In this feature length documentary, award-winning filmmaker Kerry Shaw Brown spends two years following the efforts of Jacqueline Russell and Chicago Children's Theatre to create a new theatre initiative for children with austim and their families.
For more than a decade, Jacqui Russell has brought new teaching techniques to children with autism. As co-founder of the Chicago Children's Theatre, Russell's dream was to turn that knowledge and experience into multi-sensory live theatre shows specifically for children with autism. In her effort to bring it to life, she partnered with London's Oily Cart theatre which also had experience in working with children who had a variety of disabilities.
Together, they spent nearly a year developing and testing a new, immersive form of theatre, by teaming up with educators, actors, designers and doctors. But most importantly, with the children in the autism classes at Agassiz School in Chicago. The result was the first of it's kind production, which saw more than 300 children with autism, their families and caregivers experience the elusive joys of live theatre.
The film is now available for purcahse on Amazon.com.
