We had the pleasure of speaking to Greg Shane, a unique individual who is dedicated to theatre in a way that few people are. Not only is he fully committed to the craft, as has been every one we have interviewed over the years. Greg works exclusively with people who are blind and teaches them to act, to write plays, to be a part of the entire process of putting up a play and in doing so, to overcome challenges that may never have been faced in their regular lives.

The company is Cre Outreach. When asked about the word, Greg said the word Cre means Create in Latin and the show is put up through Theatre by the Blind. It is the only entirely blind theatre in the country. Greg Shane is the artistic director, and is directing the play currently on stage.

We asked Shane how he became involved in the company.

GS It started about five years ago – I was with a group called Changing Perceptions working with visually impaired on a smaller level. When I came here I had a vision of creating an original play and performing it in front of a large audience. At that time, the woman running the company passed away and there was a void that needed to be filled so I took over production and for the past five years I’ve been there. Now we are working on our sixth production.

RP What is the play you are running now?

GS It’s called The Decider. It’s sort of an Alice in Wonderland meets Star Wars combination –

RP That sounds unique. Who wrote the play?

GS Colin Simson was the writer of the show with a combined effort of the company creating the ideas.

RP What’s it like working with a group of people who are completely blind?

GS It’s an amazing experience. They get around the stage using sound cues, snapping fingers, tapping things, folks on and off stage and they really learn to trust themselves in a way that they might not have an opportunity to do outside of the theatre.

RP Have you had some experiences where somebody missed a mark or a cue?

GS Oh yes – sometimes someone will miss a box or something, but that’s just a cue to the audience as to the challenges they have. When people see the play they forget that the actors are visually impaired – and then one of them will bump into something and suddenly the people go – “Wow – they are visually impaired – “

RP So these people are all actors to begin with?

GS No – none of them are actors. But they turn into incredible actors in time.

RP So let’s say a person hears about your project and they want to explore more about joining. They’ve never acted before, but they would like to be a part of it. What should they do?

GS They can contact me directly, or send me an email and I would have them come to a class or rehearsal and experience it and see if there is something that would fit well with them.

RP Do you actually have classes and workshops for the group?

GS We teach at the Braille Institute and we also rehearse Tuesdays from 12 to 3 at the Lake Street Community Center in Santa Monica and from 5 to 9 on Sundays.

RP Where is your play being held?

GS It’s at Magicopolis at 1418 4th Street in Santa Monica. It’s a hundred and fifty seat theatre.

RP And it’s on Thursdays only.

GS Yes this is a three show run. We started out in the past doing only one show, but this one runs for three Thursdays and so far we’ve been pretty much sold out at each performance.

RP How are you getting the word out about the show or the company?

GS Contacts that we’ve had on our database from before – NBC did a feature on us that really helped, the LA Stage Times, we advertise at the Farmer’s Market and people tell their friends and their family.

RP How many actors are involved altogether?

GS There are ten actors in this cast.

RP And you are the director?

GS Yes

RP Do you have other artists like musicians in the show?

GS There is live music in this show but they are not visually impaired, but that’s one thing I’d like to include in the future. One of our actors plays saxophone and he’s an incredible sax player. He has an amazing back story. He was shot in the face and was in a coma for 38 days – he had four strokes. There was hardly any memory before the play. Through the process of working on this original play he got his memory back.

RP That is a great story. So from all these people that are participating in the play, do any of them have future ambitions of working in film or TV or in the business?

GS One of them just got a commercial – a national commercial which is very exciting, and I believe that a couple of them do have the talent to go to Hollywood and try to make it there.

RP That’s great! How long did you say you have been with this group?

GS I’ve been with them for five years.

RP What are your personal ambitions and goals – your future plans?

GS One of my goals is to get our own theatre and get these actors paid and give them a source of employment. That’s part of my biggest goal.

RP You want to stay with that group and make it grow. Have you experienced any changes is your life as a result of working with this group?

GS Absolutely! This group is like my family. It’s given me perspective on life. When I see them working through their challenges it gives a sense of inspiration that I can solve the challenges in my own life. I learn so much from them and it’s just like a give and take from both sides.

RP Have you had anyone who was so frustrated that they just left? Maybe they said – “ . . . I can’t deal with this”?

GS I’ve had people who were frustrated, but we worked through it. It’s a very safe environment that I try to create for them.

RP Remind us of the name of the group.

GS Theatre by the Blind.

RP So in closing, let me ask you to think about this. What is the one thing that you would like people to learn after reading this interview?

GS That we transform lives – one show at a time.

RP That’s great. Thanks for your time.

We closed the interview being reminded that the play will have its last performance on Thursday, March 10, 2011. After that, who knows what challenges the group will undertake? It seems evident that with someone like Greg Shane leading the way the group will attempt to take bolder steps into the thespian world with no boundaries to fear. These actors may not be able to see the world around them but that doesn’t mean their vision for their future is limited.

For more information visit: http://www.creoutreach.org/