New TYA Musical to be Performed at Mary McDowell Friends School in Brooklyn

There's a brand new TYA musical being workshopped at Mary McDowell Friends School in Brooklyn, a school for students with learning disabilities. The show is performed entirely by teen actors with learning disabilities, and is about embracing your uniqueness while learning about the inclusiveness needed to share the stage.

The Extremely Large & Dramatic Adventures of Sarah Boarheart & Elliephanta DooDoo is written by the Peabody Award-winning writer/director/producer Juleen Murray Shaw, who is a teacher and Director of Theatre at the school. The composer and lyricist is Eddie Bean. The musical will be performed in custom sculpted masks by master mask maker Jonathan Becker.

This engaging 50-minute show is inspired by the rivalry between Sarah Bernhardt ("Sarah Boarheart") and Eleanora Duse ("Elliephanta DooDoo"), and all characters are iconic Hollywood personalities reinterpreted as creatures from the animal kingdom-Ratella Parsons and Bunny Hopper, MerryLion Maneroe, and Audriaffe Neckburn.

Targeted for ages 5-10, the show features a delightful original score with such future classics as "Making a Movie," "Sharing the Stage," "It's Nice to be Nice," "Me, Me, Me," and the bonafide power ballad "PooPoo."

This show is part of an innovative educational program for talented young actors with learning disabilities. Recent productions include "Hamlet," "Godspell," and "The Complete History of Theatre," which the troupe performed at school as well as on a trip to Bristol, England.

There will be six performances of this workshop production at the Mark O'Donnell Theatre in Brooklyn Heights.

Poster design by Chloe Richardson, MMFS Class of 2024

ABOUT MARY MCDOWELL FRIENDS SCHOOL: Mary McDowell Friends School is a K-12 college preparatory program dedicated to the success of students with learning disabilities. Grounded in the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and social responsibility, we cultivate a diverse and anti-racist community in which all students can reach their full potential. Our specialized teaching methodologies and challenging curricula empower students to become academic achievers, creative thinkers, advocates for equity, and contributing members of a global society.