Central to present special version of 'The Hobbit' for those with disabilities

To commemorate Cape Girardeau Central High School theater department's 85th-anniversary season, "Fairytales and Fantasies," students have spent weeks working to create a show that transports audiences all the way to Middle-earth.

Their fall production is J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," full of rowdy dwarves, garish goblins and a dragon.

But while Tolkien's timeless adventure speaks to legions of fans, not all of them necessarily feel comfortable in a dark, loud theater.

Some people, both young and old, have autism, epilepsy or another condition that makes it difficult to go to crowded places, much less a theater.

Central's theater department director Kimberly Wibbenmeyer said personal experience prompted her to try and do something to help those individuals and their families experience the theater.

Central High School students rehearse for "The Hobbit." (Laura Simon)

"I have a lot of special-needs and autistic relatives, as well as some [special-education] teachers in the family," she said. "Sometimes they can't 'do things' with their families because it would affect the kid."

She said a growing trend in the professional theater world is groups tailoring experiences to individuals with special needs, and it inspired her to organize a "Sensory Play" showing of "The Hobbit."

"I thought, 'Why aren't we doing this here?'" Wibbenmeyer said.

The sensory play will be the exact same play, she explained, just turned down to a level that won't overwhelm more sensitive audience members.

"The goblins are still there; the dragon is still there; there are still dwarves," she said. "But the battle isn't as scary; the shock factors are turned back. They can clap their hands or sing along if they want; they can bring their tablets if they need. It's for them and their families to have a night of theater that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do."

She said at first, she wasn't sure how the special showing would turn out, but she said as it nears, the excitement from the community, students and faculty only has gotten stronger.

"People at first told me, 'No, that won't work,'" she said. "But I guess I'm just young and stupid, but I thought, 'Well, how do you know if you don't try it?'"

Central's special-education teachers have chipped in with advice on how best to accommodate their students, and a donor has paid for the roughly 60 tickets needed to admit all of Central's special-needs students.

Wibbenmeyer said another, even more personal experience helped her understand what some people with special conditions face.

"Some things you take for granted, but during 'Godspell' last year, I started having seizures for the first time in my life," she said. "Before that, I could not imagine having to live my entire life with something like that, and it really helped me empathizing with those families."

She said conditions such as autism and epilepsy are becoming gradually more understood and accommodated.

In January, Central will do two one-act plays together addressing both.

"Atypical Boy" deals with autism, and "Fit" chronicles a young student's struggle with epilepsy.

If the sensory play version of "The Hobbit" is a success, Wibbenmeyer said she hopes it will become a part of the runs of future shows as well.

"It's something that's coming," she said. "And we're excited to be doing it."

The sensory play version of "The Hobbit" will take place at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

Opening night of the usual show is at 7 p.m. today at Cape Girardeau Central High School and will run through Saturday.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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