Blind Norwin High School student portrays Rafiki in 'The Lion King Jr.'

An avid “Lion King” fan, Angelina Angelcyk was thrilled when she was selected to play Rafiki the baboon in the Geyer Performing Arts Center’s production of “The Lion King Jr.”

Angelcyk, a rising senior at Norwin High School, has listened to the movie countless times on VHS tape and attended the show live at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center in 2019.

Despite her enthusiasm for the show, Angelcyk was hesitant to audition for the Scottdale production. Born blind, she worried she would not be given the same opportunity to audition as her seeing counterparts.

One phone call with Geyer director and choreographer Kellie Wilson convinced her to give it a shot.

“(Kellie) was like, “What does that matter? Just come on out and audition,’” recalled Angelcyk of North Huntingdon.

After seeing Angelcyk’s vocal talent, Wilson knew she had found her Rafiki.

“We heard her singing, and we wanted to use her ability,” Wilson said. “She is Rafiki because she earned that spot.”

Although Angelcyk remembered several of her lines from attending the Benedum Center’s production, she nailed them down by listening to the show and hearing Wilson recite them in rehearsal. The director verbally explained the choreography, prompting Angelcyk to take two steps forward when she feels the curtain open and moving Angelcyk’s hands to teach her the arm motions.

While ascending Pride Rock in the production, Angelcyk counts her steps to know when she has reached the top. She often carries a wooden staff or relies on two of her cast mates — portraying rams — to guide her onstage.

With shows coming up Thursday through Sunday, Angelcyk said any fear she may have had is outweighed by her gratitude for the opportunity to perform.

“That’s why I’m very happy with Geyer — they actually gave me a chance and they showed that my talent and my musical and acting ability was more important than ‘the cute little blind girl with the disability,’” she said.

Apart from “The Lion King Jr.,” Angelcyk has had one theater experience through the Norwin Middle School theater club’s production of “Shrek Jr.” in 2019. When she auditioned, directors expressed concern for Angelcyk’s safety on stage and they assigned her an offstage narrator role with a few lines.

“I felt very sad. I felt very let down. I was very disappointed,” Angelcyk said. “Theater should be more of an experience than this. They shouldn’t do this all because they’re afraid I’m going to get hurt.”

Through her Rafiki performance, Angelcyk said she hopes to foster a “higher expectation for people who are blind.”

Angelcyk’s mom, Emily Gindlesperger, said she is excited for her daughter to have a positive theater experience and flex her acting muscles.

“As soon as (people) know she’s blind, the expectation just hits the floor and they don’t think she can even order her own food at a restaurant,” Gindlesperger said. “She persevered through ‘Shrek’ and did a great job with the role she had there, but … it wasn’t a fulfillment of her skill base. … Her lack of vision has never been a burden at (Geyer).”

Angelcyk expects to take a break from theater during the academic year to focus on her education, but she hopes to audition for other public theater shows. After high school, she plans to take website development and computer programming classes at the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center so she can make websites more accessible for the visually impaired.