MAPLEWOOD, NJ — If you’re looking to get out of town, put that trip to the shore on hold and allow yourself to be instead transported via an enchanted flying carpet into the exciting world of Agrabah with the Community Access Unlimited Community Players’ production of “Aladdin Jr.” at the Rahway High School Center for Performing Arts on June 29 and 30, at 7:30 p.m.; a matinee performance will be July 1, at 2 p.m.
Saturday’s performance will be Family Day, and members of the audience, including children, will be able to have their photos taken with cast members prior to the show.
Attendees of what promises to be an exciting show will also have the chance to see Maplewood resident Caila Breslin, 19, in action on the stage. Breslin, who lives with a cognitive disability, has also appeared in “Shrek Jr.” and “The Music Man Jr.” since joining the Community Players three years ago, and is now gearing up for her third show with the group.
The CAU Community Players is a troupe of individuals with developmental disabilities, as well as actors and actresses from the broader community. Formed in 2012 by nonprofit Community Access Unlimited, the troupe allows CAU members to engage in the pleasures of acting, singing and dancing with people from the wider community, and to be judged for their talents rather than their disabilities.
Never one to let any limitations stand in her way, Breslin was also active in sports, with two years as a player and two years as a manager on the soccer team, and then four years of lacrosse at Columbia High School.
However, it was on stage that she discovered her true passion in the world of performing arts and she has been going for it ever since.
“My favorite part of this experience is being on stage singing and dancing,” she said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record. “I’ve been doing voice and piano lessons since I was 9 years old and I love performing.”
CAU is a statewide nonprofit organization that provides support programs and services to adults with disabilities and youth served under the Department of Children and Families, which enables them to live independently in the community. Support is provided in areas such as housing, vocational skills and life-skills training, education, advocacy and recreation.
Each year the CAU Community Players selects a play that is representative of the agency’s message of inclusion, acceptance and belief in the inherent worth of all people, regardless of disability.
Based on the Disney movie, which itself was based on the folk tale of the same name, “Aladdin Jr.” is the story of a street urchin, a princess and a genie who all overcome their own obstacles to escape the traps of their lives and achieve their fullest potential and happiness.
For Maria Breslin, Caila’s mother, the message of inclusion is one that resonates in everything that Community Players does, and she is a staunch supporter of their programs.
“Caila was doing voice lessons, and I tried dance and she didn’t like it, but she was singing all the time so I tried to convince her to do voice lessons. We found someone in Maplewood who was just starting out with lessons and it was a perfect fit,” Maria Breslin said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record. “She had a knack for it and was in all the plays and their chorus, and even once she was in out-of-district placement she continued with it. She was picked to perform at Bergen Performing Arts Center with other kids in her chorus group, so we just kept her on that route.”
After seeing her daughter’s love for performance and theater, Maria Breslin began to look for a program that would allow her daughter to continue participating in stage productions, and came across the Community Players at Community Access Unlimited.
“We were lucky to find CAU. I was Googling local chorus and theater groups and they popped up and we went to the auditions and here we are three years later. I saw that it was integrated between special needs and regular-learning members, and I love that about them. When you meet Caila she is a little on the shy side, but when she goes on the stage she morphs into something else,” Maria Breslin said.
Putting on a quality show where everyone’s unique abilities can be celebrated is the mission of the Community Players, and something Community Access Unlimited holds in the highest regard.
“The theme with all of our services is community integration; we give the people we support an opportunity to be independent but also to be a part of the community,” CAU marketing director Cara Pavia said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record. “Productions are created with the idea of integrating as much as possible into the community; we have the plays outside of our facility so that the members can experience the community as much as possible.”
Another important aspect of the Community Players program is that, although everyone auditions, there is a place for everyone in the show, regardless of skill level.
“We strive to have everyone participate and have a part, no matter what their ability level is. Some have more experience than others, but we audition based on talent not their disabilities. It’s extremely important to us to have that integration,” Pavia said. “The theater program was created in 2011, and the first show was done in 2012. It’s amazing how it has grown from an idea to an annual three-night production with a cast of about 70, through the hard work and dedication of the people who are in the show, the agency staff, the actors and their families.
“I think the arts is the perfect way to express creativity.”
Tickets are available for a nominal fee by visiting www.caunj.org or by contacting Cara Pavia at 908-354-3040, ext. 4376, or [email protected].
Photos Courtesy of Maria Breslin
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