Jody Wood had thought that he had done all there was to offer in the world of acting.
Over 30 years, he had done theater, television, and films, but then his journey took an unexpected turn. A new path had been paved that led him to take improvisational theater and turn it into something that would forever change the lives of those of all ages within the special needs community.
SKIT, or Special Kind of Improvisational Theater, is a project that allows for people of all backgrounds with intellectual and developmental disabilities to flourish.
Few may have thought that something like improvisational theater could have such a tremendous impact on the lives of people with these disabilities. Many also questioned why Wood would have chosen improvisation of all things.
In a TedTalk Wood, SKIT’s founder and director, said how many might think that improvisation is a joke and is only used to make people laugh.
“It’s all improv and it’s all pretty funny…I know it sounded like an interesting way to improve social skills and to interact with other people in a fun way,” said Susan Myers, mother of Alex Myers, who has been going to SKIT for around 5 years, via a phone interview. She expressed how Alex would not want to go to classes, because they made him laugh so hard to the point where he could not breathe.
While this is not entirely false, he found that it is capable of so much more. Through improvisational techniques, people are able to learn eye contact, how to listen and focus, build communication skills, collaborate with others, and learn social skills. He says the most important thing about improvisation is that it nourishes creativity and growth. It allows a person to voice themselves and be heard, and for their ideas to be expanded upon.
“Improvisation reaches people very deeply,” Wood said in a recent interview. It allows people to feel alive and allows them to realize that they can do more than they ever imagined.
Myers says that SKIT has taught Alex to be patient and wait for other people to have their turns. “It gives him the opportunity to interact with people of all different places in life and learn that no matter your diagnosis, we are all just people having a good time,” she said.
Alex talks about how self doubt can go away during improvisation and the creative part takes over.
Wood truly believes that SKIT does change lives for the better. After all, “We are all human beings and we are all in this thing together. We all have something to offer, and I don’t care what your disability is. We focus on the ability, not the disability. The ability and what you are capable of even if you don’t realize it yet,” Wood said.
He says that through these programs, students learn to adapt, be on their toes and become used to change.
“Change happens in life and you have to adapt. You got to be ready, and improv training does that as well,” Wood said.
Before SKIT was created, Wood was an improvisational actor who did improv comedy acting with Groundlings East and Gotham City Improv in New York for many years. During down times as actors, they as a group would do these team building workshops for universities or organizations all around the country.
They used improvisational theater techniques to aid in team building, communication, innovation, and collaboration. He thought to himself that this just might work for anybody.
Wood came back from Hollywood in 2004, and eventually started his own acting program called JW Actors Studio in Princeton. There, his students took the skills they used in acting classes and improv, and used them for life, regardless of occupation.
“It’s all about listening and being there for your partner. Experiencing the joy of communication and building on ideas and all of that stuff,” Wood said.
Wood had a young man in his class who was kind of shy at first and he really started to blossom in school and in life. His father, Mark Ruger, told Wood that he could not believe the positive differences he saw in his son within the last year. He also had an older son with autism, and asked if Wood had any programs or would create one for people on the spectrum or in the special needs community, regardless of what their diagnosis was.
“Oh my gosh. It was like a light went on for me,” Wood said.
Around 2018 or 2019, the SKIT program began to take form. Wood holds a variety of classes throughout the course of the week, such as SKIT communication, advanced communication, improv troupe, songwriting, and a comedy improv class.
Wood also occasionally hosts private sessions with some of his students per request, or if they want to work on something in particular. Currently, their writing lab is working on short stories about overcoming obstacles within their own lives.
Wood invites all to attend, and some of his students come on a regular basis. Each session is around 90 minutes long, but can sometimes end up being about two hours. He said he is willing to adapt session lengths for those who suggest it if needed.
Wood describes what a student’s experience is normally like when one first joins the SKIT program.
“When beginning classes, you walk into a class and you don’t know anyone and you’re nervous. Improv scares the heck out of people and they think they are gonna make a fool out of themselves. ‘People are gonna laugh at me and judge me,’” he said.
He talks about how he first wants to get rid of this fear within his students, and let them know that this is a safe space for them to express themselves.
“By the end it’s a completely different atmosphere,” he said.
Myers said that at first, Alex was reluctant to go. “Not only because of autism and ADHD, but because in general teenagers don’t want to leave the house,” she said.
Once she got him to SKIT, she would see that within five minutes he would be laughing and having a great time. It takes time for the students to get comfortable, but once they do, they learn to enjoy themselves.
“Being there, you can see that change as the weeks and months go by. You can see them changing and coming out of their shell,” Myers said.
Wood said he makes sure that his students recognize that they have something to offer no matter what, and that nothing is wrong in improvisation.
Ever since Wood started this program, he has said, “My God, I have never done anything like this in my life that has been this rewarding.”
He emphasizes how much of an impact SKIT has on not only his students, but himself, his life, and his career.
“It’s a give and take. It fulfills our lives tremendously,” Wood said. The skills that the students learn in this program are ones that will help them for life.
Wood, until recently a Hopewell resident, today lives in Lambertville. As of late, he has put his acting career on pause. He has been primarily dedicating his time to SKIT and wants it to grow and expand.
He is one of eight kids and grew up in an Irish Catholic household in Staten Island. Wood said that there were great acting opportunities where he grew up. He has two grown children, Lucy Wood and Joe Wood. Lucy Wood works alongside him as a teacher at SKIT, while Joe works as an architect in San Diego.
SKIT has ongoing classes right now that anyone is welcome to join at any time. They are also working on a summer program, which they are planning to begin on July 5. It will be held Tuesday through Friday, and they will have morning and afternoon sessions.
Wood said that SKIT would not be possible without not only the students, but the dedication of those who put their heart and soul into keeping this program running smoothly and cleanly. Atiba Page runs SKIT’s Workplace Communication classes. Eric Hammitt runs the Intro to Communication and Social Skills class, along with an improv comedy class.
Lucy Wood is director of sales and social media. She also runs the SKIT Advanced Communication Skills class and lends her musical expertise by running their Song on the Spot class.
Lastly, Wood said, is SKIT’s incredible “behind the scenes” man, Marc Caponi, who runs most of the business end of things.
More information is available online at the SKIT website, skitprograms.com. For those who wish to call regarding interest in SKIT programs and classes, the phone number is (609) 240-7080. Classes are held in Pennington and Beverly.
SKIT students Vinny DeStefano, Jason Newbury and Alex Myers take part in a collaborative exercise called “Three Headed Expert.”,
