Brownstein: Documentary Celebrates 10 Years of I Can Dream Theater

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This Montreal theater company lives up to its name, allowing dozens of neurodiverse adults to pursue their dreams on stage.

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The company is I Can Dream Theater, and to celebrate its 10 ^th anniversary, the documentary The Love Letter has just been released on YouTube. An inspiring testimony, the documentary features first-hand accounts from cast members about how the theater has changed their lives. Directed, written and edited by Merrill Matthews, the film also provides footage from various group performances over the past decade, and it’s safe to say that those unfamiliar with the shows will be impressed.

The caliber of the acting, singing, and dancing is impressive, and viewers may not think of the special needs of players when exiting shows.

The documentary notes how many members of the audience have come to the shows with a sense of dread at not knowing what to expect. “Then they convert and come back every year,” says the film’s narrator. “If that’s not magic, then I don’t know what is.”

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What’s intriguing is that most of the time players deal with the satire, providing well-organized, complex skits, with up to 28 cast members, of everything from Shakespeare to Star Trek to Silence of the Lambs. Even the Abbott and Costello classic “Who’s First?” Baseball parody received an energetic makeover. These performances invariably brought the house down. So did the work of Stephen Atme and Paul Baloukas, who left audiences in awe, whether it was singing soulful arias or Willie Nelson’s On the Road Again.

I Can Dream Theater was founded by Tricia Bartley, Ada Masciarelli, and Michelle Matthews, all Summit School teachers for neurodiverse individuals.

“Initially we were doing productions under the Summit School umbrella, but we soon saw that there was a greater impact we could make and a broader audience we could reach. So we decided to start doing productions on our own with I Can Dream Theater, ”says Bartley.

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None of the players are alumni of Summit School, although some are alumni of the school. Auditions are held with actors of all backgrounds and from all over the island.

Regardless of who is involved, the theater can be demanding at best trying to mold diverse cast members into a single unit.

“It was probably a bit more difficult at first, not knowing where or how far we could push the cast,” says Bartley. “But as we and our cast evolved over the years, it got easier, even though the scripts, dances, and musical numbers became more complex. And the cast members continued to prove to us that they could do more and take on more.

“So they actually made it easy for us to a degree, because it’s just about navigating their needs as individuals and helping them incorporate all of that into the group. It has its challenges, but they want to be there and they work very hard. These are some of the most dedicated people I have ever worked with. “

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Due to the pandemic, the company’s last production, Saving Marvel, was made in 2019.

“COVID has put a lot of pause on a lot, and we are definitely at the table now talking and seeing how we can move forward with the current state of the world we live in now,” says Bartley. “But getting back together again is definitely one hundred percent hope. And thanks to Merrill (Mathews), he was able to at least bring the gang together again, albeit remotely, for this documentary and have something to commemorate this 10th. ^th anniversary.”

Matthews, who now works for the National Film Board of Canada, is a former Summit School teacher and brother of co-founder Michelle. Given the limitations of the pandemic, he had to piece together much of this document through cell phone interviews mixed with film footage from various productions.

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“Starting this project, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted the end result to be,” says Matthews. “It was difficult, but fun at the same time. But this is a cause near and dear to my heart, and I just want to spread the message. “

Adds Bartley: “The reaction of those who have seen the plays for the first time, and probably those who will see the film, is invariably to wonder how they missed out on seeing I Can Dream.

“What this documentary shows is that you cannot define yourself by your disabilities, you must define yourself by your abilities. But there’s so much more to this than just the stage. “

The love letter can be seen in https://youtu.be/-LbmJxKXM1I

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