I had the joy of being invited to see Actionplay - in Action
- quite literally recently. It was for one of their AIMS workshops, which consists
of around twenty teens and young adults (13-22 years), on the autistic spectrum
(and related conditions), to come along and be part of a 90-minute drama-impro
workshop in central Manhattan. The goal of the workshop programme? To encourage
greater confidence and increase communication and social skills among
attendees.
Based in New York City, Actionplay is a non-profit dedicated
to providing children, teens, and adults on the autism spectrum and related
conditions equal access to education, arts and culture. Their programmes are
open to the general public, and involve creative learning environments,
professional development, and training modules to those on the spectrum to
experience the arts.
I’d been in touch with Aaron Feinstein, their Executive
Director and Founder, a few times and he suggested that the best way to see
what they get up to is to come along to one of their sessions. I couldn’t agree
more! So there I was, Sunday morning, getting off at Penn Street station and
strolling down to the mid-town rehearsal space, not quite knowing what to
expect… But intrigued and excited all the same.
Initially, I thought I’d be the ‘quiet observer’ on the periphery
- but could not have been more wrong. From the outset I was involved in the warm-up
tasks; completely out of my depth as I couldn’t remember the last time I’d even
expressed myself in terms of shapes, sounds and movement via my body. It really
took me away from my mind though; a place that I’m sure many adults can relate
living their lives from. The respite was astonishing. But more so was what was
going on around me: the teens and young adults’ enthusiasm and appetite for
getting involved. And then there was the talent! These kids were really good. I
also found them to be very respectful towards one another – listening well to each
other, being quiet when someone else was performing.
The tasks built up in momentum slowly, as the participants
got more into them. Music aided these exercises, with Gabriel Lit on the piano
entwining apt melodies with the movements. The activities were varied and
involved anything from passing a sound around the room in a circle, and adding
your own - to giving a 30-second pitch of their ideas for the future Actionplay
concert. This latter task was then followed up with the group being split into
two, and one idea being picked by each group – creating a five-minute rendition
of what the show could look like. Ideas were formulated and explored, people
were free to express themselves within the context of the exercises – and most
importantly; fun was had and there was a great sense of buoyancy.
And I know that this was all a direct reflection from Aaron
and his incredible team of staff and volunteers. There was approximately one
staff member to every two/three participants. What I noticed was how dedicated,
enthusiastic and compassionate they all were. They would turn up half an hour
before the session to ensure careful planning and addressing any updates, while
another half hour was given after the session to discuss any issues within the
session and to then wrap up and look forward to future sessions. The volunteers
came from all backgrounds including teaching and the arts, but the real thing
that stood them apart was their passion for accessibility to the arts and their
genuine desire to be helping these individuals in obtaining this.
What struck me the most was having this space and programme
available, full stop. These teens and young adults have a place to go where
they channel themselves, develop themselves and be with others on the spectrum
– and to ultimately do something that they enjoy.
It was wonderful and a true eye-opener to attend the
workshop. The most surreal thing was that I could tell that each and every
person wanted to be there, and there was this real tangible buzz of energy – a
great force of positivity, power and intent of creative endeavours. Amazing…
How did I feel after? Well I was quite exhausted and
exhilarated – and both in equal measures. Shattered because it was such an
intense period of high-intense activity, with different things happening all
around – but exhilarated because it was all so thrilling to witness. Exciting
in that there was this amazing opportunity for those on the spectrum to come
and be a part of – that they could be alongside staff and volunteers who are
tremendous, inclusive-centric and truly able to support them. How incredible 😊
A big thanks to Aaron and the team for letting me take part
in one of Actionplay’s workshops! Find out more about them on their website: http://actionplay.org/
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