Detour Company Theater Inc

Founded in 2000 and incorporated in 2003, Detour Company Theatre’s mission is to provide theater training and performance experiences for adults with intellectual, developmental, sensory, and physical disabilities, giving them authentic opportunities to develop artistry, demonstrate courage and collaboration, and share the joy of musical theater with the entire community. Detour’s overarching goal is to offer fully inclusive and equitable theatre opportunities that proactively work to: 1) Improve the representation of the diversity of individuals with disabilities in performing arts spaces, 2) Change perspectives on ability that mitigate societal standards of ableism, and 3) Create environments where disabled artists are recognized as artists and respected and treated as the adults they are.

Detour Company Theatre’s current initiatives include:

1. Detour Mainstage Troupe (the subject of this request): Our flagship program, Detour’s Mainstage Troupe, rehearses and performs a minimum of two musical productions each year, with music and scripting modified to meet the abilities of our artists. Mainstage productions are joined in rehearsal and onstage by volunteer coaches that assist artists in learning, blocking, and memorizing lines, as well as in developing expression and advocacy skills and internalizing a sense of belonging. 
2. Detour on Tour: We are currently in the process of revamping our traveling program, Detour on Tour, that began rehearsals for “Shrek The Musical” in April 2022. Detour on Tour brings our full-scale theatre productions into schools, group homes, workplaces, and other community theaters. We anticipate that our 2022 Detour on Tour season will engage 10-15 artists with disabilities, 5-10 volunteer coaches, and 650-800 audience members across six different venues.
3. BOOTS Camp: A prerequisite to joining our Mainstage Troupe, BOOTs Camp introduces participants to acting and provides performance training. Participants are artists new to Detour, as well as artists who prefer a smaller setting with an emphasis on skill work, rather than performance. 
4. The Academy: Academy classes include music, acting, improv, dance, and sign language for production. This past year we added Comedy Club, where artists learn comedy and improvisation skills that help them build confidence related to their intuition, personal choices, and freedom of expression. Another new group is our Big Discussions Club, during which artists dissect the themes and situations featured in the productions they are performing. This group helps the artists share their point of views and sharpen their critical thinking skills. The Academy also includes Detour's long standing Summer Workshops where artists can learn and improve performance skills by focusing on advanced areas of acting, directing, and improvisation.