The Little Lake Theatre is always looking to be more inclusive for its audiences. Next fall they will take a big step in having deaf audience members and performers take part in a live stage performance. Little Lake Theatre and the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf will team up and perform the musical “Captain Louie, Jr.” employing both deaf and hearing actors. The hearing actors will take part in a 10 week course in American Sign Language (ASL). The production will be performed using voice and ASL. The production is the first of its kind for this area as far as local theatre goes. Normally this mixed performance is reserved for professional troupes that travel the country. This project was made possible through the Pennsylvania Neighborhood Assistance Program funded through the Department of Community and Economic Development. They reached out to Little Lake Theatre and John LaCarte of LaCarte Enterprises in Charleroi and teamed them up to allow LaCarte to make a donation and receive a $16,500 tax credit. A project like this is close to the hearts of both LaCarte and Jena Oberg, Artistic Director of Little Lake Theatre. LaCarte has a child with disabilities and he says this project checked all of his boxes for donation. It is an inclusive program for those with disabilities and he feels theatre is an activity that promotes inclusiveness. Oberg has a daughter who is deaf and a student of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. She is particularly proud to be able to bring this performance not just to Little Lake Theatre, but also to the students of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. The performance of “Captain Louie, Jr.” will open October 6, 2022.