A unique artistic treat for special kids

"I had never imagined that Yueyue, who is extremely shy, was capable of doing that," she says.

"It's up to us parents to offer our children an environment like the one that has been created by Bamboozle. We need to respect who they are and give them space to explore and engage."

Bamboozle has even had an impact on people who have never caught their shows.

Since its inception, the theater has actively engaged with special education schools across China to help train teachers.

Wang Ying, the principal of Shanghai Pudong School of Special Education, recalled that the school's first encounter with Bamboozle was through its World War II-inspired production Down to Earth. Wang says that the teachers, students and parents were so captivated with the show that they lingered outside the theater to discuss how they could introduce theater into the school's curriculum.

After nearly two years of preparation, during which the school's teachers took training classes and workshops, some of which were conducted by Wish of Starfish, the school started its own theater class earlier this year.

"After two months of trials, the changes in our students are obvious," says Wang. "The theater class has given them a new platform for communication and imagination, which we used to consider impossible."

As part of Wish of Starfish, Bamboozle granted SCHAT the license to perform Down to Earth and The Tempest. Because of this, the theater can now deliver Down to Earth in Chinese. This Chinese version has been staged at special schools in Shanghai to more than 100 students since last September. The Chinese version of The Tempest will make its debut later this year.

Davies says that Bamboozle has been keen on sharing their methodology as the company believes that it can help many children in the country who suffer from learning disabilities. He pointed out that the number of autistic children in China alone amounts to about 2 million.

"Even if we present four shows a day, we'd need more than 200 years to reach every one of these autistic kids," he says.

"But we believe our methodology is a great tool that adds to teachers' existing toolkit. The more people we can share it with, the better."

Contact the writer at linshujuan@chinadaily.com.cn