In toto, blind Dorothy thrilled with troupe

Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 8, 2006 at midnight

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Juliet Villa's dog, Deidra, does the seeing for the both of them, while the 20-year-old Villa, blind since birth, does the talking.

As Dorothy in The Wiz, Villa will be singing with Deidra by her side as Toto. Her choir director at St. Francis Cabrini recommended PHAMALy to her. She had only acted in high school musicals and had never heard of The Wiz.

"I was feeling extremely stupid, but that's OK," she says.

Working with PHAMALy was her first time being around a large group of disabled people. "The only times I have hung around other handicapped people was five weeks at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, and that was when I was 8," she says.

"It wasn't something I was used to, but I wasn't repelling it, not at all. It was definitely something I was a little bit worried about. Being with all these people who had all these special needs made me a little (nervous)."

She found a warm welcome, though. "It's a group of very wonderful people, and I'm not saying that just because," she says. "The director, (Steve) Wilson, is patient beyond all telling. I'm very glad to be working with people who are so professional, but at the same time they're very understanding."

Three years ago, Villa adopted Deidra, her first guide dog. They take care of each other - most recently when Deidra helped her win the role of Dorothy.

"Yeah, I had what it took!" she tells everyone. "The dog!"

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