Volume 5 | Issue 10, 2021
CADA News and Information!
Welcome to our 2021-22 Season of Events!
ABOVE: Samir Hammoud reflects upon the poor lost souls buried at Schneider Park in Akron, OH. This park stands on land that once housed Akron's Poor House and Potter's Field.


A Covid-19 delayed Knight Akron Arts Challenge project transforms to an online digital series format! A new Comedy Troupe! Our annual murder mystery returns! Theatre classes continue for youth and adults! Instead of a royal variety show, CADA hosts An Inclusive and Accessible Variety Performance Spectacular in May of 22.

All CADA events and classes will happen online this season. Although we were happy to perform at a couple of live events this summer, Covid rates in our county and state are on the rise as we head into the fall. We want everyone to stay safe. In our Zoom theatre, we don't need masks or social distancing. We can connect with our students, collaborate with theatre artists and companies from around the world -- while creating inclusive and accessible performances!

One day, this Covid demon and its variants will be wrestled into submission and we will be so ready to venture out onto a real stage! But when that happens, CADA will continue to embrace digital performances and classes, along with live opportunities, in order to provide inclusive theatre for all!

With thanks to the JS Knight Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, the GAR foundation, the Ohio Arts Council and our many individual donors for their support of our work.
Our Mission:   We inspire the growth and empowerment of diverse individuals on the autism spectrum and those with cognitive/physical disabilities through theatre-based programming.

Our Vision: We imagine a world where our diverse community unites to celebrate and advocate for a more inclusive future so people of all abilities can choose to navigate the stage and the world effectively.
One-Act Play Festival Wrap-Up
Watch the ENTIRE One-Act Play Festival on YouTube starting October 15!
Winter & Spring Sessions
Above: Jabberwocky by the 2021 Summer Voice Acting Class!

Our Online Classes for 2021-22 feature an expanded curriculum designed to encourage growth in theatre arts and in social and emotional development and interpersonal communication skills. Over the course of Winter and Spring sessions, we will be offering classes that build on prior skills as well as courses for beginners. We are committed to continuing our online programming so that youth and adults of all abilities, no matter where they are located, can join our classes and perform in our productions. And with virtual classes, no masks or social distancing are required!
Along the Graveyard Path Starting NEXT MONTH!
Above: The cast works on singing one of Jeff Moyer's songs in Zoom. The actors must take turns and cannot come in on top of each other.


The Center for Applied Drama and Autism (CADA) is pleased to announce the long-awaited Along the Graveyard Path (A History of Disability)!

The production will premiere on CADA’s YouTube channel beginning November 1, 2021. Act One consists of eight weekly episodes that will be released every Monday through the end of December. Act Two begins January 3 with the same weekly release schedule through the end of March 2022.

The company has spent the past year adapting the script into an audio docudrama on the history of disability. From prehistoric times to the present, Theatre on the Spectrum presents a timeline of shifting attitudes from rejection to empathy to inclusion. 

This production was inspired by “The Poor Lost Souls of Akron,” an Akron Bean Journal history article by Mark Pride on the pauper’s graveyard lying beneath Schneider Park. Once the site of Akron’s Poor House, Schneider Park is the final resting place for many of its disabled citizens. The opening episode features Price’s article presented as a newsreel. It was filmed in collaboration with Josh Gippen for “The Forgotten Dead,” his documentary on Schneider Park. Theatre on the Spectrum actors were filmed re-enacting scenes from the history of the Poor House. Carolyn Behrman and Timothy Matney of the University of Akron’s Department of Anthropology provided assistance in sharing historical records and information about Schneider Park.

Along the Graveyard Path is a 2019 Knight Foundation Akron Arts Challenge award winner. This production was scheduled to be performed live on stage in the summer of 2020 with a cast of 18 actors and musicians. When the pandemic hit, CADA closed their studio in March of 2020 and moved entirely online. The company began the transition from stage play to audio drama. The scenes were recorded in Zoom during the height of the lockdown. There was much to learn about acting in Zoom. CADA provided a variety of supports and technology for our actors with autism and disabilities, while developing a digital media presence. 

