“Just Being Me”

Adults with developmental disabilities are often given few opportunities for full creative expression—yet they have so much of importance to tell us.

A group of Orchard Village’s residents were given just such an opportunity, thanks to a grant from the Skokie Community Fund. With the Fund’s support, Orchard Village partnered with Chicago’s Still Point Theatre Collective, an organization founded in 1993 that uses theatre-making to amplify the hard-to-hear voices in our society. Over the course of a 16-week “Imagination Workshop,” Still Point helped our residents to discover new ways to express themselves through theater exercises, music and movement, culminating in a powerful live performance at the Skokie Theater for friends, family and community.

The project’s multi-week process was captured digitally by Skokie Public Library’s Virtual Community Engagement department, allowing Skokie residents to experience second hand the accomplishments of their fellow citizens. The resulting film documentary, “Just Being Me,” is a powerful tribute to the yearning, creative self in each of us. Please have a look.