April is Autism Awareness month, but Jacqueline Russell, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Children’s Theater, celebrates the “mind-blowing” creativity of theater and drama students on the autism spectrum every day.

“Their ideas are just … very mind-blowing and really exciting,” Ms. Russell said. “You have to wait for it. You have to be patient. And, those breakthroughs do come where ideas can often be … spectacularly unique.”

Ms. Russell and the Red Kite Project, a series of programs at Chicago Children’s Theater, have been serving students with autism for more than ten years.  The Red Kite Project offers multi-sensory, interactive performances called Red Kite Adventures; in-school drama residencies in the Chicago school district; a 3-week summer camp and sensory-friendly performances.

Access is central to the mission at Chicago Children’s Theater.  In addition to the Red Kite Project, Chicago Children’s Theater offers wheelchair access, ASL interpreting and open captioning, touch tours, and audio description.

Ms. Russell began working with students with autism in a self-contained classroom in Chicago in 1997, where she visited once a week to engage students in drama games.  She was supported by special education teachers who wanted more arts in their classrooms and could see the positive impact it had on students.

Communication and self-expression are key, according to Ms. Russell, to why theater programs for children with autism are both successful and increasingly popular.  She believes that theater artists are naturally wonderful, expressive communicators whereas communication and expression can difficult for some children on the autism spectrum.

Working with theater artists helps them strengthen and engage those skills.  And, Ms. Russell adds, as theater artists, “We know how to make it fun!”

Children who participate in the Red Kite Project have the opportunity to explore drama games and activities and see theatrical productions.  Chicago Children’s Theater offers sensory friendly performances to provide access for children on the autism spectrum to a more typical, traditional theater experience.

Multi-sensory, immersive experiences, on the other hand, are crafted from inception specifically for an audience of youth on the spectrum and their caregivers.  Rather than a focus on elements such as plot, multi-sensory, interactive performances strive to offer audience members opportunities to immerse themselves in richly built moments that completely engage all the senses.

One of the challenges of producing a multi-sensory, immersive production is educating audiences on what to expect.

It can be difficult to imagine what the performance will be like if you’ve never experienced one.  Audiences are invited to engage in the performance in whatever way is most meaningful to them; to dive into the sensory moment and surrender to it.

“For the kids on the spectrum that whole piece might really be about feeling…the fanning of a Chinese fan or looking at the changing color of lights,” Ms. Russell said. “We have a piece right now, Red Kite Green Mountain where … we simulate the northern lights.”

“For some kids, lying there and looking at those changing lights is just very beautiful sensory moment … It might not relate to anything else for them, it doesn’t remind them of anything, it’s just something that they find maybe calming or soothing.”

Ms. Russell has applied the concepts she uses in the Red Kite performances to other productions as well.

Chicago Children’s Theater recently produced X Marks the Spot, based on Ms. Russell’s work with students who are blind or have low vision and was produced for general audiences.

“People were very surprised that you would have a performance where you would experience by tasting and smelling – some people had very emotional responses,” Ms. Russell said.

Red Kite Project’s programs serve a small audience, but in a very profound way.

Rather than measuring program success by markers such as numbers of participants, the Red Kite Project created other assessment markers, such as level of participation and the child’s enjoyment.  Ms. Russell stresses that it’s important not to undervalue these markers, and instead, to realize the fundamental importance of pleasure, joy and fun.

The field has grown considerably since the Red Kite Project began.  Ms. Russell adds that it’s exciting that many educators are now incorporating drama into their day to day curriculum.

“There was always a hope… that arts in the classroom would really infuse the entire curriculum,” Ms. Russell said. “We know that these tools and strategies can help us learn anything.”

Structure and repetition are key strategies for success for educators who are just beginning to incorporate drama into the curriculum, according to Ms. Russell.  It has been her experience that some students need more time to connect to drama games, and it’s important to give them that time through repetition.

She suggests further that no drama experience is necessary; you can begin with any simple child’s game  to work on interpersonal engagement and reading visual cues.

Red Kite Project offers workshops for special education teachers and teaching artists on using drama to enhance communication skills for children on the autism spectrum.  They also tour the immersive, multi-sensory Red Kite Adventures nationally. Ms. Russell invites anyone with an interest in their work to reach out to the Red Kite Project at [email protected].

“You can be doing this work yourself,” Ms. Russell said. “There are enough artists and people with a passion to serve this population. … Every community should have access to a theater arts program for their children on the spectrum.”