What is InterActing
What we do
InterActing is a nonprofit theater for youth with autism ages 12 to 25. Through improvisational theater, we encourage our participants to let go of their routines and rituals to face the ever-changing world with confidence.
Improvisation is a form of theater without a script. Still, it’s built on a set of strategies that can be incredibly helpful in increasing social flexibility—from quickly responding to each other’s ideas to reacting to the acted emotions of others.
At InterActing, our participants gain valuable experiences that support them in life. And just as important: they have an incredible amount of fun together while doing it!
Why we do it
Saskia Maas, director of InterActing, saw that her autistic son Aidan had an incredible mind, but struggled with everyday surprises. Together with Pim Donkersloot, a pedagogue and owner of Child Center, she founded InterActing Theatre School in 2018 – a place where young people with autism learn to improvise, build friendships, and develop self-confidence. Our participants discover that the unexpected is less frightening than they thought, helping them better handle unplanned situations.
Adolescence is a time when feeling a sense of belonging becomes especially important. For those with an autism spectrum disorder, this can be particularly challenging. That’s why InterActing focuses specifically on these vulnerable young people. After all, everyone wants to build friendships and live a life filled with joy. Through our approach, we help increase their flexibility, personal growth, and participation in society.
“Sometimes, in the first lesson, they don’t even dare to say their name – and by the end of the course, they effortlessly share something about themselves. Then I think: Wow, what amazing progress!”– Saskia Maas, Director of InterActing
How we do it
InterActing has several activities in which young people can participate. We organize trial classes for new participants, a 12-week spring and fall course, and a 4-day summer school program.
In these sessions, we use a variety of improvisational theatre exercises that encourage interaction between participants. They learn to listen to one another, build on each other’s ideas, and create sketches together. At the heart of improvisational theatre is the principle of “Yes, and.” This means that whatever a fellow player says is always accepted as true, and you add something to it, allowing the idea to grow further.
This theatre form beautifully highlights respect, understanding, and fun. As a result, participants feel better about themselves and more at ease in a society that isn’t naturally tailored to their way of thinking.
Our Statutory Objectives
Creating, developing, and delivering theatre and improvisation programs that address communication challenges for:
- teens and young adults with autism and/or other disabilities
- their parents, schools, and educational institutions supporting this group of young people
We do this through the following activities: - Offering improvisation courses, a summer school program, and trial classes to individual participants and schools
- Increasing awareness about autism and the opportunities our approach offers to enhance the social participation of this specific group