Theatre course at Hays High School designed for students with special needs

BUDA — “I realized that these students need their own class where they can be stars,” said Hays High School Head Theatre Director Lory Stewart, recalling why she developed the Adaptive Musical Theatre with Supportive Peers course in 2019.

Contributed Photo
Sara Shubzda, back left, and Janice Knight, center, perform in a 2018 production of “Aladdin.”[/caption]

For the past 20-plus years, Stewart has been writing and directing original musicals for adults who have special needs in Garland, Texas and she still goes back every year to direct a show. She wanted to bring an individual class that’s geared toward the success and specific communication styles of students with special needs.

The course is designed for students with special needs to be paired with supportive peers who will help them dance, sing and act on stage, especially because general education classes do not always offer students the specific attention that they may need.

“It all started with a student that I had named Nicholas Smith in 1997. He was my very first student with special needs in Garland at Naaman Forest High School and he was nonverbal. He used a wheelchair. That's where I started, on that end of the spectrum with a student with that communication style and then developed it for everybody else. So, it's very inclusive."

According to Stewart, a lot of theatre programs are not really geared toward all students, especially the nonverbal and nonambulatory students. "This is for them as well. It’s for everybody. I really just wanted them to have a place where they can feel comfortable,” Stewart said.

“It’s really been amazing because our students now get to sing and dance during the school day. They get to perform [and] they get to be on the stage. I just love it. It seems that the students really love it,” she said. “The teachers, the adult aides who assist our students who might be in a wheelchair and need that extra help, they love it. Not only is it fun as they get to perform, [but] they're learning. They're actually learning about musical theatre and they're performing. At the end of the year, we do the musical review for their parents, students, peers and whoever wants to come and we just love it.”

This summer, Stewart created an adaptive musical theatre curriculum that is tailored for actors with special needs starting at pre-K. The 15-week curriculum will walk the instructor through step-by-step for each class; the video will include check-ins, physical warm-ups, discussion questions and analysis of the plot/story, characters and technical aspects of the musical studied that week. There will also be musical numbers with easy and fun choreography for students to follow, acting exercises, critiques and exit tickets.

Stewart’s ultimate goal is for everyone to be able to adopt the adaptive musical theatre course into their educational curriculum — whether they are a teacher or administrator in a traditional school or they are a parent who is homeschooling their child.

Contributed Photo
Janice Knight, left, and Jack Hopkins pose for a photo in a production of “Frozen,” directed by Lory Stewart. Stewart, the head theatre director at Hays High School, has directed musicals for adults with special needs for the city of Garland & the Granville Arts Center for 20-plus years.[/caption]

“It's really for people who might be intimidated by teaching students who have a variety of special needs. And it walks you through it step by step. I'm hoping that other places all over the state, all over the country and maybe even in other countries, where we can translate it into different languages, will start this program and give their students and actors in their communities this opportunity to learn about musical theatre,” Stewart said. “They learn all these dances because you do the same video for the same musical for a week or two weeks or three weeks, depending on the unit. And then at the end, they take their favorite songs and dances that they've learned and they can create a musical review for a performance.”

“So, I think it's going to be really helpful for people who don't know what they're doing. Maybe they don't have a theatre background, they don't have a special education background [or] they're intimidated to start this because it's the unknown,” Stewart continued. “But this is just going to help them walk through it and they're the facilitators, they still have to be there because they're going to read any instructions or questions or things up on the screen. I'm not really doing that for them, but I've given them all the tools that they need to have a successful adaptive musical theatre program with supportive peers or with volunteers.”

Stewart is in her sixth year of teaching at Hays CISD, but she taught in Garland for 12 years prior. Her passion for teaching sparked when she was a high school student and she admired her drama teacher, Kim Jensen, who “just seemed to love his job and have so much fun.” She even got to be Jensen’s co-director as her first job.

While teaching is no easy feat, Stewart said that it’s the students who keep her going back every single day.

“I feel really blessed to be a part of their journey and life. High school is the most difficult time in a person's life and if I can be a part of that to encourage, mentor and help them become who they want to be, [I can] help them get good self confidence,” she explained. “I just use theatre as a tool to mentor and teach the students how to be human beings and how to traverse challenges of high school.”

The adaptive musical theatre curriculum will be online within the next couple of weeks. Stewart said that there will be a fee associated with the program, but those interested in implementing it can get funding through their school or facility and there’s a possibility that corporate sponsorships will be available for those who are in need of financial aid.

To keep up to date or learn more about the program, visit .