In 1962, actresses Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft won Academy Awards for their performances as Helen Keller, a child who is deaf and blind, and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, in "The Miracle Worker."

Both women were obviously great in their respective roles, but there is one scene in the film that may have won Duke and Bancroft these acting accolades. And for every film or play rendition of the film, it is the scene that shows the acting chops of any women revising these roles.

During the first half of the play (and the film), Sullivan, who has been hired by the Keller family to "help" Helen, has locked the kitchen door and attempts to discipline the child for her spoiled behavior.

Helen continues to throw food and kitchen items across the room, ignoring her teacher completely as they both fight for control in this situation. Any parent can recall a similar situation with a two-year-old, one who was cute and cuddly and sometimes sweet. But that is not Helen. She's old enough to know better had her parents treated her "as they would any seeing child," Sullivan reminds them.

The scene must be nailed by the two women for the rest of the "Miracle Worker" to be a success. Helen must turn the audience from pitying her to empathizing with Sullivan and this isn't an easy feat given her disabilities.

In the Muncie Civic Theatre rendition of "The Miracle Worker," Paige Cooper performs the role of Helen Keller in the above mentioned scene and throughout the rest of the play stupendously. It must be difficult for any seeing and hearing child to play the role of Keller without it seeming corny or silly or "just pretend." To perform a role with no lines, and continue to stay in character, is more difficult than any audience member could know.

Paige pulls this off with great success.

Tonya Kunkel plays Annie Sullivan, the miracle worker who is finally able to teach a family to truly love their child and to give Helen the structure and respect any child needs. She gives a great performance between her terse interactions with Captain Keller, played by Jeff Shull, her endearing connections with Mrs. Keller, performed well by Antoinette Heard, and her slightly sexually tense confrontations with Helen's half-brother James, played wonderfully by Aaron Beal.

Kunkel, who is also on the play's set crew and costume crew, gave what I believe to be the best performance of the year so far at the Civic Theatre, not only because of the emotion and energy she gave to her role, but also for not overdoing it. Annie Sullivan is a woman with her own struggles, but who never falls victim to them. She is a woman with true grit, but who also shows more love for Helen than the others in the Keller home.

The potential is there for any woman playing Sullivan to be over-dramatic, seeking pity for herself.

Kunkel does no such thing. She is great.

The set design is great as well. The designers at Civic did a great job utilizing the space for the different scenes taking place simultaneously. Some may have thought the stage was too cluttered prior to the show beginning, but the rationale for the layout was clear when the play began.

Hopefully the quality of the performances, the set design, and the costumes are signs of even more great things to come at the Muncie Civic Theatre.

Based on "The Miracle Worker," it sure seems that way.