Christine Rouse
Founder & Executive Director,
Acting Without Boundaries

Dreams do come true.

Thanks to Christine Rouse, that is. Rouse is the Founder and Executive Director of Acting Without Boundaries, an organization that provides opportunities for young actors with disabilities to take to the stage and, quite simply, make their dreams come true.

Rouse, a lifelong theater enthusiast, founded Acting Without Boundaries in 2004—just two years after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from St. Joseph’s University. Receiving a Catholic education was nothing new to Rouse, however. She’d been a mainstay in the system her entire life, beginning with Ss. Colman-John Neumann Elementary and continuing through Villa Maria Academy.

Rouse credits Catholic education with shaping her into the person she is today. In her own words, “I am grateful to have learned the importance of helping and serving others.”

Evidently, she learned that lesson quite effectively. Her dedication and commitment to Acting Without Boundaries has been boundless. The year-round program, which provides an open forum for the creative and artistic expression of actors with physical disabilities, succeeds on multiple levels. For one thing, Acting Without Boundaries allows these actors, ages 11 to 30, with the opportunity to pursue their love of theater. It also gives them the opportunity to perform while simultaneously building their belief in themselves and their abilities.

In November 2006, as a result of the program’s success, Rouse founded Acting Without Boundaries, Jr., a similar program for children ages 4 to 11 with disabilities.

In addition to her duties for Acting Without Boundaries, Rouse serves as the Executive Director of Kids are Kids, an educational disabled awareness workshop she created in 1991.

Rouse has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1994 Presidential Award from the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, presented by Governor Ed Rendell for her steadfast dedication to educating children about disabilities. She is also the recipient of a grant from the New York-based “Do Something Organization” to fund her “Kids are Kids” workbook.

Thanks to her strong foundation in Catholic education, Rouse is fulfilling a personal promise: helping others to make their dreams come true. 

Schools Attended:

Ss. Colman-John Neumann Elementary School – 1989

Villa Maria
Academy – 1993