Lima, OH (WLIO) - A group of students got the VIP treatment at the reception before Sunday's showing of Hairspray the Musical.
Project SEARCH is a program where students with learning disabilities from Apollo Career Center take on internships at Mercy Health-St. Rita's to gain real world experience. A reception was held in honor of project SEARCH students who participated in a commercial for the musical where they learned about what goes on behind the scenes of a live play and dressed up like actors.
"My students and I came over and they learned everything about how it ran, to the curtains dropping, to how the electronics work, and the soundboards, and then they had a fun time with all the wigs and everything for us," said Leigh Taylor, Instructor and Program Coordinator of Project SEARCH.
John Benedum, one of the students, enjoyed learning about the technical side of play production. "With the lights that was actually pretty fun. We was messing with the lights doing all kinds, turning them off, turning the colors on, and then a disco thing," he told us.
One student found new confidence dressing up for the commercial. He kept the wig from the set, and it has helped him connect with others at his internship.
"The wig makes me feel like a 1970's guy, and I wear it to work, and people of the hospital kind of like it though, it feels pretty nice," explained the student, Anthony Hinojosa.
The reception also featured a display of Hairspray inspired paintings created by the students.
