About InterActing
What we do
InterActing is a nonprofit organization for young people with autism ages 12 through 25. Through improvisational theater, we encourage our participants to let go of their routines and rituals so that they can move with greater security and confidence in the ever-changing world.
Improvisation is a form of theater without a script. Yet it is based on a number of strategies that can be very helpful in increasing social flexibility: from being able to respond quickly to each other’s ideas, to responding to the other’s acted emotions.
At InterActing, our participants gain valuable experiences that help them move forward in life. And just as important: they also have a lot of fun together!
Why we do it
Saskia Maas, director of InterActing, saw that her autistic son Aidan had an insane brain but couldn’t handle everyday surprises well. Together with Pim Donkersloot, educator and owner of Child Center, she founded theater school InterActing in 2018. Where young people with autism learn to improvise, make friendships and build self-confidence. Our participants learn that the unexpected is less exciting than they think, allowing them to better handle unplanned situations.
When you hit puberty, it is extra important to feel a sense of belonging. An autism spectrum disorder can make this extra difficult. That’s why InterActing focuses precisely on these vulnerable young people. After all, everyone wants to build friendships and a life that is also filled with having fun. Through our approach, we increase their flexibility, personal development and social participation.
“Sometimes they don’t dare say their name in the first lesson and by the end of the course they effortlessly tell me something about themselves. Then I think: Wow, what 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.
Here we use all kinds of varied exercises from improvisational theater that provide interaction between participants. Participants learn to listen to each other, build on each other’s ideas and create skits together. In improvisational theater, the basic principle of “Yes, and” is central. This means that what a fellow actor says is always true, and that you have to add something to it, which further grows the idea.
Respect, understanding and fun come out very well in this form of theater. It makes participants feel better about themselves and more comfortable in a society not geared to their brains.
Our Statutory Objectives
Conceive, develop and perform theatrical and improvisational programs, providing communication challenges for:
- teens and young adults with autism and/or other disabilities
- their parents, schools and educational institutions for this group of young people
We do this through the activities listed below: - Offering improv courses, a summer school program and trial classes to individual participants and schools.
- Increase awareness about autism and the opportunities our approach provides to increase the social participation of this specific group.
