Good Luck Derek!

After three great seasons with us, Associate Artistic Director, Derek Czaplewski is stepping down to pursue other projects.  His presence in our office will be missed on Monday morning.

Derek came to us from HealthWorks Theatre, and brought that company's passion for health education with him.  To teach K-5 audiences about fitness and nutrition, he created Making Healthy Choices; he even facilitated its premier performance.  He continued the spirit of HealthWorks Theatre by creating Aware Individuals to promote HIV/AIDS awareness in high schools.  These programs expanded Imagination Theater's mission and provided schools with powerful tools to provoke vital conversations.

Outside of Imagination Theater, Derek has acted and directed with numerous companies around the city.  He can currently be seen as Farmer Brown in Lifeline Theatre's production of Click, Clack, Boo! (pictured below).

Both on stage and off, Imagination Theater wishes Derek the very best of luck!  We are grateful for his contributions over the past three years!

As always, you can learn more about Making Healthy Choices, Aware Individuals, or any of our other programs at www.imaginationtheater.org.

- Jeremy Schaefer

Red Ribbon Shows!

Imagination Theater was thrilled to celebrate Red Ribbon Week with Dorn Elementary!  An assembly of Ease the Tease is a great way to celebrate any school occasion!

See pictures from the show at the school's website!

http://www.npd117.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=9&ModuleInstanceID=440&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=4203&PageID=11

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

- Jeremy Schaefer

Blowitz-Ridgeway Grant

Imagination Theater has numerous partnerships that prevent price from impeding our mission of providing diverse audiences with original, dynamic, participatory, theatrical programming that enhances well-being and creates a more civil, safe society.

We've been fortunate enough to build long, lasting relationships with both individual donors and granting organizations.  One of our consistent supporters, who has renewed their support for this year, is The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation.

Using the proceeds from the 1984 sale of Chicago's Ridgeway Hospital, The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation continues to serve Illinois in the noble spirit of that hospital.

The funds provided to Imagination Theater are supplemental funds intended to relieve myriad schools and senior care centers of the financial burden that comes with enrichment performances.

Organizations requiring financial support to bring shows like  Ease the Tease to elementary students or  Senior Spotlight to seniors communities, are welcome to apply to have their cost cut in half by The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation.

We are immensely pleased to extend this opportunity to sites throughout Illinois.  If cost has been prohibitive in the past, please contact us to apply for these funds.  If further support is required, Imagination Theater will see what we can do on our end to complement the Blowitz-Ridgeway funding.

As always, you can visit www.imaginationtheater.org to learn more about the programming Imagination Theater provides and The Blowitz-Rideway Foundation support

—Jeremy Schaefer