Jeremy Aldridge directs original musical "Beyond Sight" starring blind actor Robert Smith

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - April 14, 2014 - PRLog -- Blind actor Robert Smith and former U.S. Marine Ginger Lawrence head the cast of a new musical about a soldier who returns to the U.S. after losing his sight during combat. Jack Carter is a committed ROTC cadet driven to answer the call of duty in the wake of a catastrophic event. Blinded in Afghanistan, Jack returns home forever changed, forced to face the challenges of reintegrating into society without sight. Through all the darkness, will Jack be defined by his circumstance or can he find the hope and courage to live a successful and fulfilling life, Beyond Sight?

“Our source material was taken directly from the work CRE Outreach does with vets and the blind in the community and authentically portrays their experience,” explains CRE artistic director Greg Shane. “CRE has been working since 2007 to empower military veterans and the visually impaired through the performing arts, including our highly successful Theatre by the Blind program which performs at the Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica. With Beyond Sight we hope to launch a larger discussion about how we treat our veterans – and drive home the point that disabilities do not define who people are.”

“You can’t extinguish the human spirit,” says director Jeremy Aldridge. “That is the core of this show. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the macropolitics of our current wars, the individual stories of what many of our soldiers experience and overcome are inspiring.”

Beyond Sightopens on Friday, April 25, with performances on FridaysandSaturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundaysat 3 p.m. throughMay 25. Tickets are $30.The Stella Adler Theatre is located at 6773 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd Floor, Hollywood, CA 90028. Parking at the Jefferson Building (garage entrance on McCadden, 1 block East of Highland) is $5 with theater validation. For reservations and information, call (310) 902-8220 or go to www.creoutreach.org