LU and Beaumont Community Players foster communication growth through theater

Since its inception in 2017, the InterACT program has been a cornerstone of Beaumont Community Players' summer Kidmunity theater training program. This initiative offers children with atypical language and social development the chance to shine as actors, while also serving as a vital learning platform for graduate students from Lamar University's Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences.

InterACT integrates LU's speech-language pathology graduate students, within an interprofessional team of performing arts teachers.

"Several graduate students in speech-language pathology are assigned each summer to this as a clinical practicum to practice supporting communication and providing language enrichment," Assistant Professor of Speech Language Pathology Dr. Karen Saar said.

Participants in InterACT practice daily for four weeks, culminating in a live theater performance. This experience is enriching not only for the children, but also for LU's graduate clinicians.

This year's play, "The Inclusion League," is set in the Neuroverse, where the heroes harness extraordinary abilities and their unique strengths to combat fear and misunderstanding. The play delivers a powerful message of unity and celebrates the diversity of the human experience, inviting audiences to visit the Neuroverse, where differences are celebrated as sources of strength.

"Due to the private nature of our work, we rarely get to share details of our daily efforts and successes," Saar noted. "This gives us a really special chance to share a sliver of what we are about with families and friends. It is also an irreplaceable opportunity to connect with these children and celebrate their success."

In addition to the clinical practicum, the program includes a course that bridges theory and practice, aligning academic learning with the creative demands of theater. This year, the program expanded to include undergraduate students, fostering collaboration across different levels of education.

"We are thrilled to have three undergraduate students joining us for a special 'problems and projects' course this year," Saar said. "It has been fun integrating undergraduate and graduate students and seeing the magic of collaboration that comes out of different experiences and expectations they bring to this."

Mary Wernig, a participating undergraduate student, highlighted the program's holistic approach and hands-on experience.

"We are the ones facilitating activities that promote all the skills we're trying to instill through this activity," Wernig explained. "We do activities that involve perspective taking, self-advocacy, emotional understanding, and regulation. These are activities that we are doing with the kids on a daily basis, and they don't realize that they're learning and growing. They just think they're having fun."

Wernig also emphasized the evidence-based foundation of the program.

"There's a lot of evidence-based studies that we have reviewed and gone through that support that what we're doing is actually really beneficial for them, not just in a theatrical environment, but in their daily lives."

One of the undergraduates, sophomore Ella Gonzalez, shared her personal journey with InterACT. Having joined the program as a peer mentor at the age of nine, Gonzalez found her passion for speech-language pathology through her early experiences. As a peer mentor, Gonzalez played a significant role by interacting with the students, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment.

"When I was a peer mentor, Dr. Karen told me that I had a knack for this, and taking theater, which is something that I've always really loved, and using it to help people who otherwise wouldn't have that opportunity is so important to me," Gonzalez said. "I have people with disabilities in my family, and I think it's just amazing that we extend the opportunity to everybody."

Graduate student Sarah Eccles reflected on the collaborative and immersive nature of the program.

"I have worked with a similar population before, but it's been cool to not only get to work with the kids, but also the peers that are there to act as a model because sometimes, as a kid, you don't want to respond to an adult; you just would rather hear something from someone closer to your age," Eccles said. "There's also just working with the other clinicians and using teamwork and collaboration which has been a huge learning experience because you see approaches to problems that you may have never thought of."

Eccles also highlighted the collective growth experienced throughout the program.

"Seeing everyone contribute in their own way and seeing how they've grown each week has been the coolest part because everyone from the clinicians to the kids and peer mentors are taking something new away from the experience every day."

InterACT continues to thrive as a vital and enriching program, demonstrating the profound impact of combining clinical practice with creative expression. It's a testament to the power of collaboration and the potential for growth when education and community engagement come together.

Performances will be held on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased online at https://www.beaumontstages.com/.

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