This week Off the Cuff sat down with Julie Borouchoff, director of Milwaukee Public Theatre’s SuperStars Summer Arts Camp, a fun-filled two-week experience for young people (ages 4 and up) on the autism spectrum and their friends and family. Now in its sixth year, the camp will be held June 15-19 and 22-26 at St. Marcus School, 2215 N. Palmer St.
How was the idea for the SuperStars camp born?
I worked for MPS with special needs kids for 22 years and had a lot of one-on-one experiences with people on the spectrum. One of the reasons I wanted to start this camp was that I realized people on the spectrum can be very misunderstood and everybody’s different. Like they say, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” People on the spectrum have all different kinds of needs and ways that they communicate. I found myself shadowing a boy with autism and I knew nothing, so I did a lot of reading, I talked to parents and I felt that these kids really needed an outlet. I found that my theater background really brought out the best in kids that I worked with. It really gave them a way to express themselves and I thought, “Well wouldn’t it be cool if there was a camp?” I think the uniqueness about SuperStars is we welcome siblings and friends because a lot of times if you have a child on the spectrum, you take them one place and you take your other kid someplace else. So it’s like, how about bringing them both to the same place?
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What is a typical day like for a SuperStars camper?
The first week we work a lot on getting to know each other and feeling comfortable in the space. Every day of camp we have a sharing circle twice a day. It’s a restorative justice circle and we have an item that we pass around and only the person holding the item gets to speak and you can share anything that’s on your mind. We do that to make sure they have a voice. We have visual art every day to give them a way to use their hands. We have movement. We have drama—a lot of drama games. We talk about our voices. Some people are non-verbal so they find a different way to express themselves.
How would you describe the group dynamic?
We have people that come back every year, which is cool. It’s just a safe and fun place to feel good about yourself and to make friends and connect on whatever level you can connect.
We make a lot of accommodations for people, for whatever their need is. It’s such a broad range. We want all the kids to feel like they have a piece, they have a part, that they fit, that we all fit. And kindness is a huge part of our camp. Meanness or cliqueyness is not tolerated. Everybody needs to be treated with respect by each other.
What is one of your most significant or memorable experiences from the SuperStars camp?
Last year we did modern dance during the final presentation and a little girl who was 3 and really wanted very little to do with us—she hung out on the side, she was nonverbal, we had someone assigned to her at all times—wandered right up on stage into the dancing. She wanted to be part of it and they knew to accommodate to make that happen for her.
How can our readers get involved or support the program?
Call me. Call Milwaukee Public Theatre. We can always use support and volunteers to come in and help out with art projects and just to be there holding the group together.
To learn more about SuperStars and get involved, call 414-699-9013, email thesuperstarscamp@gmail.com or visit milwaukeepublictheatre.org/superstars.
