Sleeping Giants Theater works with autistic children in Calgary

Cochrane's Sleeping Giants Theater offers a special drama class for people who may be on the autism spectrum.

Sleeping Giants managing director Jenny Austin said it would be a “perfect environment to learn new skills, be creative and meet new friends”.

“There's a lot of freedom in drama class to be creative, to add your own experiences,” she said.

Participants will experience drama from the ground up – creating characters, writing a play, designing costumes and performing the finished product.

The first step is to brainstorm ideas that will later become a conversation.

“They build the world the characters live in, and then they come up with the adventure they go on,” Austin said.

Most of his students are between 12 and 18 years old.

Austin said he doesn't teach the class himself, but his instructors shared a story that caught his attention.

“They created a monster by accident. This is very funny. It makes a mushroom. His name is Jeffrey,” she said with a laugh.

The Autism and Aspergers Friendly Society of Calgary (AAFS) approached Austin about putting on a drama program last year.

Brittany Novak is the Interim AAFS Program Coordinator.

She says the two staff members who work with the drama class at Cochrane love her.

“They're really excited to be a part of it, and the parents are excited to reach out to me and be able to do something like this,” she said.

Contrary to some stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood, people on the autism spectrum are certainly less creative than non-spectrum people.

Novak agreed with that description: some are, some aren't.

“It changes a lot,” he said. “Everyone is different. We have a lot of creative people, but for some people, it's not necessarily their jam.

“The people who sign up for this are very creative, that's for sure. And it's a comfortable place for them to express themselves.”

“They're also with people on the spectrum where they can safely experience friendships as well as the passion they love,” Novak added.

Novak encouraged anyone interested in the program, even those who want to know the fate of Jeffrey, to watch the final production.

Classes are held on Fridays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Frank Wills Hall and conclude when the school year ends at the end of June.

Interested participants can contact Novak at 587-834-3408.

More information is available on the AAFS website: aafscalgary.com or the Sleeping Giants Theater website: sleepinggiantstheatre.com.