The Pyramid Players returned to the stage at the Moon on Saturday for their 19th annual performance, following a three-year hiatus due to Covid. The program serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities -- and the show delighted both the performers and the audience.
The show was called “Pirates of Devil Island,” and Pyramid’s play-writing class had co-written it. The performers sang with gusto, fought with swords and clashed over a treasure that could bring untold power to its possessor.
Lindsay Joseph, the director of Pyramid Studios, estimated the crowd size at 800.
“Our students have been practicing for this for months,” she said. “So to be all costumed up, make-upped up, ready to go…We had the dress rehearsal yesterday, but now we’ve got the full face of makeup. They’re all ready to go, looking sharp and feeling great. A little bit of nervous, a little bit of jitters, but excited more than anything.”
She says Pyramid is unique among local programs that serve people with disabilities.
“We focus on the arts, and I think our individuals have an opportunity to blossom in a different fashion,” Joseph said. “I think people just love seeing that. They love seeing the progress our students have made. We have a couple of new performers onstage today. So, I think word of mouth gets out, and people just want to come and show their support.”
The show involved well-known musical numbers, with the audience clapping and singing along. The art students of Pyramid contributed their works to a silent auction. Other local theater companies and the Pyramid programs from other parts of Florida supported the show.
