are. Then there are sets to build and costumes to make. Those costs add up. "When you have over 100 costumes, that's a lot of fabric," Shoenberger said.

In all, he said, the production cost about $24,000. The majority of the financial support comes from fundraising and community-based corporate sponsorships.

"Over the years, we've had some really outstanding financial help," Shoenberger said, adding, "we are blessed to have a community that truly believes in what we're doing."

McMath said she already is looking forward to working on next year's production.

"I get hugs out of the blue. You get refrigerator art," she said. "It is the most gratifying directing experience I've ever had."

"The Old Homeplace: A Loudoun Valley Tale" will be performed again tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10. For information, call 540-338-7973.