Photographs by Conner Cummings
We packed our bags (and Mr. Redge) and headed to Virginia where Jonathan performed the live version of The Three Little…Hogs?!, one of our original Dorktales audio stories.
I commissioned Karen Simpson Gardiner to write original adaptations of classic fairy tales, asking for scripts that were cheeky, geeky and would appeal to children and their parents. Karen is the Executive Director of Peninsula Youth Theatre, the children’s theater company that changed the trajectory of Jonathan’s life…the first place he felt welcome and accepted…the first place where his talents were recognized and appreciated. Karen knows Jonathan and has a style of writing that plays to his strengths—character development and voices, comedic timing, and physical comedy.
Performing with a puppet was a new experience for Jonathan, so he worked with actor and director, Michael Champlin and the two of them blocked and staged a fun and engaging one-man (and a puppet) show!
So here we are in Virginia, a place we’ve never been before and in a location he’s never performed at so you’d think there’d be some angst or anxiety about the unknown…he is an Aspie afterall! But he never ceases to amaze me and when it comes to performing…he’s fearless! Calm, cool and collected beforehand (not me!). High energy, full tilt engaging during. And funny, personable and bon vivant cool afterwards. Okay, maybe goofball is a better word to describe him 😀
Special thanks to Sharon Cummings for organizing and Sharon Fuentes, The Autism Society of Northern Virginia and The ARC of Northern Virginia for sponsoring and spreading the word about the show.
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