Friday, August 31, 2012

On The Road

One of the many attributes that make Imagination Theater unique is our gleefully nomadic ensemble.  All of our shows are performed in schools, libraries and community organizations that are often many miles away from our office.

As the marketing director, I'm often back in the office working the phones while our actors are performing.  My favorite days are the days I head out to a performance site and surprise the cast by joining the audience.  These shows are why I'm here, and it's a pleasure to see them in action.

When we're exceptionally busy, like the past few weeks, and our facilitators our scattered around the country, I get to step into the facilitator's role and see the show from our actors' point of view.

I started with Imagination Theater as an actor, and I continue to perform in the evenings with a number of companies.  So, sure, I love being on the stage.  An Imagination Theater show, however, is unlike any other stage.  Our shows make connections and memories, provoke laughter and discussion, excite and encourage.  As a performer it's an incredible rush to pull an audience member on stage and coach them through a scenario, or lead a discussion about a challenging topic.

After performing a run of shows, I'm even more invigorated by our performances, even more proud of our performers, and even more inspired by our audience!

As always, if you want to learn more about our programs, you can visit www.imaginationtheater.org.

-Jeremy Schaefer

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Radio Disney!


People who work in social issues theater, love talking about it!

We at Imagination Theater are no different.  Executive Artistic Director, Steve Leaver, and myself were thrilled when we were invited by Radio Disney's 'In Tune', to come on air and talk about all things Imagination Theater.  We also had the opportunity to talk a little about Justin Beiber!

We had a great time in the studio with DJ Angela sharing our passion for Imagination Theater along with some of our most memorable moments spreading our company's mission.

You can hear the whole interview here.

As always, you can find more information about Imagination Theater at www.imaginationtheater.org.

- Jeremy Schaefer

Friday, August 17, 2012

Trains, Planes and Automobiles!

We are on the move!

The tail end of August is always a very, very busy time for Imagination Theater!  This August is even busier than usual because we have reworked, rewritten and rehearsed a brand new program for college orientation.  This new version of COLLEGE 101 is all set to hit the ground running!

In two short weeks we'll be making two separate trips to Iowa, three separate trips to the east coast, and our first trip to Cleveland!  That's in addition, of course, to a slew of local performances.

As an artist, it's incredibly rewarding to create something new and share it with diverse audiences right away!  The scenes look fantastic, the new facilitation is as challenging as it is relevant, and our new ensemble members are visibly passionate about the work. 

COLLEGE 101 is the official kick off to our new season.  If this is the beginning, we can't wait to see where else we go.

As always, you can learn more about Imagination Theater at www.imaginationtheater.org.

- Jeremy Schaefer