Sharing a little laughter. .. making a big difference

The members of the lmprov Troupe have engaged in a special project to teach acting and improv to students from Don Guanella School, a school for boys with disabilities.

Nicole Klimas

managing editor

Standing in a circle, five young boys, smiling widely, throw an imaginary ball from one person to another, while an air of enthusiasm prevails. The game quickly changes to zip, zap, zop, a game in which one person starts off saying "zip" and points to another person who says "zap" and then points to a third person. The game continues until someone messes up.

Laughter fills the air as the boys joke with one another and applaud each other on their endeavors. The boys, ranging in age from IO to 17, are working with Cabrini's improv troupe and theater director, Neal Newman, to learn acting and improvisational skills.

The only thing different about these boys is the fact that they all attend Don Guanella, a school for boys with developmental disabilities, ranging from Attention Deficit Disorder to Down's Syndrome.

However, the boys do not let their disabilities stop them whatsoever. Each boy has his own unique personality that shines through in his perfor- mance. And they are all always willing to volunteer to act in any skit.

Nate Williams, 15, who loves the Wu-Tang Clan, does a variety of different voices and you never know which voice will come out when he is up on stage. He is very outgoing and is always up for the challenge of being first to perform.

Fourteen-year-old Aikeem Nobles is one of the shyer boys in the group, yet he always one of the first to burst into laughter.

Shawn Alston, the oldest in the group, is the obvious leader and seems to be the "big brother" of the group.

Michael Adams, 14, is also one of the quiet members of the group, yet when it comes to the acting and roleplaying, he is one of the more focused and perceptive members in the group.

The youngest member of the group, Brian Farbriaz, is shy yet eager to participate and it is obvious when looking at him that he loves to be there and enjoys the improvisational games that they play.

The program started years before when Chris Burke, the actor who played Corky on the television series

Life Goes On, was a student at the Don Guanella school. Burke got his first taste of acting through working with the improv troupe at Cabrini between 1980 and 1986. However, the program ended sometime thereafter.

After Burke was chosen to be the speaker at Cabrini Day on Nov. 5, Bob Nelly, the director of activities at the Don Guanella School, got in touch with Newman and campus minister Arlene Smith to restart the program this past fall.

According to Nelly, the improvisational skills that they learn during the lessons not only teach them how to act and improvise but also help them with their speech and memorization skills. The lessons also help to increase their self-esteem and self-confidence.

Newman agrees with Nelly that, through working with the improv troupe, the boys gain confidence and self-esteem as well as learn to interact better with other people. Newman also believes that improv gives the boys freedom and allows them to leave their disabilities behind for an hour.

Personally, Newman said that he too has learned a lot from his experiences working with the boys. He says that he has learned an enormous amount about the way people learn, and since each person learns differently, it has helped him to become a better teacher.

Right now, according to Newman, the program is still in its experimental stages. Newman said, however, that he hopes to get more members of the improv troupe involved in the program.

Newman also hopes to plan a public performance incorporating what the boys have learned and showcasing their new skills to the entire campus community.

\n-.,\er-. to hiograph~ quiz:

1. Mary Hill, administrative assistant of academic a.ffairs

2. Joan Kelly, secretary of faculty support services

3. Catherine Arnesen, secretary of faculty support services

4. Lourdes Barretto, coordinator of faculty support services

5. Gerri Bones