In Spring 2001, I stopped by a school district office on a whim and put in an application to be a substitute teacher - but that’s when the wheel of fate began to roll. Soon, I found myself face to face with a 12-year-old kind named Mike, a warm, funny, optimistic genius trapped in a body challenged by Cerebral Palsy. I was in for the biggest lesson of my life!

4 years later, I was running across America trying to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by some of America’s most valuable citizens. This is the story of 2 friends, one wheelchair, and a dream that became a mission….








To get your copy send a check or money order to
Keep On Keeping On Foundation
7061 W. Touhy Suite 601
Niles, IL 60714

By John Frisco

To me, Handicap This! means no limitations. Mike epitomizes a severely handicapped young man. Stricken with severe cerebral palsy from birth, Mike has limited use of his body, yet he has successfully challenged those who claimed that “he would not be able to talk or lead a normal life”. Certainly his life is not normal, but Mike embraces and celebrates his life’s challenges and continues to go far beyond his so called “expectations”.

The play’s message is clear: We all have our handicaps; perhaps not as invasive as Mike’s affliction, but we all tend to put limitations on ourselves, thus thwarting our own progress in life. In Handicap This!, Mike shows us that despite the “challenges” we may face, we can go
beyond our personal handicaps and boundlessly live life to its fullest.

This play is a celebration of life and an inspiration to us all! May we all improvise, adapt and overcome!

I hope everybody can come out and experience this incredible production!

See you at the show!

January 21st @ 2pm

January 22nd @ 8pm

January 23rd @ 8pm

Oakton Community College, 1600 Golf Rd.

Studio One

by: Elizabeth Antonucci

Handicap This to me means no judgment. There are many situations in our lives where the first thing we do in a new place is judge. Whether you judge yourself or you judge others, the most common reaction in a new situation is judgment. Many people think you can or cannot do something because of the way you look; act, talk, or they stop themselves because of what others might think of them. This show to me helps people look past the outside image and see a person for who they really are. We all have our handicaps; we all have little things about ourselves that we try and hide in order to make ourselves look “normal” so that we can fit in. Mike cannot do that. Mike cannot hide his wheelchair.

I hope everybody can come out and experience this incredible production!

See you at the show!

January 21st @ 2pm

January 22nd @ 8pm

January 23rd @ 8pm

Oakton Community College, 1600 Golf Rd.

Studio One

By Tim Wambach
It means sharing. Sharing one of the most incredible people I know, in Mike Berkson, sharing a creative and talented writer, in Molly Mulcrone, and sharing the most unique relationship that I have ever been apart of. My relationship with Mike.
Since I have met him in 2001 he has never stopped impressing me with his attitude towards life and his sense of humor. That is what Handicap This means to me. It means to have a kick-ass attitude and to have a sense of humor. When you have these tools anything in life is possible.
Our goal with this production is to reach as many people as we possibly can. If you can’t make the shows below and you would like us to bring our message to you we would love to hear from you!
See you at the Show
January 21st 2pm
January 22nd 8pm
January 23rd 8pm
Oakton Community College 1600 Golf Rd.
Studio One

By Mike Berkson
Handicap This means empowerment to me. Living with Cerebral Palsy, too many times I have felt disregarded, chained to my condition. Handicap This gives a voice and a soul to a group of people that I feel is often overlooked and stereotyped. I am excited to share this with both the handicapped community and the able-bodied community. I hope this will open doors, not just for myself, but for others in my situation who have a story to tell. We all should have the opportunity to tell that story. Our audience will get to experience something that they would NEVER be able to experience otherwise. It is rare that the Handicap Community has a platform and a voice. This project builds a bridge between those with physical handicaps and those without.
See you at the show!
January 21st 2pm
January 22nd 8pm
January 23rd 8pm
Oakton Community College 1600 Golf Rd
Studio One

Handicap This Productions is thrilled to announce its world premiere production will be rollin’ out in January of 2010.
We invite you to be a part of this extraordinary theatrical event.
Handicap This!
By Molly Mulcrone
Directed by John Frisco
Choreography by Vanessa Passini
Starring
Mike Berkson & Tim Wambach
With
Kate Tillotson, Elizabeth Antonucci, and Philip Edward Hasso
Premiere Show Dates
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 8pm
Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 8pm
Oakton Community College
Studio One Theatre
1600 Golf Road Des Plaines Illinois 60016
Tickets
$5.00 General Seating
Wheelchairs Free Admission!
Stay tuned for more details!

Roll Out The Red Carpet

Dear Fans,

THANK YOU for your incredible support of Handicap This Productions! We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share our mission with you.

Just before Mike’s 8th grade graduation, his graduating class’ t-shirts with all the kids names were handed out to all the 8th graders. Like any kid, as soon as Mike got his t-shirt he looked for his name on it…and looked again…and again. It wasn’t there. They forgot his name.

Simple oversights like this are what Mike and other handicapped individuals are unfortunately still facing in our able-bodied world today. Our goal is to change that one mind at a time.

To celebrate the debut of our production, Handicap This! and support our mission, we invite you to join us in rolling out the red carpet for our Creative Inspiration, Mike Berkson, by making our Handicap This logo (below) your profile picture on Facebook, Myspace, etc. this weekend, January 22 – 24, 2010, and tagging Mike, and/or anyone else you know and love with a handicap.

The message behind our logo is simple:

“It’s not what you think you cannot do, it’s what you know you can do.”
– Mike Berkson

We’d be honored if you’d lend us your support this weekend.

Rollin’ Regards,

Molly Mulcrone & Tim Wambach