A Note from the Director

"Take A Bow" was borne out of my childhood experiences of attending my brother's school plays at Clare Woods Academy, a private school for disabled children in Illinois.

One day while in film school at Columbia College Chicago, I was telling my favorite teacher, Chris Burritt, some of my story ideas for future films and then mentioned "a documentary I need to make before I die about my brother, who has Down Syndrome. He went to a school just for disabled kids, and they put on a musical every year..." (at this point, Chris's eyes were popping out of his head and I recall waving of arms) "Whoa! Becky! You have to do this! This year!!! Put me down as your advisor!!!!!!!"

That was in June of 2004. Now, blood, sweat, and tears later (all literal,) we have a documentary illustrating the courage, determination, and also sadness of these kids who have such a bleak future in our society. My hope is that this film will demonstrate to other disabled children that they are not alone, demystify disabled people for viewers unfamiliar with these individuals, and warm the hearts of audiences everywhere!

Becky Lorenne Doppelt