Northwestern University’s Center for Audiology, Speech, Language and Learning (NUCASLL) in the School of Communication is launching a series of free public workshops using improvisation to help young people who stutter. The series, titled “Break the Blocks,” was successfully piloted last year and is expanding this fall.
“Break the Blocks” is facilitated by Elisha Boxer Magnifico, assistant clinical professor and speech-language pathologist, and David Catlin, head of acting for Northwestern’s Department of Theatre. The workshops are designed for people ages 12 to 18, with assistance from a team of graduate and undergraduate students.
During the 90-minute sessions, participants engage in various improv scenarios. They take turns acting and talking in front of each other, building off each other’s confidence. New for the fall workshops, parents and guardians are offered a separate space nearby to share their own stories and offer support to one another.
Magnifico says the goal is to create an environment where each participant is encouraged but not required to take chances.
“We want to break down the blocks and the walls of communication that some of the improvisers might feel in their everyday life,” Magnifico said. “We want them to be able to stutter confidently and not have it be a negative thing.”
Catlin, who is also a founding ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company, uses his theater experience and love for improv to lead the group through games and activities.
“That ability to feel like you’ve helped make a difference in a young person’s life through storytelling, through the act of theater; that you’ve made someone else’s world a little better makes your own world a lot better,” Catlin said. “It’s energizing as an artist to see somebody be that brave and that willing to take a risk.”
The National Stuttering Association reports that about 1% of the global population has this speech disorder. An estimated 5% or more children go through periods of stuttering. Stuttering often coincides with language development in preschool-age children when their motor system cannot keep up with language expansion. For those who do not outgrow it, stuttering can lead to teasing, bullying, social isolation, emotional distress, and eroded self-confidence as they age.
The series consists of four weekly workshops held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays – Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Oct. 28., Nov. 4 at Wirtz Center for Performing Arts on Northwestern’s Evanston campus. Space is limited; registration is required by emailing NUCASLL@northwestern.edu or calling 847-491-3165.
Journalists interested in learning more or attending should contact Stephen Lewis at stephen.j.lewis@northwestern.edu