Let's Hear it for the Illusions!
Community Living Kawartha Lakes Theatre Group takes Centre Stage
It's amazing what can happen in just two years!
For just that length of time, members of the Community Living Kawartha Lakes group, Illusions, have been working together to build a repertoire of theatre acts that showcase their talents and abilities while also learning how to work together as a strong and solid team.
"This is the second year for Illusions," says group director, Caren McNeilly, "But before that we ran a self-image program." Through the self-image program, Caren was able to observe the interests and talents of a number of individuals supported by Community Living. She started to think about how these interests and talents might fit together to create something grand. Caren started the Community Living Kawartha Lakes Theatre Arts Program and the rest, as they say, is history.
When the group started out, the members relied largely on Caren to take care of set-up, rehearsals and just about everything to do with the program. They needed her direction in the beginning as they worked on their 'artists within' and explored the talents that they had to share with the group. They also worked in the background when on stage - relying on the use of puppets to convey their art while building up confidence and comfort in front of an audience.
Now, every member of the Illusions group takes an active, upfront role - both onstage and off. Among positions filled by the members are Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Announcer & Assistant Director, Secretary and Technical Manager. "We meet from 9 to 11 on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Caren tells us. "I used to have to come early to set up. Now I don't have to come until 9 because the members of the group make sure that everything is ready."
Members of the group help with every aspect of their work together. They try to fit group roles and responsibilities with the skills and personalities of each member. Sometimes this means matching a job with an existing talent; other times, it means assigning tasks that allow for the development of new skills and abilities.
And, almost metaphorically, the puppets are put away now as the Illusions take centre stage to showcase their talents.
"Now I'm just part of the team," reports Caren. And what a team it is! Each member puts forward all, sharing known talents and discovering new ones. It is a way, figuratively - and sometimes literally - for those involved with Illusions to find their voice. Just one of many success stories belongs to David. He sang Jingle Bells at the Christmas concert this past year. Not a big deal? It is for David, who used to be labelled 'non-verbal.' "Now he gets up and speaks with the group," Caren shares with what can only be described as great enthusiasm. "Now everyone wants to be on-stage."
A Work in Progress
The teamwork started from day one. The members of the newly-formed theatre group chose their own name and became the Illusions. They worked together, enthusiastically, to develop a repertoire of acts that they could perform in the community. "At first there was a lot of repetition and mimicry, trying to get the timing right." Even though it may seem to take a lot of practice now to perfect a number, Caren reports that you can see that progress has been made. Not only do the performers learn their parts more quickly - they are also more likely to suggest revisions and improvements, and to help one another with their roles.
"We try to use everyone's talents," says Caren. "We try things, see what works, and make revisions. The group isn't the group if anyone is missing. There's a real sense of teamwork." What's amazing is that members who sometimes display behaviours labelled as problematic leave those troubles at the stage door. "We have lots of fun and use humour a lot. When behaviours happen or someone needs help, we're still a team and we're there."
"There was a time that we had to work months to line up, to be aware of others on stage, to work on our stage presence. It used to take so much longer than it does now." The team's goal at this point is to develop a repertoire of acts and skits that they can perform in the community. Currently the acts revolve around music and singing but the group is looking to add magical acts, skits and comedy.
Behind the Fun
The goal of the Theatre Arts program is to create an arena for individuals to explore their talents and develop public speaking and presentation skills while developing self-confidence, self-esteem and team building skills. The program is also used as a vehicle to encourage community involvement and education. Group member, Kelly, tells us that she'd like to get out and perform more often in the community: "Yes, I like the group because I love it, it's a fun time and people like to see us - they wish that we were [performing] at their school."
The Theatre Arts program is based on the premise that art is therapy and inspires creativity and learning in a positive atmosphere. Members of the group learn through games and exercises that some are better at certain tasks than others - but that there is a place for everyone. Working together towards a common goal (the performance) contributes to the development of self-esteem and social skills. Being involved with the Illusions also gives participants a sense of belonging to a group of peers in which everyone's input is accepted and encouraged.
"I am always impressed with how professional they are when they get on stage," Caren enthuses. "They always do an excellent job."
Future Plans
The Illusions have appeared on stage twice at the Academy Theatre as part of performances by the Fabulous Invictones. At this year's performance, The Illusions kept up the beat with a number of their own songs, including dance and shuffle and rap numbers. Said event organizer and board member, Donna Carmichael, "The most moving moment in the show in my books was Christine Grimes signing while Scott Harford sang John Lennon's 'Imagine.'
The group picks their own songs and shares ideas for performances. The day that I dropped by for an interview, they were performing to songs 
by artists as diverse as Great Big Sea and Gordon Lightfoot. To date, the Illusions are perfecting three new acts for their repertoire and hope to develop seven more so they have a cache of ten from which to choose. The Lindsay Idol contest, hosted by Community Living Kawartha Lakes, has helped the group to come up with fresh ideas and to recruit new talent.
"The goal is to help with self-presentation and self-confidence. Positive reinforcement is immediate on stage," Caren adds. "I am passionate about this because it is a great tool to learn how to work in a team and everyone helps everyone. And it's so much fun!"
In addition to developing and expanding their repertoire, the members of Illusions hope to perform more in the community. In the past, they have taken their show on the road to some local schools, including community living classes in high schools. "We hope to do workshops for those classes," Caren aspires. The group would also like to perform more at other venues - such as nursing homes - and special events.
For More Information
For more information about the Illusions, or to book them to perform at your event or venue, please call Caren McNeilly at Community Living Kawartha Lakes, (705) 328-0464. Watch our Coming Events pages for the details on the group's coming performances.
Come on out on August 25th!
Caren invites everyone to come down to see the Illusions in performance on August 25th, 2005 when Community Living Kawartha Lakes will be hosting its 2nd Annual Carnival, BBQ & Yard Sale. This special event will be held in the Community Living parking lot at 33 Lindsay Street South from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Along with great eats and bargain shopping, Community Living will be offering terrific entertainment in celebration of its 45th anniversary, including musical numbers by the Illusions theatre group and local artist, Tyler Kyte. The Clogging Grandmothers will strut their stuff and, between acts, our disc jockey will make sure that the beat goes on! ScotiaBank is matching the dollars we raise at this event. Please join this important effort - last year we held our first such fundraiser and raised $3,800 to support the work that we do! For more information, call 328-0464.
The People behind Illusions
- Caren McNeilly, Director
- Yvette Lundy, Assistant Director & Announcer
- Christine Grimes, Stage Manager
- Christine Milbourne, Assistant Stage Manager
- Steven Pyke, Technical Supervisor
- Kelly Wilkinson, Secretary
- Shirley Sundberg - Shirley doesn't have an official title but she is a great help to the group!
- Jodie Carmichael
- Paul Desgrosseilliers
- Tony Desimone
- Sherri Dobson
- Scott Hartford
- Wayne Kerr
- Ian Malone
- Sharon Oliver
- Robbie-Ruth Palubiskie
- Bill Williamson
- David Wilson
Would You like to see More?
If you would like to see more of the Illusions in action, be sure to visit our Day Supports photo album. We've included more photos from our performances at the Academy Theatre and our rehearsals at the Community Living Kawartha Lakes offices. There are also many other photos of Day Supports in action. Visit today!
