When Danny Anderson sat in the audience of My Turn Theater’s 2022 production of Guys and Dolls Jr., he had no idea he’d be running the organization three years later.
All he knew was that the show was a “very inspiring, joy-filled experience” that made him want to become more involved.
Which is exactly what he did. The following year, he moved from the seats to the stage and joined Beauty and the Beast Jr. as a shadow, a volunteer position that’s unique to this theater group and the dozen or so like it around the country.
As a shadow actor, Anderson’s role was to accompany Brian Pearson, the actor playing The Beast.
If Pearson happened to miss a cue, Anderson was right next to him with a nudge or reminder. In the rare event of some onstage jitters, he would offer Pearson words of encouragement. From rehearsals to performances, they were a team for the entire duration of the show’s run — one in the spotlight, the other dressed in black.
My Turn Theater’s model rests on that relationship. Ever since its start in Coeur d’Alene as Out of the Shadows Theater in 2016, the organization has existed with the express purpose of providing theatrical opportunities to adults with special needs.
By offering them practical and emotional support in the form of a shadow, My Turn enables the actors to transcend the challenges associated with conditions like autism, Down syndrome or impaired vision and enjoy some time in the limelight.
Lisa Pryne Edwards was part of the production of Guys and Dolls Jr. that compelled Anderson to volunteer. Most of her involvement in the local theater community up to that point had been with Stage Left and the Spokane Civic Theatre.
Then she bumped into Wendy Carroll, founder of Out of the Shadows, which had relocated to Spokane and rebranded as My Turn Theater in 2021. (Celebrating Different Abilities through Art and Community Theatre, or CDA ACT, is a kindred organization that also stemmed from Out of the Shadows and is still very active in Coeur d’Alene.)
“I was a drama teacher on the west side of the state before I moved here, and I was really involved in the efforts to have students with special needs involved in my shows whenever they wanted. So I loved this idea and was on board from the minute she told me about it,” Edwards says.
It was a similar chat with Carroll that encouraged Anderson to make his second leap with My Turn Theater — this time from shadow actor to the organization’s artistic director. The group had gone on hiatus in 2024, and both he and Pearson were wondering if and when shows would resume.
“[Wendy] had moved down to L.A. to have a more comfortable lifestyle and climate for her son Toby and herself. I reached out because I had made a lot of connections with the actors when we did Beauty and the Beast Jr., and we were trying to figure out when we were going to do it again,” he says.
“Then she and I just had a deeper conversation, and she kind of — well, not kind of — asked me if I wanted to take over and run the theater.”
In part because of the close relationship that he had formed with Pearson, he agreed.
“With theater in general, as I always explain to people who aren’t familiar with it, you bond hard and fast. And then it dissolves, kind of like summer camp or a retreat. I found myself holding onto these connections a little deeper than I might normally on a project,” he says.
After taking the helm, Anderson’s top priority was to find My Turn Theater a permanent home. Previous annual productions had hopped from venues like Coeur d’Alene’s Kroc Center and The Bing to Gonzaga’s Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center.
“We had no consistency of knowing when the next show was or what the next show was. It was always kind of in limbo until something got locked in,” he says.
“Spokane Civic Theatre was where I always thought it kind of belonged because it’s for everybody”
Thanks to a long acting résumé that includes acclaimed productions like Bug (at the Civic) and Pass Over (at Stage Left), Anderson was able to draw on his local connections to find a partner venue. The Civic’s Jake Schaefer saw how My Turn’s mission aligned with community theater and offered to host their annual show during the summer.
“Spokane Civic Theatre was where I always thought it kind of belonged because it’s for everybody. Now we have this summer slot potentially indefinitely where we can plan for the future. That consistency is so important, especially for people on the spectrum,” Anderson says.
The rekindled, re-energized My Turn is now gearing up for a one-week run of The Lion King Jr. that opens on Saturday evening on the Civic’s main stage. Around 30 actors — including Iris Bealer as Simba, Hannah Burgan as Nala and Collin Fossell as Mufasa — are taking part. Pearson, the former Beast, is making his return to the stage as Scar.
And the faces of many of their shadows will be already familiar to local theatergoers. Dawn Taylor Reinhardt, Patrick McHenry-Kroetch and Thomas Heppler are all donning black for this show.
Even Edwards is returning — although, like Anderson, it’s in an augmented capacity. She’s co-directing this production with Heather McHenry-Kroetch, who previously oversaw Beauty and the Beast Jr.
“The fact that she has directed for My Turn before is really helpful for me. I’ve done a lot of directing as well, but I haven’t done a show that was completely a cast of special needs actors, including shadow actors, before. And this is a full production. This is the real deal,” says Edwards.
At the same time, she says it’s a show that sets itself apart from any other you might see this year.
“Sometimes I’m dragging after being at work from 8 to 5,” Edwards says. “But when I get there, the energy that the actors bring, it just warms your heart and makes your soul happy to see what they’re doing. So come and see the show. You’ll be glad you did.”
Disney’s The Lion King Jr. • Aug. 2 and Aug. 7-8 at 7:30 pm, Aug. 3 and Aug. 9-10 at 2 pm • Free, donations accepted • Spokane Civic Theatre • 1020 N. Howard St. • myturntheater.com • 509-325-0527