2024 Spotlight Musical is a Mission Accomplished
March 05, 2024 by Analise Narine
Did you miss the performance, or want to watch it again? You can watch the newest Spotlight Musical as well as previous shows here.
Wesley Hall was transformed into a lively theater on February 24 and 25, as Belong Disability Ministry’s Spotlight Musical Theater program celebrated the power of imagination with its newest show, “Mission: Mirror-Mirror.” Those in attendance (nearly a thousand people across the two nights) recognized characters like Jessie from “Toy Story,” the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz,” and Luke and Leia from “Star Wars,” set amid a plot filled with secret agents and world domination plans.
But this journey of imagination actually started months before, as the participants—the cast members—brainstormed ideas for the upcoming show. Spotlight is a theater group comprised of older teens and adults with disabilities who work with a professional artistic team to create and perform an original musical. The cast of the show, made of those both experienced and new to Spotlight, helped create the storyline and the songs that they would perform six months later in “Mission: Mirror-Mirror.”
“The Spotlight veterans are always encouraging the newer cast members, and friendships are always formed,” Cailey Brandon, Spotlight Academy of the Arts Coordinator, said. “Many of them say their favorite part is meeting new faces and being involved in something bigger.” Staff members like Cailey come alongside the cast to make sure that they are supported in the process of creating a new Spotlight Musical.
“Each of them have such a unique subset of talents, and none of them fail to make you belly laugh,” Cailey said. “We rehearse on Saturday mornings, and the cast has a special way of exciting the artistic staff and me. Each one of them is so dedicated to their performance; they rehearse throughout the week to ensure an incredible show, memorizing lines, stage blocking, and choreography.”
Along with an abundance of familiar movie characters, this year’s show included elements of humor throughout; a president’s daughter with a big imagination, and a president’s son passionate about saving manatees. The cast members’ plethora of ideas came together in one fun-filled show with excitement at every turn, complete with melodious songs to complete the storyline.
“Their ideas and passions are turned into reality,” Cailey said. “The voices in this population are often overlooked, and our ultimate goal with every production is that they feel seen, heard, and know that their ideas are imaginative and purposeful. Spotlight not only promotes an environment of community and belonging but encourages these teens and young adults to step outside of their comfort zone to explore a world of creativity.”
That’s what the Spotlight Musical Theater program is all about, year after year. While the settings, plots, and characters may change, the heart of Spotlight has stayed the same even after 14 seasons—always for and about the participants, and always inviting the community to cheer them on.
