DUNWOODY, Ga. — When Kim Goodfriend founded Jerry’s Habima Theatre more than 30 years ago, it was an uphill battle getting others to believe in the project.
The theater, housed in the Marcus Jewish Community Center, stands as the only professional company in Georgia that features actors with special needs.
“This really was like an idea and the kind of thing that you say ‘yes’ to when you’re young and foolish and 20-something,” Goodfriend said, who partners with the Blonder Family Department for Special Needs. “You just say ‘yes.’”
Goodfriend recalled one of the first shows, where someone with a group home accused her of exploiting the actors, then walked out, taking about half of the cast on the stage with them.
At that time, staff would coach actors backstage, reminding them of where to go, and with upgrades in technology, the theater began to use prompters as well as pulling in actors to anchor scenes and act as a guide. In the last two years, though, actors have mostly performed on their own.
“Our actors are carrying all the scenes and are doing just fine, and when they go up a little bit, they rescue each other,” Goodfriend said.
The ability to adapt is key to the success of Habima.
“…It’s about what you can do, not what you can’t, and as cliché as that sounds, every voice, every soul has something to say,” she said. “When they come here as volunteers and they want to be in a show and be showcased, we’re going to figure out a way for that showcase to happen.”
Two actors in the cast for the upcoming “Into the Woods, Jr.” musical sat alongside Goodfriend, soon to get mic’d up and go through one of their last rehearsals, closing out three months of practice.
The production, led by a 35-member cast with special needs and one paid neurotypical actor, is a mix and match of classic fairytales,…
Read the full article here
