There's something happening in Santa Monica this weekend that has truly become like music to the ears of so many kids. These are kids who until now, spoke no words because they could hear no words.
No Limits is a non-profit group founding in 1996 and is the only theater group in the country for children with a hearing loss who speak and listen. They range in age from four to 18. And for some, they come to the after-school program without even knowing the sound of their own name.
"It's just so amazing to show them, 'that's you! You're Mary' and they turn their heads and they smile," says Michelle Christie-Adams, the director No Limits. "It's the greatest gift."
Saturday, the kids will perform two shows at the Magicopolis Theater on 4th Street. The play is called "Building Blocks" and focuses on words the kids will learn, in the hopes they turn those words into actions.
"This play is about using those positive words," says No Limits Spokesperson Kathy Buckley, "and turning them into ways these kids will learn confidence and self-esteem."
But perhaps more importantly, they're learning to prove their ability, while living with their disability.
"When I was born, I couldn't hear well so my mom got me hearing aids to hear better," says 9-year-old Ivan.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Ivan plays the part of Joey, a young boy flipping through TV channels learning, as the shows pass by, about perseverance. "Believe in yourself. And believe in others."
"What people don't know is that for a deaf person, it's not like getting a pair of glasses and all of a sudden you can see. When you first hear sounds, it's terrifying, it's overwhelming," says Buckley.
The No Limits production of "Building Blocks in Los Angeles" is open to the public. Tickets are only $15. Show times are Saturday, July 23rd at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Magicopolis Theater at 1418 4th Street in Santa Monica.
For more information or to make a donation to No Limits, visit www.KidsWithNoLimits.org
