Grant Applicant: Whole World Improv - The X Group

The feature below is brought to you by Whole World Improv - The X Group, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here.

To learn more about Whole World Improv- The X Group, please visit their website: here.

A Beautiful Legacy Celebrating Differences.

As I sit here thinking of the best way to articulate all of the wonderful ways in which our program sees and creates beauty, I cannot feel but slightly overwhelmed yet abundantly grateful.  Before diving into telling you all about The X Group, I first need to give you a little backstory.

A couple of years ago, I met a fantastic human being who went by the name of Andy Jones. Andy, an actor as well as a special needs advocate and educator, was the founder of The Exceptional Student Group. He specialized in mentorship and advocacy for those in the differences community, using theatre as one of his many tools. Based on my skill set and personal experiences, Andy wanted me to work with him in teaching improv to kids and teens with autism, ADHD, and other differences to help teach social skills and emotional expression. 

After a little while, it became apparent that I was the Spock to his Captain Kirk, and we truly enjoyed working with each other. I had also become his cat advisor after he adopted his first kitten in which he had named June Carter Cats.  Unfortunately, Andy passed away unexpectedly. I became the new parent to Andy's cat, and his family asked me to continue his legacy.

It can be a scary thing to fill someone else's shoes while simultaneously processing the grief you feel from losing that same person. When Andy and I taught improv together, we kept hearing from the parents that this was the first thing that their child or teen had been excited about aside from video games. When parents heard the news of Andy's death, the first questions that came to mind were, "But was about improv?  What about the students?" It became abundantly clear that this program needed to continue in some sort of capacity.

I was unable to take over all of Andy's weekday residencies, but I had the ability to keep his weekend program running. Fortunately, Whole World Improv, the location in which Andy and I taught together, saved the day in many ways. This organization offered for me to continue teaching classes on Saturdays while also providing marketing and additional improv instructors for support. These instructors would go through additional training to have the proper tools to serve the differences population.

After a couple of months of shutting down, on April 14th of 2018, we were back in business under a name that paid homage to Andy while also establishing a new identity, The X Group.  Originally, we had 5 kids and teens combined in one class. Now we have two separate class programs for both he kids and teens with 12 students and counting.

One of the major aspects of working with those in the differences community is that in order to help ensure success for them, it takes a village full of passionate individuals to help nurture, challenge, and support. This village can be comprised of parents, educators, activists, friends, therapists, doctors, nurses, coaches, mentors, artists, and animals. The X Group is one facet of this village.

We get to provide hands-on experience in creating a safe space where kids and teens get to succeed and fail when it comes to navigating different situations both on and off the stage. We get to provide a place where they can build upon their creative and innovative gifts for comedic expression. We get to provide a training ground as well as playground. Kinetic learning can be a beautiful thing when it comes to reinforcing concepts that are being learned in school, home, or therapy.  

While we want to encourage our students to become accomplished improvisers, we ultimately want to create beauty through the building of strong and thriving relationships. A few weeks ago, we had our first showcase for the parents.  (As a side note, the parents play an instrumental part in keeping this program going. This program has had its ups and downs, and they have been nothing but accepting and patient throughout this entire process.)

We planned on having a pizza party afterward the showcase to celebrate the Holidays. While everyone did an amazing job in the showcase, what ultimately meant the world to me and the other instructors was the fact that during the party, the students just enjoyed each other while the talked of pizza and Pokémon. That is what makes this program so incredibly special. Seeing the growth of an ensemble of individuals with unique differences making lasting connections.

I must add that another aspect of our group that is truly beautiful is that it is full of parents and students from all walks of life that have grown to become family connected by neurodiversity. While the instructors and myself teach classes, the parents gather in the lobby area of the theatre to exchange information and offer support whenever needed. I am constantly blown away by how our parents demonstrate inclusivity in such a welcoming and thoughtful way. On an even deeper level, our students are constantly being challenged in learning these lessons by the addition of new students whose minds work vastly different from their own. Learning how to be open to everyone's perspectives also plays a vital part as to why everyone involved is passionate about the X Group.

On a final note, I want to strongly emphasize that this would not have been possible had our own village not come together to rebuild after suffering such a loss. It has been an honor to be a part of something that is truly beautiful and equally resilient. Thank you so much to the students. To the parents. To the instructors. To Whole World. And to most of all...Andy.

P.S. His cat is doing great.     

Written by:

Bethany Rowe, Lead Instructor of the X Group