Featuring the music of disability rights activist and bard, Jeff Moyer, Along the Graveyard Path was directed by Wendy Duke, with Laura Valendza as assistant director. Cast members include Amanda Bugenske, Brian Cogar, Erica Crank, Jordan Euell, Sean Giannetti, Jake Dietz, Samir Hammoud, Scott Hudson, Sid Kranz, Dre’ia McCoy, Brandon Meeker, Joseph Moran, Ruben Ryan, Nicholas Santiago, Daniel Seemann, Cyrus Shariari, Laura Stitt, JT “Styles” Toomer, and Jude Yovichin. 
CADA's Comedy Troupe Has Been Formed!
The Next Stage Comedy Project will provide an opportunity for a group of eleven actors to form an online comedy troupe as a pilot program for our 2021-2022 season. Under the guidance of Ruben Ryan, a professional comedian and improv artist and John Lynch, a former student with autism and now a teacher for CADA, these individuals were selected via auditions and interviews to develop material, rehearse, and perform. The troupe will also meet with guest artists to further their writing, collaborating and performing skills throughout the fall. 

Their first performance will be a comedy showcase in early December 2021. From January through May of 2022, the troupe will present monthly comedy shows online for which they will receive stipends for each performance.

Troupe members will also learn the practical aspects of forming a comedy troupe. They will take turns in the roles of stage manager, technical director, and will also learn basic marketing and advertising techniques. The troupe will also develop a YouTube presence and will learn the essential aspects of developing revenue streams from online performing.

CADA is very grateful for the support from the arts council and our state legislators! The theatre company is currently planning a variety of fun and entertaining ways the public can help us match this grant to fund the Comedy Troupe’s first year! 
Last Friday Improv Night on Zoom
Call-Outs for a Cause was such a fun and successful event, we've decided to host an Improv Night + Fundraiser on the last Friday of EVERY MONTH! Will you join us?
Trick-or-Treat! CADA is Handing Out Candy for Halloween!
Thursday, October 21 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Trail Lake Park, 605 Ravenna Rd, Streetsboro

Looking for a fun event for the entire family? Join ASGA and the Portage Park District for a night of trick-or-treating at Trail Lake Park in a supportive, accessible environment. Community partners will hand out treats for kids of ALL ages and abilities. Information on local resources will be available for parents/caregivers. Event is free, but registration for time slot is required. Space is limited!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS for CADA's Annual Fundraiser!
NEW One-on-One Opportunities!
Thanks to all our corporate and individual sponsors who have contributed to our continuing success!

Tessa Gaffney 
Teresa McCormish Hurray 
Janet Juliano 
Danny Paparella  
Jordan Bryce James 
Rose Langstaff 
Shannon Costa Kotradi 
Saul Caplan

Jennifer Bozeka 
Jeannette Loretitsch 
Robert Keith 
Josh Gippin 
Shelly York 
Lysa Mulloy 
Shannon Uphold

Rachel Scalish
Samantha Honaker
Brittany Jackson
Lysa Mulloy
Sandra McPherson
Jamie Filisko
Georgianne Hudson Smith
Gregory Rees
Jeff Moyer
Mary Kate & Fred Donnelly
Dominic Leone
Kathy Moran
Rick Woods
Pamela Warrick
Diana Wilson
Carolyn Johnston
Amelia Polzella
Animita Saha
Gonzalo Hidalgo
Marie Curry & Brant Lee
Logan Shamberger
Karen Magner
Colleen Foy
JL Dorrian
Nancy Archey 
Alice Altwies 
Mark Greer 
Dane Leasure 
DeAndre Hairston-Karim
Jamie Gellner 
Andrea Klein
Dean Coutris 
Laura Beahn McFalls

Michael Gatto 
Steve Karangis 
Heather Cross

Jen Snider
Chris Fornadel
Bill Smith 
Maria Krenz Smith 
Stephen Dolan 
James Slowiak 
Larry Marks 
Tina Lattimer 
Paige Wilson
Eve McPherson
Michelle Herter
George & Jamie Coutris
Annie Gustley
Pooja Rajpal
Emily Durway




Lauren Mathis 
Howard Parr 
Laura Yeager 
Mark Wilt 
Paige Giannetti

Russ Henley
Bhawna Sudhir
Mac Love
Kristin Kranz
Philip G Duke

Elsie Hammoud
Debra Bugenske
Andrew Shahriari
Margo Snider
Bev Brown

Laura Dolan
Kristin & Steven Kranz
Stephen Benjamin
Debbie & Steve Bugenske
John Ballard

Nancy & Leon Kranz
CADA Appreciates Your Support!
.5% of your online purchases at Amazon will be donated to the Center for Applied Drama and Autism. All you have to do is click on the link below that takes you directly to CADA's Smile.Amazon site. Smile.Amazon.com has all the same products and services as Amazon's regular page -- the difference is you will be giving a percentage of your purchase to CADA. It's an easy way to support us!
Center for Applied Drama & Autism | (866) 844 - 8327 |
info@centerforada.org | centerforada.org

Theatre on the Spectrum is CADA's performance wing. For further information, please visit us at centerforada.org