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under the OAKS
Theater Company Offers
Autistic Students a Chance to ‘Inter-Act’
Tucked into a corner, alone, a young girl spent two
months watching her fellow students play games,
stumble through tongue twisters and make faces. She
watched them get dressed up and recite lines. She
watched them work together. Then one day, “Julia”
walked over and joined the group.
Kim Furness ’96 says she was “blown away” when
that happened, but she has begun to expect extraordinary
things from these special students. They have
autism, a developmental disorder often characterized
by socially inappropriate behavior, communication
problems and withdrawal. Participating in an acting
class is probably the last thing most people would
expect of them.
Yet these students make believers of all who see
them. They first came together two years ago when a
Quad Cities speech pathologist contacted Furness—
owner of Curtainbox Theatre Company—about
starting a drama therapy class. The subject of several
ongoing research projects, drama therapy has been
hailed as potentially helpful in improving communication
and social skills for autistic students.
“These kids really connect with each other,”
Furness said. “The parents are like, ‘They’ve got
friends now!’ One parent said, ‘My son would never
initiate conversations with me, but he does now. His
confidence and comfort have improved so much.’”
Furness’ autism class is one of several acting classes
offered by her company. She said working with her
autistic students gives her a special sense of purpose
and joy. “This class helps a wonderful group of kids
feel like they fit in, sometimes for the first time in
their lives,” she said. “It’s really important.”
Furness caps the classes at eight
to ten students per term, and the
company has never made enough
money to pay Furness a salary. By the
middle of 2011, she wasn’t sure she
could continue the programs.
Then, luck struck. First, Furness
won $30,000 from an Iowa Lottery
scratch-off ticket. Next, she won a
$7,500 gift from Royal Neighbors of
America for writing an essay about
her company. Finally, she won a
chance to make commercials for
Denver Mattress Company by writing
an essay about how much she loved
her new mattress.
“The cash infusion has been wonderful,”
she said. “It will help keep the
company afloat for another year.”
For her autistic students and their
families, it’s a dream come true. “Our parents see
these kids as a blessing,” she said. “But you know
their hearts are breaking too. They want their kids to
feel like they belong. When you see a child like ‘Julia’
standing on stage, costumed, delivering her lines to
an audience, you see that dream is possible.”
—Susan Flansburg
For more information about Curtainbox Theatre Company, visit
sau.edu/scene
“This class helps a
wonderful group
of kids feel like they
fit in, sometimes
for the first time in
their lives.”
—KIM FURNESS ’96
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