'The Miracle Worker': A Dream Realized After Kickstarter Campaign

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — It's a dream born out of determination and the miracle of a caring community.

"The Miracle Worker," by William Gibson, directed by Joan Lyons and produced by boots on the ground theater in association with the Southampton Cultural Center, will be performed April 27 to 29 at the Southampton Cultural Center.

Bringing the show to life was a labor of love for Bonnie Grice, founder of the Hamptons-based boots on the ground theater.

The play is based on the biography of Helen Keller, a young girl who, at 19 months old, contracted a fever that left her deaf, blind, and mute.

Unable to manage Helen’s violent outbreaks of frustration, her parents hired a teacher, Annie Sullivan, who is half-blind. Firm and resolute in the belief that Helen can be educated, Annie was relentless in her drive to create a bond that would free the child to communicate and grow to become an advocate for others with no voice, a release for the show said.

“As a child, I saw the movie featuring Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft and was haunted by their story,” said Grice. “Later I had the honor of interviewing Bancroft, who confided that the role of Annie Sullivan was her favorite and, I knew at that moment, I had to bring the play to life.”

Grice personally researched and sourced the production’s vintage costumes and even handmade several pieces.

The Miracle Worker is funded, in part, through the efforts of the Southampton Lions Club, The North Sea Lions Club, Bob Grisnik / Southrifty Drug, and John Raimondi, with additional support from Samantha Bruce Benjamin and Daniel Becker.

But the dream began to come to life with a Kickstarter campaign that drew the community together in giving — $9,000 was raised to see the production take shape.

Grice is also the host and producer of “The Electic Café” on WPPB-FM, Long Island’s only NPR affiliate.

Directed by Joan Lyons, the play runs 70 minutes with no intermission on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m. with a matinee on Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m. in the Southampton Cultural Center.

In addition, three weekday performances are scheduled, which are specially designated for Southampton elementary and middle schools.

The cast includes 10-year-old Emma Suhr as Helen Keller, with Tina Marie Realmuto, an MFA acting graduate from the Actors Studio Drama School, playing Annie Sullivan. The cast also features Daniel Becker, Deyo Trowbridge, Gerri Wilson, Josephine Wallace, and Grice.

Tickets cost $20 for general admission and $5 for children 12 years and under at bootsonthegroundtheater.com or SCC-Arts.org.

Photo by Tom Kochie, courtesy of boots on the ground theater.