2026 Penguin Project Information Meeting

Once a year, a magical and deeply moving celebration of the human spirit unfolds in theaters across the country. Children in a program called The Penguin Project take the stage to perform a modified version of a beloved Broadway musical.

What makes these productions truly extraordinary is that every role is performed by young artists with developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual and learning disabilities, visual or hearing impairments, and other neurological conditions.

Each artist is paired with a dedicated peer mentor—a child of the same age without disabilities who volunteers to work alongside them throughout four months of rehearsals and all the way to the final curtain call. Together, they learn, grow, and shine.



By providing meaningful access to community theater, The Penguin Project proves that the challenges of a disability should never limit a child’s ability to participate fully in life’s most joyful and enriching experiences.