By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Jimmy raised his arms higher and higher, a smile spreading across his face, as he, the enchanted tree, grew larger and larger.
Jimmy was one of about 30 individuals with developmental disabilities who became stars this week as part of the Center Stage Theatre Camp.
The story of the enchanted tree is one of the scripts Center Stage participants practiced this week in anticipation of a performance recorded for broadcast on YouTube on Friday.
In addition to three simple scripts, the group also performed "Lean on Me" in American Sign Language.
This is the second year Annie Wasinger, 17, a senior at Thomas More Prep-Marian, directed the camp.
This year's camp looked a little different from last year. All the participants and volunteers wore face shields. Brightly-colored dots were placed on the stage to promote social distancing. Individuals who lived together or had regular contact were grouped together to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Wasinger said she thought this year's camp is probably more important for the campers because COVID-19 has resulted in the cancellation of other activities, such as Special Olympics, in which they usually participate.
"They had a lot of disappointments where a lot of those got canceled or postponed, so for me personally, I wanted it to happen in any kind of way," she said.
She said the camp allows individuals to have a creative outlet.
"I think the most important thing they gain is being able to interact with each other and that we can do that safely," she said. "Also so they can be creative.
"There are so many who come in and they are really timid and shy. Then they get on stage and they completely come out of their shell. You will talk to their providers later and their family and they will say, 'We've never seen so and so do anything like that. We didn't know he had it in him.' "
People realize they can be like the people they see on TV, she said.
"I think it is also really, really important for me and for them to be able to come somewhere and just be authentically themselves," she said. "It's a safe space where you can be anybody. I try to tell people that on the first day."
Wasinger has been a part of local theater since she premiered in her first Hays Community Theatre production at the tender age of 3. She also is active in her school's theater productions.
Wasinger's parents took on the care of a man with cerebral palsy before Annie was born. Joel, who Annie considers a brother, is now in his 3os. He was unable to participate in the camp this year, but she said she felt she has always had a special connection to individuals with disabilities.
"That was the inspiration for it. I thought he should be able to perform and have the same opportunities I had," she said.
Wasinger is using an online curriculum, 4th Wall Backstage, for the camp that is geared for individuals with disabilities. She has also mixed in games she learned at theater camps and a couple of activities of her own design.
The campers play one minute of fame during which they can sing or perform anything they want.
They play pass the hat. They also play a game called build the machine. On Wednesday, each camper was a part of a car with an assigned sound and motion to represent their part.
As Wasinger's graduation approaches this spring, she said she is leaning toward entering a career in the sciences, but she thinks people with disabilities will always be a part of her life.
"I never really thought of it as a career, but more of a lifestyle," she said. "Wherever I go, I think I will always engage with people with disabilities, and I will always remain best buds with everyone who is in this room."
The camp was sponsored by Hays Community Theatre; Celebration Community Church, which provided the location; JBW Services; and Gone Logo Screen Printing, which provided discounted T-shirts.
