Bowling Green theater looks to help those with Autism

BOWLING GREEN Ky.- Monday marked the first day of Theater Therapy Camp at the Phoenix Theater in Bowling Green, where kids diagnosed with Autism learn valuable skills.

To start off the day, the kids read through lines and received feedback from their instructors and friends. Some of the areas that are looked at include voice projection, eye contact, and emotion in reading the lines.

In addition, it’s also a way for  kids like, Billy DeLong,  to engage in social interaction before the big show.

“I’m excited that I can have new friends to talk with before it begins,” DeLong said with a big smile.

Lead instructor of the Theater Therapy Camp, Meaghan Ritchie, says the camp is a great way to help the kids realize their abilities.

“It gives them an opportunity to see that they’re not the only ones who struggle with these types of things. Last year was our first camp, and we actually had a student who gained the confidence to join our regular summer programming, and so a lot of times it just gives them that boost and that confidence to know that they are capable and able to do anything that any other kid is capable of,” Ritchie said.

As they develop those skills, they can branch out and change the world, one step at a time.

“This is truly a labor of love. For me to be able to interact with these kids and show them something that I love to do and seeing their reaction. They light up. If you give these kids a stage, they can change the world. They really can,” said Ritchie

The full performance will be on the last day of the Theater Therapy Camp on April 5 at 6 p.m.