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The Penguin Project

Welcome to the Penguin Project!

WaterTower Theatre Producing Artistic Director Shne Peterman and Associate Producer Elizabeth Kensek are proud to announce the start of the PENGUIN PROJECT with Ashley Puckett Gonzales as the Penguin Project Program Director.

Mr. Peterman shared his excitement over being accepted as the newest chapter of Penguin Project Theatres: "The minute The Penguin Project was brought to my attention, I knew this was the direction I wanted WaterTower Theatre to go in for youth education. As a leader with a disability and a theatre company whose mission is to responsibly create empathy and dialogue, our partnership with The Penguin Project highlights the very best of who we are and the difference our art form can make. As a parent, it feeds my soul to know folks like my neurodiverse son and others will have a place to learn the skills of theatre making!”

Founded in 2004 by Dr. Andy Morgan, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Pediatrics and the former Head of the Division of Child Development at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, the Penguin Project pairs young aspiring artists with special needs/disabilities with typically developing peer mentors to create a unique and wonderful theatrical experience as they perform beloved Broadway musicals. The Penguin Project seeks to empower all children with special needs through the beautiful journey of theatre-making.

Dr. Andy Morgan created the Penguin Project® in 2004 to combine his professional expertise with his passion for theatre to give children with disabilities an opportunity to experience the performing arts. He has been the primary medical specialist in central Illinois involved in the diagnosis and treatment of children with disabilities for over 35 years. Following the advice of Penguin parents in Peoria, IL, he subsequently developed a replication process to bring the program to communities around the country. WaterTower Theatre was approved to join the Penguin Project as the newest chapter this year and we are proud to be the 5th chapter in Texas.

“As a teenager, I was honored to be an aide in the special education department at my high school. It was one of the best experiences in my life. Since then, I have had an interest in creating theatre alongside people with special needs. Life diverted those plans until now. After 20 years as a professional actress, director, and teacher, I am so excited that Penguin Project is bringing me full circle back to that 16-year-old kid with an idea to use theatre to enrich lives. As a mom of a neurodiverse kid, I know what a gift it is to have a safe place for your child to be fully themselves and to have friends and connections like every human being needs and wants. I cannot wait to get started!” Ashley Puckett Gonzales – WTT Penguin Project Program Director

The program is FREE for all to participate in and will culminate in a full staged production of ANNIE, JR. on the Terry Martin Mainstage. Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with a beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Annie JR. features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure.


What is the Penguin Project?

Founded in 2004 by Dr. Andy Morgan, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Pediatrics and the former Head of the Division of Child Development at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, the Penguin Project pairs young aspiring artists with special needs/disabilities with typically developing peer mentors to create a unique and wonderful theatrical experience as they perform beloved Broadway musicals. The Penguin Project seeks to empower children with special needs through the beautiful journey of theatre-making.

Who Can Participate?

Artists are children and young adults ages 10-18 with disabilities, including (but not limited to) cognitive, learning, motor, visual, and hearing impairments, genetic disorders, and neurological disorders and neurodiversity.

Peer-Mentors are children and young adults ages 10-18 who are typically developing. They will be matched as closely as possible with an Artist of similar age and interests, and the two will work side-by-side through the entire rehearsal and performance process.


Other Info

Rehearsals and performances for The Penguin Project will be held at Addison Conference and Theatre Centre 15650 Addison Road Addison, TX 75001. Rehearsals will be 2-3 times a week and begin in the Fall of 2023. Performances will be held in March 2024. See below for details about our informational meeting for artists, parents, and peer mentors.

Please direct any interest or questions to: apgpenguin@gmail.com

WaterTower Theatre’s 2022-2023 Season Sponsor is the Town of Addison.

PENGUIN PROJECT SCHEDULE:

Informational Meeting: Sunday, October 8, 2023

Meet & Greet: Sunday, October 29, 2023

Artist Mentor Training: Sunday, November 5, 2023

Penguin Rehearsals will be held 2-3 times a week: between November 3, 2023- March 12, 2023.

There are no rehearsals scheduled in conflict with holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year).

ANNIE JR. performances will be March 14, 2023- March 17, 2023


ABOUT ASHLEY PUCKETT GONZALES:

As a performer, Ashley Puckett Gonzales has appeared at theatres across the country including Madison Square Garden, The Kennedy Center, and was fortunate enough to make her living in the arts for the better part of 15 years. After many years of living and working in NYC, she chose to explore her voice more fully as a director. She has since directed shows in all levels of the theatrical strata from children’s theatre to Off-Broadway. She is especially proud of WTT’s I Am My Own Wife, The Odd Couple, and the critically acclaimed The Manic Monologues. Ashley is a proud mama to a neurodiverse kiddo, wife to a crazy talented husband, and founder of a 501c3 helping Artists in times of crisis. Follow us on Instagram @gideons_feet or on Facebook.

ANNIE JR. Performance Dates: March 14-17, 2023

The production will be staged on the Terry Martin Main Stage at the Addison Theatre Centre at 15650 Addison Road, Addison, Texas 75001.

For more information on WaterTower Theatre and upcoming productions, visit us online at www.watertowertheatre.org or call the Box Office at 972.450.6232.

Ticket Prices:

Single Tickets - $10 plus applicable fees

How/Where to Buy Tickets:

Online: www.watertowertheatre.org

By Phone: 972.450.6232

Or In-person:

WaterTower Theatre at the Addison Theatre Centre 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX 75001

Fax: 972.450.6244 Email: boxoffice@watertowertheatre.org

Box Office Hours

Monday-Friday Noon - 6 p.m.


“Our daughter was involved as an artist, and we found ourselves drawn into an amazing experience. From the first rehearsals we watched, we were captured by the passion of the leaders working with the students and the compassion of the mentors and their families.” Penguin Artist

The Penguin Project not only impacts our participants while at the theatre, it change their lives and the lives of everyone around them. Following the production a survey is taken by all participants and their parents. Below is some of the information we have gathered.

  • 96% of surveyed artists and mentors reported feeling more proud of themselves since being a part of the Penguin Project.
  • 86% of artists reported improvement in doing things on their own since being a part of the Penguin Project
  • 80% of mentors reported feeling “a lot better” about others being different from themselves since participating in this program.
  • Over 70% of artists reported finding it easier to be friends with kids without disabilities since being a part of the Penguin Project.
  • All participating artists reported improvement in singing, dancing, music, and acting.
  • Over 70% of mentors reported finding it easier to stand up for themselves since being a part of the Penguin Project.
  • 100% of participating parents reported they experienced growth in connections with other families with kids with disabilities, as well as new friendships.
  • 95% of parents reported growth in their knowledge of services and support for individuals with disabilities.
  • 80% of parents reported growth in their children in feeling a sense of belongingness.
  • 67% reported their children are now more comfortable speaking in front of a group.
  • All participating parents of mentors reported their children are more accepting of differences in others since being a part of the Penguin Project.