Whole Children™ and Milestones Inclusive Theater Program Builds Community—and Buzz for the Big Show

Nearly 30 performers will take the stage in a quirky monster mystery showcasing inclusion and ambitious stagecraft.

ServiceNet’s Whole Children™ and Milestones theater program starts with a simple idea: inclusive theater isn’t just about participation—it’s also about striving for excellence together.

“It’s been really amazing to see the way that our people have responded to setting the bar high,” said Milestones Instructor Eddy Hougen, one of the show’s directors. “We’re asking people to bring themselves to it. To try things, to connect, to be part of something bigger.”

That idea comes to life in “Hotel Pennsylvania: Mystery at the Erie Inn,” an original play written by Milestones Program Manager Nick Vogt. The Whole Children™ and Milestones Theater Studio production, directed by Hougen and Whole Children Site Manager Evan Sabourin, features a cast of nearly 30 ServiceNet clients and staff and reflects the organization’s broader commitment to creating spaces where people with disabilities can connect, express themselves, and grow.

Performances for Hotel Pennsylvania are May 29 at 7 p.m. and May 30 at 2 p.m. at Smith College’s Hallie Flanagan Theater. Tickets go on sale May 4 for families of performers and May 11 for the public.

Set in a slightly off-kilter family hotel in Erie, Pennsylvania, the show brings together a wide cast of characters over a chaotic long weekend. A possible sale of the hotel, a mysterious creature sighting, and an air-guitar convention all collide, leading to entanglements and escapades that culminate in a high-energy musical finale featuring the entire cast.

For Hougen, an instructor in the Milestones program who attended The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and spent years acting and directing plays in New York City, the work is as much about process as performance.

“If you don’t know why you’re saying your lines, you’re not going to remember your lines,” he said. “It’s a simple shift, but it’s everything.”

That shift shapes how the play is put together. Rehearsals emphasize understanding character, relationships, and intention, rather than just memorization. Performers are encouraged to think about what their character wants in each scene, how they connect with others onstage, and how their choices affect the story.

“It’s about being part of a company,” Hougen said. “A group of actors and playmakers who are all contributing to the same thing.”

That sense of shared ownership is central to the experience, Hougen said. Performers take on responsibility not only for their own roles but for supporting one another, staying engaged, and helping scenes come together. Staff members also play roles, allowing them to support other actors onstage as collaborators.

Also central to the experience: pure fun. Sabourin, who plays the role of operations anchor to Hougen’s creative engine, does a lot of the planning, script editing, and, as he puts it “trying to keep the wonderful chaos of our theater program from going off the rails.”

His favorite moments, he said, “are when we’re working hard with someone on a specific line, or with a group on a scene, and it just clicks for them and their delivery or actions really connects with the rest of the cast and everyone erupt in cheers or laughter. I think that moment of support and celebration for a job well done is what the program is all about.”

What emerges, Hougen said, is an environment where people become deeply invested. As a result, the work itself becomes more focused and dynamic.

“When you set that expectation, the focus gets tighter,” Hougen said. “People have agency and responsibility for their part in the whole thing.”

Theater at Whole Children™ and Milestones is closely connected to the broader mission. Programs like the theater group, the Friendship Band, and the Joyful Chorus grew out of a need for social connection — especially for people who often face increasing isolation as they move into adolescence and adulthood.

At those ages, Hougen said, “there are fewer places where people can just be together, be social, and be part of something. This gives people that opportunity, and it gives them a chance to create something together.”

ServiceNet’s Whole Children and Milestones programs offer opportunities for children, teens, and adults to pursue their interests, build skills, and develop deep friendships. Classes are available daily, after-school, and on Saturdays, including games, art, science, dance, relationship skills, and music.