Neurodiverse Theatre Company ACTIONPLAY To Celebrate 10-year Anniversary With OMG IT'S MAGIC SCHOOL

Actionplay, a neurodiverse New York based theatre company, will celebrate their 10-year producing anniversary by presenting a new musical comedy OMG It's Magic School, created by the company's Action Improv Musical Series (AIMS). AIMS features 9 neurodiverse actors ranging in age from 14 to 18 who take on the roles of actors, writers, and creators. The company creates the story and songs through improv and music starting in September. A fully realized production will be staged in May at Baruch Performing Arts Center.

Actionplay was founded in 2011 and in 2013 they started holding regular classes/workshops and producing an annual new work. The company is dedicated to providing autistic, neurodivergent, and disabled teens and young adults equal access to the theatre-making process.

The company's founder and Executive Director, Aaron Feinstein shared why he started the company, "I was inspired to create Actionplay, because as a neurodivergent musician and performer, I found that theater was an incredibly safe space for me to explore my interests and identity. I wanted to create a company where autistic, neurodivergent and disabled individuals could explore their passions and grow in their creativity and artistry."

He went on to say, "Seeing our actors grow in their confidence on and off stage has been the most rewarding part for me. We've had many performers in our group go onto college to pursue their dreams, not only in performance, but we've had several of our students find their own unique career paths. Actionplay's program gives our actors the opportunity to have their special interests embraced and our musicals are our way of exploring these interests within an ensemble performance. Our shows are hilarious, wild, and irreverent- whatever your expectation of an Actionplay musical may be - we are certain to defy it!"

In addition to the musical, the company is partnering with the Casting Society of America for their annual audition workshop which provides on camera audition coaching and audition best practices to disabled and neurodivergent actors from across the country. Led by disabled actors Allie B. Gorrie and Kiah Amara, the workshop is designed to help neurodivergent and disabled actors develop their audition skills, as well as develop a comfortable routine when working with casting directors, with casting directors from the Casting Society of America being present at the final showcase to offer feedback. The 2023 Actionplay Audition Workshop is made possible by generous grants from NEXT for Autism, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York State Council on the Arts.

Since its inception, the company has worked with over 200 neurodivergent performers, held numerous audition and self-advocacy workshops, provided mentorships, and created and performed 10 original musicals.

About OMG It's Magic School

It's a new school year at Magic School, a place where young magicians and magical creatures can be themselves - but when Magic School is suddenly in danger of closing, a ragtag bunch of magic students will need to use all their gifts to save their school.

Tickets are now on sale at https://linktr.ee/321actionplay. Baruch Performing Arts Center is located at 55 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (entrance between Lexington and Third Avenues). Performances are Saturday, May 13 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, May 14 at 2:30 and 7pm.

Actionplay is an NYC-based 501(c)(3) programming, outreach, and education organization dedicated to providing autistic, neurodivergent, and disabled teens and adults equal access to education, arts, and culture. Actionplay helps to develop life skills in a fun-filled and supportive environment where participants thrive. Through their innovative programs, outreach, trainings and professional development, Actionplay strives to build a more inclusive world. www.actionplay.org

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