MIAMI – The curtain is rising on a unique production in South Florida as Area Stage Conservatory’s Inclusion Theatre Project debuts its performance of Annie Jr.
Nestled in a black box theater, the cast and crew are putting the finishing touches on the show during tech rehearsal.
Among them is Alexander Milne, a 37-year-old performer who has been with the program for six years.
“It’s really tough with lots of practice,” Milne said. “From my point of view, I love doing this and want to keep doing it.”
The Inclusion Theatre Project, also known as ITP, was launched in 2014 to provide neurodivergent students of all ages opportunities to immerse themselves in the performing arts.
The program focuses on building confidence through dancing, acting, and musical theater, offering private lessons and full-scale productions.
“It’s very important because we take the stigma out, that neurodivergent actors are not able to do it,” said ITP Director Irma Becker.
Pippa Milne, Alexander’s mother, said the program has transformed her son’s life.
“Alexander does things that I never could have imagined he’d done,” she said. “He’s very outgoing, very sociable, loves performing, which is very common with this population.”
For Alexander, the stage represents not just a hobby but a future.
“It helped me because it’s my dreams, future,” he said.
The program also challenges perceptions about neurodivergence.
“He has Down syndrome, and there’s not much more to say about that,” Pippa Milne said. “It’s just one part of who he is. He has brown hair, blue eyes, Down syndrome — it’s not his defining characteristic.”
Becker emphasized that the project is as much about changing societal views as it is about nurturing talent.
“Our community sees that we don’t have limits here. They can be actors. They can be good in this area and develop just like any other person,” she said.
With Annie Jr. opening this week and future productions in the works, the ITP continues to showcase the unique strengths and abilities of its students, while inspiring parents to reconsider limits they might have once assumed.
“It’s good not to make assumptions, not just for the world but for us parents and limitations,” Pippa Milne said.
Click here for more information on the ITP.