For general questions or to book a performance
Joanne Seelig Lamparter
Artistic Director Education & Theatre For Change
Imagination Stage
Using theatre productions and educational workshops to bridge cultural divides and lift up underrepresented voices, Imagination Stage’s Theatre for Change program explores complex social justice issues to help build a new generation of compassionate, collaborative children who are capable of changing the world.
10 Seconds
This play by Miriam Gonzales and directed by LeeAnét Noble is based on conversations and discoveries from two years of workshops with police officers and young people ages (12-18). The piece was filmed in spring 2021 to offer a virtual tour of the show during the pandemic for audiences in the DC and Dallas regions. In November 2021, the live production premiered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library in Washington, DC, and will tour to schools and community centers in the coming years. All performances are accompanied by an audience workshop facilitated by a teaching artist, as well as a discussion guide.
For info on the live tour for Fall 2023, contact [email protected]
To receive a virtual 10 Seconds experience this Spring or Summer contact [email protected]
¡Óyeme!
This multifaceted initiative includes an intensive series of educational workshops for immigrant youths—offered through in-school and out-of-school-time programs—and Óyeme, the beautiful, an Imagination Stage-commissioned, touring production inspired by the experiences shared by the students who have participated in the workshops.
Enhancing the impact and engagement of the show is a range of resources, including a learning activity guide, a post-performance workshop for attendees, and professional development training for teachers.
For more information contact:
Hilda Lee Tijerina
Theatre for Change Coordinator
301-280-1688
The Youth and Police Partnership
Imagination Stage’s Youth and Police Partnership brings together young people and DC law enforcement officers to build trusting relationships and find common ground. Officers and youth use acting, improv, and visual art as a way to begin conversations around themes that are relevant to their lives and the communities they live and work in. Through this program, a space is provided for youth and officers to create art and share experiences that strengthen relationships and foster a community of trust and understanding that can be taken beyond the workshop.
Our lead partner is the DC Police Foundation; the project is supported by Wells Fargo, DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, and The Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.
Voices Beyond Bars
During the course of this three-month program co-facilitated with the Street Outreach Network team from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Imagination Stage offers weekly workshops that combine spoken word, writing, performance, and other activities.
The sessions, which allow participants to build such key skills as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving, take place at the county’s Correctional Facility in Boyd, Maryland. The first set of workshops launched in October 2019 and included 18 young men between the ages of 17 and 21.
Looking Ahead
Thanks to the support of the Multi Arts Program fund, we are developing a new play in collaboration with DC-area refugee youth throughout 2023. If you are interested in learning more, partnering, or supporting this work, contact:
Joanne Seelig Lamparter
Artistic Director-Education and Theatre for Change
301-280-1646
[email protected]
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