Dr. Phillips Center Partners with OCA for 'Theater Week Camp'

Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of Arts is partnering with OCA, a Special Place for Special Needs, for the group's 'Theater Week Camp' serving 235 campers with autism or related disabilities and volunteers. Participants from pee wee and school age campers along with members of OCA's Adult Vocational Training Program will perform in the show, written by one of the campers. The performance is scheduled for Friday, August 14 at 2:00 pm in the DeVos Family Room by invitation.

"When we entered into the partnership with Florida Hospital, an event like 'Theater Week' is exactly what we envisioned - collaborating with local groups to serve families and individuals through performing arts education," said Kathy Ramsberger, president & CEO of Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. "We're excited to see the growth and development of everyone involved in the week."

Dana Brazil, director of education at the Dr. Phillips Center and the recipient of the 2015 award for Outstanding Achievement in Education and Engagement by the Broadway League, will direct the production. The partnership with OCA fulfills the goals and vision of the School of Arts' innovative and award-winning program. The School of Arts goals include:

Enriching the lives of Central Florida residents and strengthening the value of the arts in everyday life by serving as a leading resource destination for renowned arts entertainment programming and arts education programs.

Collaborating with arts organizations, other performance venues, school systems, and colleges/universities to help foster innovation and creativity for learners of all ages.

"In this first year of working together on OCA's 'Theater Week' it's important to help the campers reach their next level of artistic and social development," said Brazil. "Working with individuals with sensory issues, we need to take things in steps with the plan for upcoming years to have the show in one of the theaters with lights and sounds and an audience outside families and friends."

OCA, a Special Place for Special Needs, provides After School, Adult Vocational Training, year round Day Camps, Social Skills Events, Early Intervention, and Behavior Therapy. Their purpose is to make programs available to families, at an affordable cost, that incorporate language development, gross motor, fine motor movement, social skills and functional skills training.

"OCA started with a focus on Special Olympics, but as we saw other abilities emerging in our kids, we wanted to maximize those as well," said Sylvia Haas, Executive Director of OCA. "Partnering with the Dr. Phillips Center has brought the amazing artistic abilities and theatrical talents of our campers to new levels."

The mission of OCA is to enable individuals and families with autism or other disabilities the opportunity to maximize their abilities through functional, behavioral, social, recreational and vocational programs to live within the community. The vision of OCA includes building a multi-functional facility for the Central Florida special needs population and their families and, ultimately, building a residential facility where members of the local special needs population can work, live, and play in a community setting.

For more information about the School of Arts please contact 407.455.5551 email toclasses@drphillipscenter.org or visit drphillipscenter.org/education.

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