FREE Players return to E.M. district

There was not a dry eye in the audience following another stirring production of Guys and Dolls last winter in the W.T. Clarke High School auditorium.

As the actors and actresses bowed to a standing ovation, with the tune of Queen’s “We are the Champions” in the background, holding back tears was simply unavoidable.

That is because the FREE Players had once again defied the odds. “It’s an inspiration to everyone,” said Patrice Dobies, East Meadow’s chairwoman of Pupil Personnel Services. “You see actors, not adults with disabilities.”

The FREE Players, led by director Jim Sisto, is a group of dedicated adults with disabilities that puts on productions of famous plays. The group returns to East Meadow on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 for two performances of “Into the Woods.” This time, the productions will be at East Meadow High School.

FREE stands for Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, which mission is “to help individuals of all abilities to realize their full potential and prevail over life’s challenges.”

While there is several programs offered by FREE, which is based in Old Bethpage, the theater group has captivated audiences for years across Long Island, most recently in the East Meadow School District.

Evan Shiechel and Barbara Sharkis, former East Meadow students, both returned to their home district in the performance of Guys and Dolls.

Shiechel’s mother, Judy, and current school board member Marcee Rubinstein, both advocates for special education, proposed the idea of bringing the FREE Players to East Meadow. Leon Campo, now retired but superintendent at the time, happily obliged. The group put on three performances of Guys and Dolls at Clarke last February.

East Meadow’s current Superintendent Louis DeAngelo, who was one of those happy audience members last year, jumped on the opportunity to bring the FREE Players back to the district.

Event organizers reduced the ticket price for students this year to $5, with the hope they attend and take in what has proven to be an enjoyable evening and a learning experience for people of all ages.