A box full of props

New theatre class geared toward children with special needs

“Something we all do naturally is play,” is the mantra Hoboken teacher Michele Traina has in mind as she prepares to launch a new class for children with special needs as part of her theatre company Propbox Players.
The idea came to Traina when her daughter, Grace, began to show signs of cognitive, social, and communicative delays in 2013 when she was a baby. “They were red flags for autism and so we had to pay close attention,” recalled Traina.
She couldn’t help thinking about all the challenges faced by children with special needs.
Autism Speaks, a global organization working to treat autism and help researchers addressing it, names among the challenges of the disorder an inability to grasp the “big picture,” difficulty perceiving another’s emotional state, and sensory integration “where input may register distorted.”

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“Eventually I would like to offer classes and performances for children to adults with special needs who can use theatre, dance, and creative writing as an outlet for emotional, artistic, and academic growth.” – Michele Traina
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A year after her initial fears, therapy began. Grace, now 3, was tutored into “normal functioning range.”
Now, Traina plans to pay it forward.
“[My] series of Theatrical Movement Classes for children with special needs ages 3-5 will incorporate dramatic play with movement to enhance social, cognitive, and communication, and gross motor skills,” she said.
The same year Traina’s daughter began to show potential signs of autism, she launched a theatre company. She was driven to start her company to offer theatre to everyone, regardless of background or level of ability.
On Monday, April 4, Propbox Players will hold an information session at Celebrate Life Studio from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. To sign up for the class visit www.propboxplayers.wordpress.com/.

Propbox Players

The four-week class, incorporating low-focus movement exercises and soft music, is intended to facilitate an easier transition into theatre for those developmentally challenged.
“A strong emphasis with these classes and future performances will be placed on diverse learners or children with special needs to help them learn, grow, and improve in an area they may be delayed in,” said Traina, who was born and lives in Clifton.
The theatre company and classes has been a long time coming for Traina. She studied theatre at the Adelphi University and received her master’s in education at New York University.
Throughout her career, she has also toured with the Omaha Theatre Company and the Hampton Stage Company, performing and teaching musical theatre.
Before coming to Hoboken in 2015, she taught at the now-defunct Emily Fisher Charter School in Trenton.
Down the line, she hopes to expand her series, which she plans to teach out of the Celebrate Life Studio at 1200 Park Ave. in Hoboken.
“Eventually I would like to offer classes and performances for children to adults with special needs who can use theatre, dance, and creative writing as an outlet for emotional, artistic, and academic growth,” she said.

Steven Rodas can be reached at srodas@hudsonreporter.com.

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