Imagination Theater's Go Green!
All of Imagination Theater's participatory programs improve communities and enhance public health by empowering audiences as agents of change.
When I started with Imagination Theater as an actor, I was drawn to our shows' simple message that actions have consequences. This message encouraged audience members to think before they act and positively affect their community.
The success of Imagination Theater's mission inspired me; however, it also posed a challenge. I wondered, how can our format encourage positive choices when the benefit of those choices is not readily perceptible?
To answer that question, I extended Imagination Theater's mission to a social issue that is often overwhelming in its complexity: environmental stewardship.
Simple choices, like reusing a cup, turning off a light, or recycling a newspaper, make a difference for the environment that is not felt right away (and is sometimes never experienced by the individuals that make those choices). Just the same, those actions are immeasurably beneficial for plants, animals, and humans alike.
Go Green celebrates the small steps that every student can take. It reveals how we are connected to our world, and how by respecting the environment we respect ourselves.
The first performances of Go Green in Chicago were a huge success! Through humor and interaction, audience members took pride in taking shorter showers, recycling, and reducing needless packaging. They discovered ways to support the earth and learned the value of a positive choice that is not promptly rewarded.
I am tremendously proud of this performance, and I am glad that Imagination Theater offers it as a way to celebrate Earth Day!
As always, you can find more information about all of Imagination Theater's programs at www.imaginationtheater.org.
—Jeremy Schaefer
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