The Center for Applied Drama and Autism (CADA) hosted a virtual, inclusive, and accessible Variety Performance Spectacular on May 21, 2022 at 7:30 PM ET.

With the support of the Ohio Arts Council, CADA offered stipends and mentoring to each of the thirteen acts - which range from singing to dancing to clowning, and more!

Auditions for the variety show brought out old and new faces, from near and far! Amanda Bugenske, a long-time company member with CADA, acted as Emcee and performed her original poem about Elvis. The Cleveland Dance Project Company, a nonprofit contemporary fusion dance company that believes that dance and movement are for everyone, presented a contemporary dance work to an original music score. Check out all of the individual acts on our YouTube playlist.

Linish Balan, joining us from India, filmed a clown act with two other individuals on the spectrum. Other performers include: filmmaker Gatik Pradhan, actor Mikey Boston, ventriloquist Sid Kranz, comedy duet Samir Hammoud and Wendy Duke, poet Sean Gianetti, musician Cyrus Shahriari, vocalist Vanessa Veneziano, stand-up comedian Max Elinsky, and author and advocate, Alicia Hopkins; as well as the entire Voice Acting class led by Eve Urban and Mikaia Ross.

The variety of these acts was truly spectacular!