Our History
The Center for Applied Drama and Autism (CADA), was founded by Wendy Duke and Laura Valendza, who met at Miller South, Akron’s School for the Arts. Duke, the drama director, and Valendza, the intervention specialist who happened to be an actor, bonded over a love of Shakespeare and shared autistic students who were inexplicably drawn to the theatre program. They collaborated on creating an acting class for autistic and disabled children at Weathervane Playhouse, and over the years, developed a curriculum and process for working that inspires the growth and empowerment of diverse people on the autism spectrum through theatre-based programming.
Our Philosophy
Our goal is to meet our students where they are now, and without coercion, help them to recognize their own abilities and gifts through empowerment and making connections. We do not wish to change the uniqueness of each student, but rather help each one handle social and emotional situations that will occur throughout their lives.
We do this via individual and collaborative applied drama techniques such as theatre games, improvisation, role play, character study, voice and body work, mask work (commedia dell'arte), and Play Back Theatre. Additionally, we encourage creativity and originality through student created puppet plays, playwriting and video production. Visual art, dance and music are all key components in theatrical productions and give our students an opportunity to expand their artistic gifts and interests.
Throughout history, drama/theatre has not only been used to entertain, but also to create personal, emotional, and social awareness. Play (or "The Work," as we actors call it) is in itself an act of self discovery. How we move, speak, feel, connect, and act as a character draws on our understanding of ourselves and how we fit into the world around us. We can explore situations that frighten us through the safety of play-acting. We can become a different person who is confident and empowered, enabling us to face situations that baffle us. With time, we begin to realize these characters come from us. It can be through this realization that we develop the skill to enact situations for the stage and for real life.
The latest research in brain development in autistic people suggests that mirror neurons can serve to connect observations and actions, providing an intrinsic sense of self and other, a sense that is often overloaded or weak and unstable in persons with autism. Drama techniques may build and strengthen neural pathways.
Laura and Wendy are particularly grateful for the work of Lee R Chasen, a drama therapist and co-founder of Kid Esteem School in Long Island, NY. We have discovered great insights within both his books and have incorporated a number of his discoveries and techniques within our own work. Our other influences/teachers include (but are not limited to): Viola Spolin, Augusto Boal, Leonard Pitt, Faction of Fools, Chicago dell'Arte, Gale McNeely, James Slowiak & Jairo Cuesta of New World Performance Lab.
We thank James Slowiak and The Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture who provided us with a temporary home at the Balch Street Theatre and for providing fiduciary oversight as we worked toward obtaining our own non-profit status.
We would also like to thank Melanie Y.C. Pepe, and Weathervane Playhouse, who gave us the opportunity to develop our first workshop: "All the World's a Stage for Kids on the Spectrum."
Most of all, we are grateful to our students, past and present, who continue to inspire us as we discover the joy in playing silly games and creating funny characters together.