AUSSIE

Blog entry posted March 23rd, 2009 by Len Heisler

A dream is an aspiration to achieve what one longs for, and a goal to gain success in one’s life. Everyone has the right to dream and should have the chance and opportunity to live their lives to the fullest, aspiring to achieve their dreams.

Dreamstreet, a musical theater company, empowers people with developmental disabilities who are generally excluded from the arts, allowing them opportunities for maximum self-expression and self-esteem as they entertain and enlighten audiences. The group enables participants and families to move toward their dreams, thereby building a future of hope, achievement and ability. The Theater of Dreams by Dreamstreet has enabled the players to have a sense of accomplishment and harness their own power to inspire others.

Since 1998, Dreamstreet has envisioned a world in which the public and private perception of ability is transformed through the full inclusion of differently-abled individuals in the arts and in the community. For the last decade, Dreamstreet has helped young adults with Aspersers, Autism, and Downs syndrome perform theatrically, involving these students by leading creative workshops, inspiring rich experiences, growing in self esteem and confidence, breaking stereotypes, leveling the playing field and giving these exceptional people a chance to live their dreams.

On February, 22 2009 the players of The Theater of Dreams, performed at Horizons, a school for incarcerated teens, where I work as an AUSSIE consultant.  We were able to provide the opportunity for the teens from this school to be inspired by a unique performance that exemplified that we all have a right to dream and if we put our minds to it we can achieve for ourselves what others have deemed impossible.  By exploring cultures through dances and poetry lullabies Dreamstreet gave the students from Horizon a day they will never forget.

For more information on AUSSIE’s work with incarceration sites, contact us.

If you are inspired by what Dreamstreet does, leave a comment on this blog or check out their website, Dreamstreetinc.org to see one of the multiple performances throughout the year.

-Len Heisler
AUSSIE Math consultant