Spectrum Laboratory & their film “Boys Don’t Wear Dresses” Honored by Los Angeles!

This October 18th, Spectrum Laboratory and our award-winning short film “Boys Don’t Wear Dresses” were honored by Los Angeles County and the city of West Hollywood at the 2023 Disability Awareness Month Awards!

Held by the city of West Hollywood’s Disabilities Advisory Board, the 25th annual awards ceremony took place at the We-Ho City Council Chambers. The ceremony included a presentation of four Disability Service Awards to individuals and organizations dedicated to advocacy on behalf of people living with disabilities.

Spec Labs took home the ceremony’s Media Award for its acclaimed short film, “Boys Don’t Wear Dresses.” The film, a coming-of-age fairytale which follows the experiences of an autistic, transgender artist, was written and inspired by the life of one of Spec Labs’ very own students, Aloni Schorin. Schorin accepted the award alongside the film’s director and Spec Labs’ co-founder, Jason Weissbrod. Check out their acceptance speech at the awards ceremony below!

This amazing honor included a plaque from the city of West Hollywood, and several certificates of recognition from the California State Legislature and Senate. A particularly touching note on the California State Legislature certificate extends “Deep respect and heartfelt admiration” to Spec Labs’ “unwavering commitment and service, of eight years, empowering [our] student artists by celebrating neurodiversity and inclusion in the arts,” especially through our short film, “Boys Don’t Wear Dresses.” The message goes on to say that Spec Labs’ consistent acts of kindness and generosity have made the state of California “a better place in which to work, live, and thrive.”

Spec Labs is so proud of its community and all those who worked on “Boys Don’t Wear Dresses,” especially its creator and inspiration, Aloni Schorin. We are so excited to announce that our award-winning film is now officially live on Youtube! You can watch the film and our awesome Spec Labs’ artists in action at this link.

Please watch and share the film with your friends, family, and loved ones, so that we can all celebrate the incredible work of our neurodiverse and autistic artists. We hope to have many more successes like this one under our belts in the future and cannot wait to see what comes next! A big thank you and congratulations to our Spec Labs' family!

Learn more about the film at: https://www.speclabs.org/boysdontweardresses

Spec-O-Ween This Sunday, October 29th!

Artwork by Super Cooper Berella

It's been a big week for Spec Labs with all hands-on deck for our Spec-O-Ween show this Sunday the 29th! That's right, our fangtastic event is just two days away! Make sure you're there to enjoy our Spec Bands' and Spec-ond City Players' special brew of Halloween themed tunes and sketches at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre. In case you've been living in a coffin for the past month and haven't gotten your tickets yet, get yours at www.speclabs.org before it's too late!

We're also selling limited-edition Spec-O-Ween posters signed by none other than SpongeBob SquarePants himself, Tom Kenny! There are only 30 of these wickedly cool posters available, so make sure to buy one before they sell out! Posters are available for purchase here.

We're thrilled to have Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas as our special guest performance for Spec-O-Ween. Tom Kenny and his 13-piece RocknSoul band are going to tear down the house with a ghoulishly good performance alongside our amazing Spec Labs artists. Watch the video below to check out the awesome shoutout Tom Kenny gave Spec-O-Ween!

If you're on pins and needles waiting for Sunday to arrive, check out our Spec-O-Ween blog for a behind the scenes look at what our artists have in store for the show. You can find our blog at www.speclabs.org/blog, or just scroll down to the previous post!

This week, Spec Labs was also featured on the news! The Spectrum News Channel did a segment on Spec Labs' artists and their preparation for this Sunday's Spec-O-Ween. Watch the video below to see what they had to say about our awesome artists!

It's going to be an unforgettable night full of tricks, treats, and everything Halloween! The party gets started at 6 pm and the performers take to the stage starting at 7 pm. Costumes are highly encouraged, especially if you want a chance at the costume contest's winning title! If you can, we also recommend carpooling to avoid any terror-inducing encounters when it comes to parking.

We are so excited to see you all there this Sunday! Spec-O-Ween is going to be a scream! ;)

Artwork by Super Cooper Berella

Spec-O-Ween on October 29th!

