Theatre Horizon, a professional theatre company located twenty minutes from Center City Philadelphia, returns this September with their celebrated Autism Drama Program for both children and adults, part of the company’s Education division which was recently nominated for a Victory Foundation Award for Outstanding Theatre Education Program. The Fall 2017 session, which runs September 23 through October 28, 2017, is offering a special “pay what you can” tuition for interested students.
Using a variety of dramatic techniques, Theatre Horizon’s Autism Drama Program inspires imagination, communication, and interest in personal relationships for individuals on the autism spectrum. The classes help students develop social skills, verbal expression, empathy for others, a sense of self worth and accomplishment. Class size is limited to provide a small student to teacher ratio.
The company is offering two special programs this Fall 2017:
Youth Drama (Saturdays 10AM-11AM, 9/23-10/28): This class, which is designed for students age 10-16+, provides individuals the ability to learn flexible thinking and value social skills through improv games and creative play in an environment that celebrates their unique talents.
Storytelling and the Art of Playwriting (Saturdays 11:30AM-1PM, 9/23-10/28): This class, a collaboration between Theatre Horizon and Philadelphia Young Playwrights designed for students age 17-30+, introduces participants to the fundamentals of storytelling, helping writers and actors develop the skills necessary to communicate their ideas effectively. Class focuses on story structuring, building suspense, conveying emotion, and using voice and body to add layers to the audience’s experience. Through improv games and writing exercises, participants learn to create strong characters, rich dialogue, and engaging story-lines. Class culminates in a showcase of participants’ work.
Both courses offer a special “pay what you can” tuition scale. The true cost to run the Autism Drama Program is $180 per student. Thanks to funding from individual donors and foundations, Theatre Horizon can make the program accessible to all families regardless of household income by offering sliding scale tuition. The company asks that families pay what they feel they can afford on a scale from $65-$180. Interested students and their families should visit theatrehorizon.org for more information or to register.
