For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
CapeCodCAN! Brings “Waiting for Oscar: A Hollywood Musical Revue” to Cotuit Center for the Arts
Cape Cod Collaborative Arts Network (CapeCodCAN!) presents “Waiting for Oscar: A Hollywood
Musical Revue,” on May 16, 17, and 18 at Cotuit Center for the Arts. Performances are 6 PM on
Friday and Saturday and 2 PM on Sunday.
When the rumor of Hollywood bringing Oscar Night to the small town of Mayfield offers the hope of
saving the local theater, the town is turned upside down in preparation for the big event. Norma
Atwood of Village Music in South Yarmouth directs this musical revue, which brings together
approximately 90 performers in big musical numbers, skits, and solo acts from all-time favorite
musicals such as as “Oklahoma,” “West Side Story,” ”South Pacific,” and “Titanic.”
“Waiting for Oscar” features people with disabilities from eight service organizations on the Cape and
is coordinated by the Cape Cod Collaborative Arts Network (CapeCodCAN!). Sponsored by VSA
Massachusetts, CapeCodCAN! is dedicated to fostering inclusive arts, music, and theater for people
with disabilities on Cape Cod.
The performers are all ages (teen through 70s), most with different levels and types of disabilities,
from throughout the Cape. Also involved in the production are professional musicians, support staff,
and other performers, including Kaitlyn Smith, a high school student. She is playing the role of the
theater owner and will sing some of the solo numbers.
Jim Hurley, founder and managing director of CapCodCAN!, is a firm believer in the value of the arts
for people with disabilities. “CapeCodCAN!’s performance last year of ‘Broadway and Beyond,’ also
an original musical revue show, had tremendous benefits for both participants and the community,”
he said. “We had a marvelous response, both from the community and from the participants and
their families.”
Jeff Garrison, of the Brain Injury Association, said of last year’s production: “I saw people who tend to
be overlooked by society become the stars of the show. Personally I found it hard to keep a dry eye,
knowing the years of hard work some of these people have gone through just to talk, never mind sing
and act in front of an audience.”
The two scheduled performances of “Broadway and Beyond” sold out last year, even before it
opened, so CapeCodCAN! sold half-price tickets to the dress rehearsal. This year, three performances
are scheduled, and CapeCodCAN! is prepared to open the dress rehearsal to the public again on
Thursday, May 15, if it looks like another sell-out.
Hurley’s commitment to providing arts opportunities for people with disabilities is personal. One of
his grandchildren suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was only six months old. The child, now
8, has an indomitable spirit and love of music and has been an inspiration to his family.
Because of his family’s experience, Hurley attended a meeting of the Brain Injury Association at
Cotuit Center for the Arts in 2011, intending to put his 40 years in business and 20 years in the
theater to good use by volunteering in some way.
“A young man sitting next to me, a brain injury survivor, told me that he was in a play at the
community college a few years earlier, and that it really helped his memory, his self-esteem, and his
ability to speak,” said Hurley.
“Sitting in a building dedicated to the visual and performing arts, and hearing the impact that arts can
have on people with disabilities was an ‘aha’ moment for me,” said Hurley, who has acted on stage
and in film, directed, and written a few plays.
Working with numerous organizations and people throughout the Cape, he established
CapeCodCAN! to provide opportunities for access, inclusion, and active participation in the literary,
visual, and performing arts for people with disabilities.
Last January’s “Broadway and Beyond” was the CapeCodCAN!’s first accomplishment. Highlights of
2013 included attendance and some participation at “The Beatles at Riverview” (at Riverview School
in Sandwich); a performance of “Broadway and Beyond Revisited” at Sandwich Town Hall: a
combination video and live performance show with 35 original cast members; and an eight-week art
instruction class, entitled “Art is for Everyone,” culminating in a two-week exhibit at Atria Woodbriar
Senior Living in Falmouth.
Upcoming CapeCodCAN! events include another art instruction program with displays at the Hyannis
Art Shanties the weekend of June 6 to 8 and a group mosaic, “Bringing Cape Cod Together, Piece by
Piece.”
Organizations participating in “Waiting for Oscar” are Palaemon House, a residential program for
young adults with learning disabilities; Cape Abilities, which offers residential, social, and
employment supports for people with disabilities; Community Connections, which provides a wide
range of support services; Latham Centers, which offers residential and independent living programs
for people with complex special needs; LIFE (Living Independently Forever) which serves people with
learning and intellectual disabilities; the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, which offers
support services to brain injury survivors and their families; Community Support Association, which
provides a range of services for people with traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities; and Esprit
Partnership for Independence, which provide support for adults with mild disabilities.
Tickets for “Waiting for Oscar: A Hollywood Musical Revue” are $20. Seating is cabaret-style for this
event. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.
# # #
What:
“Waiting for Oscar: A Hollywood Musical Revue,” presented by Cape Cod Collaborative Arts
Network (CapeCodCAN!)
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17, 6 PM; Sunday, May 18, 2 PM
Admission:
$20
END