The Possibility Players theater group will perform the original production “ALL OF US,” a show that emphasizes the challenges of being disabled, on May 14 and 15 at First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown.
Written by Moorestown Business Association (MBA) President Craig Dennin and his wife Denise, “ALL OF US” shines a light on the challenges that individuals with disabilities face due to the expectation of others. The Possibility Players troupe was established for people with disabilities.
Denise Dennin worked for the Haddonfield school district as a speech pathologist when the program was created in 1986.
“One of my students in Haddonfield had Down syndrome, and she was very quiet,” she recalled. “But when you would engage (with) her in puppet shows or poetry, she just came alive.”
“I said to her mom (Doris Sery) one day, ‘It’s too bad there’s not a drama group or a theater group that she could be involved with, because I think it would really help her communication,’” Denise added. “Her mom said … If I got some people together would you direct it?’ … Thirty-six years later, we’re still going strong.”
Sery’s idea for the theater group involved disabled people over 18 who age out of the school system and have fewer activities to participate in. The Possibility Players hosts a theater production every other year, with the last in 2018 due to COVID.
“We’ve done so many things,” Denise explained. “We’ve done weddings, cruise ships (and) spaceships. When we were getting ready for the show that was supposed to be in 2020, which we’re now doing in two weeks, I asked the actors if they had any ideas for themes … and one actor said, ‘How about it’s about us? All of us.’”
This year’s show will feature 23 actors who sing, perform magic, dance or read poetry.
“They love that they get to decide what they’re going to do,” Denise said of the Possibility Players.
“It’s so important for the public to see the capabilities of individuals with disabilities and to see that they’re just like everyone else, except they have these different abilities,” Denise said of what she hopes attendees will take away from the performances.
“ALL OF US” will be presented at 7 p.m. on the 14th and 3 p.m. the next day. For more information, visit the H.O.M.H. Possibility Players official Facebook page.
