New Blog

Behind the Scenes with The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe: Part 1

February 1st, 2012 by admin

Over the next five months, we are excited to take you “Behind the Scenes” by sharing with you video updates about the creative process of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. The videos will focus on different aspects of the production, from music and choreography to set design and puppetry. Our first video update focuses on the development week during early January at The Washington Ballet studios. Click “Read More” to view the video.

Tags: Artistic Director, Creative Community, Dance, Digital Media, Musical Theatre, Professional Theatre

An Old Tale Set to a New Beat

January 31st, 2012 by admin

This fun and informative piece comes from Arthur T. Wilson of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where P.Nokio: a Hip-Hop Musical will be touring after it closes at Imagination Stage on March 11. This piece gives an in-depth look at Psalmayne 24 (writer/director/actor), his work, and why the classic tale of Pinnochio lends itself to a Hip-Hop inspired remix.

Tags: Artists, Creative Community, Dance, Musical Theatre, Professional Theatre

Kids Say the Darndest Things: Performing for an Early Childhood Audience

January 11th, 2012 by admin

I am extremely fortunate to have –and grateful for—the experience to help create, and perform in, some of our My first Imagination Stage productions (specifically for ages 1-5). When I was asked to write a blog about my experience as Amelia Mouse in Mouse on the Move, the first thing that came to mind was the wonderful, and often funny things, I hear from our youngest patrons on a day-to-day basis. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite early childhood theatre stories.

Tags: Artists, Early Childhood, Professional Theatre

Dr. Dolittle Review

December 27th, 2011 by admin

I enter the theater at Imagination Stage and simultaneously enter another world. An unfamiliar music pours over me. It is a man’s voice singing of war. My surroundings resemble those of musty, cluttered barracks. Before the show has started, men appear on stage and start going about what seems to be their daily routine. I have never seen this done before and found it enticing, as if to say “We are not going to wait until the play begins to start telling the story.”

Tags: Creative Community, Musical Theatre, Professional Theatre, Student Spotlight

Running Sound for Dr. Dolittle: Sound Effects, Music Cues, Microphones, and More!

December 19th, 2011 by admin

When I accepted the Institutional Development apprenticeship at Imagination Stage I was not quite sure what to expect. I knew that I would be working in both the Marketing and Development departments, providing support for a wide variety of projects, but I had no idea that I would learn so much or gain this much experience in just four short months.

Tags: Musical Theatre, Professional Theatre

Animal Grossology: For Both the Kid, and the Kid Inside All of Us

December 16th, 2011 by admin

Animal Grossology at the National Geographic Museum is so much more than what its name implies. The exhibits range from the truly gross to the exceptionally fun and interactive. As soon as I walked through the door I wished I had brought my great-great-niece and two of my best friends. It is truly a show for borth the kid and the adult with the kid inside.

Tags: Creative Community, Education, Managing Director

The Performing Arts Give Kids a Community

December 15th, 2011 by admin

I’d like to share a common theme in my conversations with Imagination Stage families, a theme which I relate to personally. I hear frequently from parents that being in an acting or dance class has had a positive impact on their child. Many parents talk of how it has brought their child out of his/her shell, helped develop empathy, provided more confidence, or even—as one parent shared—given her and her teenage daughter a common interest to talk about. When I hear these comments and watch our students grow their theatre skills, I remember how theatre has also changed my life.

Tags: Classes, Creative Community, Education, Teen Programs

Journies in the Classroom and On-Stage: The Conservatory Ensembles

December 1st, 2011 by admin

How fitting that the themes for both plays selected for this year’s Conservatory Program graduation shows center around a journey, as the productions themselves mark the end of an amazing journey for all the actors involved.

Tags: Classes, Student Spotlight, Teen Programs

Go Behind-the-Scenes with the Dr. Dolittle Cast!

November 21st, 2011 by admin

A special video interview with all seven cast members of our upcoming show, Dr. Dolittle, running November 22-January 8.

Tags: Artists, Digital Media, Musical Theatre, Professional Theatre

Dr. Dolittle: Make Believe in an Unlikely Setting

November 17th, 2011 by admin

At the Holiday Season, when most of us have the good fortune to gather as families and to count our blessings, let us also remember the extraordinary power of creativity and its special value in times of adversity. It is the one human attribute that allows us to rise above life’s set-backs and to envision a better future.

This season’s holiday offering at Imagination Stage, Dr. Dolittle, focuses on the creativity of Hugh Lofting, who invented his fanciful stories of high adventure and exotic beasts while mired in a muddy trench on the Western Front in 1917. The play suggests that he rallied his men by creating a world of make believe and telling a story full of laughter, song, and puppetry.

Tags: Artistic Director, Musical Theatre, Professional Theatre