The NIU Penguin Players took to the stage to perform a lighthearted, comedy musical alongside adults with disabilities and showed NIU that anyone can be a hero.
“Totally Awesome” is the NIU Penguin Players’ 19th show performed at 1 p.m. Sunday in the Gabel Hall Cavan Auditorium to a completely packed audience. The program began 10 years ago and they have put on a one act musical every semester since.
This semester’s musical was about a family of superheroes, the Awesome family, who live in Champion City, a place where crime has been eradicated. When supervillain General Mayhem and his army of evil attempt to take over the world, the people of the town discover that even without powers, they can be heroes too.
The mentors and artists play the same characters and travel across the stage together. The mentor has all of the character’s lines and choreography memorized so they are able to provide a guiding hand if the artist forgets a line or step.
“A lot of the best superheroes have a sidekick, and that’s kind of what we have. We have dynamic duos that make this show work. Every role is filled by not just one person, but two,” said Co-founder of Penguin Players Joe King. “First we have our artist, who are adults from DeKalb County who have some sort of a disability. They overcome tremendous obstacles to get up on that stage, but they are unfailingly positive, energetic and optimistic. They have a true passion for performing and they love being up on the stage, and it is our privilege to make that possible.”
NIU Penguin Players was founded by Joe and Barb King and was based on the program the Penguin Project created by Andy Morgan. Since the Penguin Project’s creation, there have been almost 60 replication programs across 26 states.
Penguin Players partners with the NIU College of Education, Department of Early and Special Education and College of Visual and Performing Arts to help find mentors, choreographers and stage technicians. The program is mostly funded by the DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board.
When the Penguin Players first began, all of the mentors were special education majors receiving class credit. Now, the mentors come from a multitude of majors with only one participating for class credit.
“What those dynamic duos do on stage though is really only half the story. I really wish that everybody here got the opportunity to sit through one of our rehearsals or one of our pizza parties and see the incredible friendships and the commitment that develops between these two,” Joe King said.
The Penguin Players’ passion for the project was clear. Previous members filled the audience and many on stage had been participating in the program for years. Their passion lied not necessarily in performance, but in assisting others to accomplish something they might not otherwise have been able to.
“I started here when I was a junior and this program really changed the trajectory of my life and developed my career,” said NIU alum Bernadette Chapman. “I was a dance minor but a special education major. I was really trying to figure out how do I incorporate both of my passions, and here I was able to incorporate both and find my place. Now today I am a dean of Special Education at a high school, and I am really happy to be able to come back here at NIU and be able to see other fellow soon-to-be special educators as well as just people in general who love people with special needs give us support, so I’m really happy to be here. I’m really grateful for this program and to be able to be here to support.”
To end the gathering, Penguin Players of the past and present took the stage to dance and sing along to “Don’t Stop Believin.’” They connected with each other and the audience to spread their passion for the program and what it does for the DeKalb community.
For questions about Penguin Players or how to get involved, you can reach out to the program through their Instagram or email, [email protected].