Art by Super Cooper Berella

Goblins and ghouls and ghosts, oh my! Get spooky this October 29th at Spec Labs’ frighteningly fun, Spec-O-Ween! Join us as we haunt the night with live performances by the Spec Bands and the Spec-ond City Players, featuring many talented neurodivergent and autistic artists, musicians, singers, actors, and comedians at Spec Labs! DJ Index (Lucas Salusky) will also be spinning some of your favorite Halloween tunes to get the audience pumped for the live performers.

Not to mention an exciting performance by our special musical guest, Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas! That's right, the voice of your favorite pineapple dwelling sea creature, Spongebob Squarepants, will be taking the stage with his RocknSoul party band! Their high energy 13-piece band is known for rock classics and raucous performances that are sure to get the crowd up on its feet. We're so honored to have Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas playing alongside our artists at Spec-O-Ween to celebrate the neurodiverse and autistic community! We can't wait to see what they have in store for us. Watch the video below to get a taste of what the band has to offer and check them out on Instagram @tomkennyandthehiseas to get pumped for their live performance at Spec-O-Ween!

This year we’re hosting our fan-favorite Halloween show at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood. The night will be nothing short of spooktacular with our awesome lineup of comedy, music, and costumes to die for!

It’s not Spec-O-Ween without some classic Halloween tunes courtesy of the Spec Bands. In preparation of this spooky spectacle, I took a trip to the bands’ NoHo rehearsal sessions to get a glimpse of what these magical artists were brewing up for the show. When I entered, the first Spec Band’s singers were honing their time warping harmonies. One at a time, each singer practiced finding their note to ensure wicked good vocals for the performance night. From there, the vibe turned psycho as the Spec Band rocked out a rendition of the Talking Heads’ iconic “Psycho Killer.” The band’s guitarist, Spencer, slayed several mind-blowing guitar riffs throughout the setlist, supported by the spellbinding talent of his fellow bandmates.

The freaks came out when the second Spec Band took to the stage with an extra spooky version of Rick James’ “Super Freak.” Lyric changes like “she’s a very freaky ghoul” turned this beloved funk jam into the perfect Halloween tribute. A little bit of saxophone, trombone, and some well-timed tambourine throughout the set added an extra oomph to the band’s sound. Towards the end of rehearsal, the conversation turned to choreography, as the band brainstormed ways they could liven up their spine-tingling set with dance moves. An impromptu dance lesson had the whole room shuffling side to side and clapping their hands along to the beat. The scene was infectious. Their dance moves and scary good vocals are sure to get the audience up on their feet and howling like the wolf!

From there, I headed over to the Spec-ond City Players rehearsals, where all our favorite monsters and slasher villains came out to play in some killer comedy sketches. The sketches have the perfect mix of horror and humor that is sure to have you splitting your sides. One sketch, a trick-or-treating adventure that turns nightmarish, was written by one of the Spec-ond City Player’s very own, Chelsea Darnell. The atmosphere was collaborative and fun, with each of the players getting to add their own personal touch to the characters they’re bringing to life. The best live comedy is all about comedic timing and audience engagement, both of which the Spec-ond City Players have in spades.

The Spec Bands and Spec-ond City Players will bounce off each other’s acts in a satisfying blend of Halloween-themed music and comedy. Add some Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas to the mix, and Spec-O-Ween is sure to be a night of mischief, magic, and lots of laughter that will keep your spirits lifted way past the witching hour.

Festivities start at 6 pm, giving you just enough time to stock up on candy before the show starts at 7 pm. Costumes are a must if you want to fit in at our Halloween bash. You might even get the chance to win our Spec-O-ween costume contest! So, dress to impress (or possess) and fight for your shot at the Spec-O-ween costume prize. Tickets are expected to sell out, so don’t miss out on your chance to party it up ghost style with our Spec Labs’ artists! Head over to speclabs.org or click on the flier below to secure your tickets for our Spec-O-Ween extravaganza--before it's too late!

Art by Amos Stillwell

We’re dying to see you there! ;)

-Michael Ware, Spectrum Laboratory