Special group up to task of entertaining
Production of Mamma Mia! shows performers’ abilities are bigger than their disabilities
A Fort Erie group is putting together a stage show it hopes will have the audience laughing and singing along.
It’s the 10th time they’ve done it — and another chance to show the community the performers’ abilities are bigger than their disabilities.
For months, members of TASC — it stands for Therapy and Alternatives for Special Children and Adults with Disabilities — have been preparing for opening night April 5, followed by three more shows.
“Honestly, I don’t know how it all comes together,” laughs group founder Nancy Kacur, whose son, Nathan, 37, is a member.
The answer is, hard work.
By a lot of people.
This year, they are staging “Mamma Mia!” the Broadway comedy-musical based on the songs of ABBA that was later made into a movie.
All 40 TASC members have some sort of disability, either developmental or physical. Some are in wheelchairs or have mobility issues, while others have limited verbal abilities.
They range in age from the youngest, a teenager, to a man Kacur believes is nearly 60, and has a role in the musical.
Rehearsing has been difficult — they usually get together once a week, but for four straight Wednesdays in February practice was cancelled due to winter weather.
They did get on stage in early March, though, and in the mean-
time family members and volunteers are helping prepare flyers and tickets, costumes, set designs and other behind-the-scenes chores.
“All the performers have disabilities, but we look at their ability,” said Kacur.
“They’re amazing, and every year we see growth in them.”
Members come from Ridgeway and Greater Fort Erie, Port Colborne and some from Niagara Falls.
Their weekly meetings offer more than just a chance to rehearse for the annual shows — they also provide the sense of community and activity members might not otherwise have.
“They all look forward to it, when they come it’s a social night for them, too,” said Kacur.
Her son, Nathan, for example, is physically disabled and in a wheelchair, but lack of mobility won’t prevent him from performing in the show.
Everyone gets a part. Previously, they have tackled shows like “Spamalot,” “Peter Pan,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Staging “Mamma Mia!” calls for flashy, ’70s-style colourful costumes, which could be a challenge for the volunteers preparing them.
But, says Kacur, “those aren’t bad. Last year we did ‘The Little Mermaid,’ with fish and lobsters. These at least are normal street clothes.”
Shows are scheduled for April 5, 6, 12 and 13.
Each night, doors at the Crystal Ridge Community Centre on Ridge Road North in Ridgeway open at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. followed by the approximately two-hour show.
Volunteers have also been busy, working with businesses and local donors collecting raffle prizes for the evening.
Tickets cost $40; to purchase, phone 905-894-1768.
“They amaze me,” said Kacur. “I don’t even like getting up there and talking.
“They get up there, and there are no inhibitions, they are so happy ... Every year, there’s one person who just seems to come out of themselves and you think, ‘where did that come from?’
“Every year there is one who suddenly blossoms.”
The shows have a loyal following, and tickets — which fund TASC's operation for the next year — usually sell out.
Kacur says, “Our goal is to make people laugh and make them cry during the show ... it’s joyful, it really is.”