Review: AMY AND THE ORPHANS at Ground Floor Theatre

I continue to be inspired and stretched by Ground Floor Theatre’s mission in my role as reviewer here for BWW. GFT has built its reputation on producing “theatre for the rest of us,” centering voices and stories that mainstream stages too often overlook, and I’ve tried to bring attention to that mission in each review I do. As a woman who is one of “the rest of us” in so many ways, I admit to the importance of advocating for this theatre. GFT is a beacon of light in a time when voices on the margins are being silenced in alarming fashion.

GFT’s mission finds a powerful expression in AMY AND THE ORPHANS, playwright Lindsey Ferrentino’s groundbreaking play that made history in 2018 as the first major New York production to feature an actor with Down syndrome in the lead role. Originated by Houston-born actor Jamie Brewer as Amy, familiar to many from American Horror Story, this play’s casting is itself an act of advocacy. It proves that authentic representation belongs at the heart of the American stage, and it belongs in Austin.

Featuring Austin native Sydney Weigand (Amy), a Special Olympics Global Messenger and winner of more than 300 Special Olympics medals, this poignant and funny production navigates the complexities of choice, autonomy, family dysfunction, and love with both ease and grace. Amy is the mysterious invisible protagonist of this story when the play begins, and playwright Ferrentino skillfully lends intrigue to the unfolding of the story by ingeniously doling out clues that bring us to both a painful and triumphant conclusion. A disconnected couple, Bobby (a passionate and engaging Justin Smith) and Sarah (an apprehensive and thoughtful Meredith O’Brien), are at a couples retreat. Up next is a scene between Maggie, played boldly by a skillful Cathie Sheridan, and Jacob, a persevering religious everyman embodied by a reluctantly optimistic Adam Donmoyer. These two have their own closeted skeletons as Amy’s siblings, and they project them both humorously and painfully on each other and their sister Amy. Amy has been institutionalized her whole life, and her siblings must face the awkward estrangement as they break the news of their father’s death. Once they finally complete the trek to get to her, it seems Amy is doing well under the care of her guardian, Kathy, played by a flawless Giselle De La Rosa.

I don’t wish to reveal much more than this about this complicated, hilarious, and truly touching story lest I rob you of the power to feel its depth and impact. However, I will say it’s based on Ferrentino’s aunt named Amy, who had Down syndrome and spent much of her life in a state institution on Long Island. I also wish to give abundant credit to Sound Designer Seth Ellington and Video Designer Lowell Bartholomee, who bring depth and nostalgia to this story with their artistry. Along with this dedicated cast and the rest of the crew, they have given us a compassionate and candid story. This is a gorgeous story told through comedy. It explores how the complicated experiences of a family living with invisible emotional disabilities are projected onto their sister Amy.By bringing AMY AND THE ORPHANS to Austin, Ground Floor Theatre isn’t just staging a family dramedy filled with laughter and heartbreak. It is affirming the importance of inclusion and the transformative power of seeing our full humanity reflected on stage. AMY AND THE ORPHANS brilliantly and simultaneously encompasses universal experiences of shame, heartbreak, resilience, and strength through the lens of comedy, and succeeds at touching us all.

AMY AND THE ORPHANS

by Lindsey Ferrentino

Ground Floor Theatre

Ground Floor Theatre

979 Springdale Rd

Austin, TX, 78702

August 14 - 30, 2025