Imagination Stage wrapped up an eventful and celebratory 30th anniversary year on August 31, 2010. We were moved and inspired by the on-going support of so many in our community. Here are ten 2009-2010 highlights from various program areas:
1) Best. Gift. Ever.: In October, 2009 Carol and Jim Trawick announced a gift of $2.5M gift to retire the Imagination Stage construction debt!
2) A Great Honor: Michelle Obama was Honorary Chair of our 30th anniversary Gala in October, 2009.
3) Kudos for our Professional Theatre: Four 2010 Helen Hayes Award nominations, Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation Myth voted “Favorite Family Production” of 2009 by readers of DCTheatreScene.com; The Dancing Princesses named one of the top 11 musicals of the year by DCTheatreScene—the only theatre for young audiences show to make the list.
4) DCPS Contract: Our Imagination Quest (IQ) program began work with four DCPS elementary schools which were designated as Arts Integration Schools through the DCPS Catalyst Project. IQ directly reached 138 teachers and 450 students (and indirectly reached many more) through intensive professional development, in-classroom modeling sessions, and small-group lesson plan tutorial sessions.
5) Dance Evolution: our dance curriculum has been re-structured to best serve students who are interested in performance as well as those jazzed by skills-building and exploring a variety of styles.
6) Everybody Plays: during the academic year, our Arts Access department served 61 students with disabilities in inclusive settings (alongside typically developing peers), with an additional 36 students served in Arts Access and Deaf Access programs.
7) Gratifying Grants: The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Imagination Stage $10,000 to support Project X. an after-school drama program at White Oak and Argyle Middle Schools; The National Inclusion Project granted $15,000 to support inclusion efforts in 2010 summer camps; Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County awarded Imagination Stage a $25,000 Advancement Grant to increase our technology efficiencies.
For our Youngest Audience: a New Generations grant from Theatre Communications Group helped fund development and production of Wake Up, Brother Bear! our home-grown highly interactive hit for ages 2-5.
9) She’s the Top: Founder/Executive Director Bonnie Fogel was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record.
10) The Buck Stops Here: 31 Trustees, led by Board President Mark Richardson of Transwestern, ensured fiscal and legal oversight.
11) And one lowlight: we had to close for a record 10.5 of days because of winter blizzards and summer power outages. Silver lining: generous donors helped defray those losses with donations in the amount of $17,730.
Tags: Access and Inclusion, Creative Community, Early Childhood, Executive Director, The Dancing Princesses
