The ARC
Ben explores the backyard of the ARC in Rock Island, IL
KEOKUK, IA - The penultimate week of the tour is underway, and our first stop of the week was unlike anything we had experienced to this point. We performed Three Little Pigs for the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) in Rock Island, Illinois.
Rock Island is one of the Quad Cities on the
Mississippi River. Rock Island and Moline comprise the Illinois half of the Quad
Cities; Iowa completes the set with Bettendorf and Davenport. The ARC is tucked
away in a residential neighborhood, about a mile or so off the local drag, which
is known as the John Deere Highway. Moline hosts the international John Deere
headquarters, which I suppose makes the Quad Cities in some way the de facto
capital of the farming industry.
The ARC is a community/care center, not a school. The "C" stands for "citizens," which means that the folks were of all ages. As we sang, I noticed adolescents as well as seniors. One vocally enthusiastic person waved her hat in the air regularly while sporting a t-shirt that boldly dared, "Feel the power of the DISABLED vote!" A middle-aged woman watched the performance serenely from her elaborate wheelchair on the right side of the stage. Sadly, there were quite a few people who watched impassively; who knows how aware, if at all, these men and women were of what they saw. All throughout, our site coordinator stood on the stage left side and interpreted the show in sign language.
As you might imagine, the show was a raucous affair. The level of sound coming from the audience may have equaled the output we were generating on stage. Consider that we are professionally trained in the art of singing as loud as is humanly possible, and you get an idea of the decibel level created by ARC's motley impromptu chorus. At the point in the story when the wolf chases two of the pigs into the straw house, one spectator very thoughtfully rose from her seat with the apparent intention of aiding the pigs in their efforts to thwart the wolf. Before she got close enough to hold a strategy session with the pigs, however, ARC staff intercepted the young lady and returned her to her seat.
When performing for conventional audiences, it's easy to get an idea of how they feel about the performance. After years of training, they know the "appropriate" times to clap and show their approval. With an audience of disabled people, however, it's not so clear. Since we are not accustomed to the way they react, it's hard for us to tell. After the show, our hosts assured us that the performance was received very warmly.
My "buddy" Steve and I
Some of the folks at ARC helped us break down the set afterwards. I had a terrific time meeting and talking to Steve, who addressed me as his "buddy" and is pictured above in his Elvis Presley t-shirt. He told me he liked the show and that his friends felt the same way. Candidly speaking, the performance itself was somewhat jarring. It was unsettling because of the constant background noise to which we were not accustomed. More to the point, however, it was a sobering experience because we were exposed to a group of people whose lots in life are, in varying degrees, visibly much less fortunate than ours. It was comforting to hear from Steve that, for him and at least a handful of others, our visit was a bright spot in their day.
The ARC is a community/care center, not a school. The "C" stands for "citizens," which means that the folks were of all ages. As we sang, I noticed adolescents as well as seniors. One vocally enthusiastic person waved her hat in the air regularly while sporting a t-shirt that boldly dared, "Feel the power of the DISABLED vote!" A middle-aged woman watched the performance serenely from her elaborate wheelchair on the right side of the stage. Sadly, there were quite a few people who watched impassively; who knows how aware, if at all, these men and women were of what they saw. All throughout, our site coordinator stood on the stage left side and interpreted the show in sign language.
As you might imagine, the show was a raucous affair. The level of sound coming from the audience may have equaled the output we were generating on stage. Consider that we are professionally trained in the art of singing as loud as is humanly possible, and you get an idea of the decibel level created by ARC's motley impromptu chorus. At the point in the story when the wolf chases two of the pigs into the straw house, one spectator very thoughtfully rose from her seat with the apparent intention of aiding the pigs in their efforts to thwart the wolf. Before she got close enough to hold a strategy session with the pigs, however, ARC staff intercepted the young lady and returned her to her seat.
When performing for conventional audiences, it's easy to get an idea of how they feel about the performance. After years of training, they know the "appropriate" times to clap and show their approval. With an audience of disabled people, however, it's not so clear. Since we are not accustomed to the way they react, it's hard for us to tell. After the show, our hosts assured us that the performance was received very warmly.
My "buddy" Steve and I
Some of the folks at ARC helped us break down the set afterwards. I had a terrific time meeting and talking to Steve, who addressed me as his "buddy" and is pictured above in his Elvis Presley t-shirt. He told me he liked the show and that his friends felt the same way. Candidly speaking, the performance itself was somewhat jarring. It was unsettling because of the constant background noise to which we were not accustomed. More to the point, however, it was a sobering experience because we were exposed to a group of people whose lots in life are, in varying degrees, visibly much less fortunate than ours. It was comforting to hear from Steve that, for him and at least a handful of others, our visit was a bright spot in their day.
Posted: Mon - April 4, 2005 at 09:39 PM
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Published On: Apr 04, 2005 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 04, 2005 10:02 PM