If you open your mind, Oh, the thinks you will find Lining up to get loose!
For the second year in a row, Camp Munroe Theater Company participants, ages 6 to 25, delighted an audience with a summer theater production – "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think."
Yes, think – think right over the brink. That’s what these 24 campers did as they shined in their roles as the Sneetches and Mayzie.
They performed in July at the Bellevue Little Theater (BLT), the group's first performance away from the UNMC campus. The Camp Munroe Theater Company is a collaboration between the Munroe-Meyer Institute and WhyArts? that provide a performance experience for children and young adults with disabilities and complex health care needs.
"I think it's a great idea for the kids to be in a different venue," said Carolyn Anderson, director of WhyArts?, which once again partnered with MMI's Department of Recreational Therapy to put on the show.
The actors enjoyed working on the BLT stage before a crowd of approximately 100 people.
"It seems more like a real theater to the performers," said Michael Crawford, Ph.D., director of recreational therapy. Thanks to the generosity and support of the BLT board of directors, campers had the opportunity to use a real theatre inside an historic building which houses one of Nebraska's longest running private nonprofit theatre companies.
The production was a Dr. Seuss-inspired show, and participants seemed to enjoy the performance. Rec therapy's Jon Purcell emceed as the Cat in the Hat, while MMI Director Karoly Mirnics, M.D., Ph.D., made a brief appearance as the Grinch.
Mary McHale's son, Daniel, who was making his second appearance in a Camp Munroe show, was particularly enthusiastic.
"This was a real theatrical experience," said McHale, adding her appreciation for the MMI staff and the WhyArts? artists.
"You can't beat these professionals," she said. "And Karoly is such a good sport."
Web extra
See a photo album from the production.