COLUMBIA — As a person living with Down syndrome, Bryann Burgess considers the arts community to be one of the first that embraced her.
“As soon as I learned how to walk and talk, I learned how to sing and dance,” Burgess said. “I just loved how it made me feel accepted and included, and that’s what the Papa Tank Theatre is all about.”
Burgess is the cofounder of Papa Tank Theatre for Inclusion, which aims to promote the arts for students with disabilities or extra needs. It recently achieved nonprofit status, a year after its inception.
Initially funded by the Central Carolina Community Foundation and in partnership with the Washington Street United Methodist Church, Papa Tank hosts workshops and rehearsals in theater, music, dance and art for Columbia children and young adults aged 5 to 21.
One of the organization’s cofounders, Larry Hembree, has served as the executive director of Trustus Theatre, The Nick and Columbia Children’s Theatre. The other half of the cofounding team, Burgess, is a pianist, actress and public speaker.
Performers in Papa Tank Theatre for Inclusion pose after a performance of “Lemonade.”
For Burgess, the theater strikes a personal chord. She named the organization after her grandfather, a veteran and prisoner of war of World War II, to honor his bravery and passion for equality.
Structured with spring, summer and fall sessions, the program hosts twice-monthly workshops in each of its four artistic disciplines. Local professional artists lead the workshops, helping students learn music by ear and gain comfort onstage. The result of each season’s work is a theater production featuring all participants.
“We want our students to have a safe space and a brave space to express themselves with no limits or labels,” said Tonya Cobb, Papa Tank managing director. “Whatever makes you happy in the arts, you can come express that with us.”
Now a year after the launch of its pilot program, Papa Tank Theatre is officially a nonprofit organization. Elizabeth Cameron, Papa Tank’s creative director, has noticed both internal and external changes to the organization since clearing nonprofit status.
Cofounder Bryann Burgess and Managing Director Tonya Cobb sit for an interview with StoryCorps.
“It has a lot more validity. Enrollment has definitely gone up as word is beginning to get out,” she said. “It also makes me feel like I have a responsibility here, and I want to do my best but also be open to what comes along and letting some of this art just reveal itself.”
Burgess believes engaging with the arts is only one of the program’s benefits. Another, she said, is the empowering community that Papa Tank fosters.
“It feels like we all belong,” said Burgess. “What I love about the whole process is that everyone has a voice, and it needs to be heard every single day.”
Cofounders Bryann Burgess (left) and Larry Hembree receive accolades after the organization's production of "Lemonade."
During Papa Tank’s inaugural year, the board continues to search for another keystone to the program: mentors. These peers of all abilities will support any other student who might need it — whether it means running lines with them during rehearsals or joining them onstage during showtime.
“We’re looking for people with an openness to what could be and a curiosity to what will happen,” Cameron said. “You have to want to work with a population of children who have extra needs and to embrace what comes.”
As Papa Tank prepares to put on its spring show, an original work based on the words of the young poet Mattie Stepanek on June 8 and 9, Burgess looks forward to continuing to celebrate the achievements of the community that she has built. She plans to do so for years to come.
“Our students may have disabilities, but I look at them as amazing and unique abilities,” said Burgess. “They’re treasures, and we’re learning so much from them and their parents. We’re going on this journey together.”
