Have you ever played in a football game where you ran the wrong way with the ball, slipped and had your shoe come off, and tackled your own teammate?  One boy’s goodhearted look at his misadventures is among the 13 true stories and six songs that make up this evening of stories written by kids of different racial, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, performed by 3 professional adult actors and 1 musician.  The play includes amusing tales of snowboarding and an adventurous Halloween night, as well as more serious stories of a girl living in a homeless shelter and one who became disabled from a bout with cancer.  Two are presented using both English and Spanish.

WEAR YOUR PJs!  Audience members are invited to wear pajamas and join the company afterward for milk and cookies!

Colorado History steps off the page and onto the stage in this fast-paced look at kids’ lives in the early days of our state. Through this musical play, stories of African-American, Japanese, German, Italian, Mexican and Cheyenne children come to life. These tales recount how children of yesteryear overcame great odds and yet had fun in the still wild west. “Colorado Children” is engaging, educational and lots of fun!

“Colorado Children” is an engaging, innovative look at the lives of children in the early days of the state. History comes to life with music and stories that tell the tale of African-American, Japanese, German, Italian, Mexican and Italian children who worked and played hard in the Wild West.

Students who have seen the play say it is both entertaining and educational. Rayanna said she learned that “you can make friends (even if) somebody is different.” First-graders Ashley, Megan and Nitzel said they enjoyed the performance because it “brought the old west to life.” And Tricia said the most exciting part of Colorado Children was “how you guys use your imagination.”

Even in the midst of an economic recession we are still growing every year…

We performed 199 shows for the 2009-10 season, 11 more total shows than we booked in the 2008-09 season!

Performing 199 shows this past season also means that we reached 58,033 kids in Elementary schools all over the Denver Metro area this year! This number is up from the 56,289 kids who saw our show during our 2008-09 season.

We booked more shows and reached more kids in elementary schools than we ever have! And we are on track to increase those numbers in our 2010-11 season!

For information about how to get Imagination Makers to perform at your school, please contact our Program Manager, Jessica Clare at jessica@imaginationmakers.org.

Now it’s time to gear up for next season with one popular favorite coming back and one BRAND NEW play created entirely from student writing!

Check out the descriptions of these shows:

COLORADO CHILDREN

Multi-Cultural and Colorado History Themes

Available November-December 2010

Colorado history steps off the page and onto the stage in this fast paced look at kids’ lives in the early days of our state. Stories of African-American, Japanese, German, Italian, Mexican and Cheyenne children come to life, engaging students of all ages. Young people will find a deeper appreciation for 21^st century comforts after seeing the true life experiences of these 19th century children. From the difficulty of working in a coal mine to support their families, to the adventure of a day when the teacher failed to show up for school, audiences will get a peek at many facets of life in old Colorado. These tales recount how children of yesteryear overcame great odds and yet had fun in the still wild west. Lively toe-tapping music of the era moves the play from one great story to the next. This respectful reflection on the lives of Colorado children is based on oral histories and memoirs from the Colorado Historical Society, C.U. Boulder’s Norlin Library, and the Carnegie Branch Library.

Colorado Children is educational, empowering and lots of fun!

LOST AND FOUND

Diversity and Literacy Themes

Available February 2011

There is a bin or a storage room in every school that is heaped with lost items—many of these things have stories behind them—both amusing and painful.  The play Lost and Found will tell the tales of possessions gone missing and what they represent, from finding an i-pod that was dropped in the snow to the loss of a best friend.

The company will stage anecdotes from a wide range of different author viewpoints, including children of different racial, socio-economic, and geographic backgrounds as well as those with disabilities. This new musical play helps kids know they are not alone in the transformational pain of loss as well as helping them celebrate the joy of unearthing a misplaced treasure!

A copy of our play “One Life, Two Cultures” is now available for download! You will be able to view the performance anytime, anywhere!

Please click here to download your copy of “One Life, Two Cultures” now!

Also available here is a copy of our Parent Activity Guide. Designed as supplemental material for the play “One Life, Two Cultures”, our Parent Activity guide will evoke conversation and learning between you and your child. The guide includes activities and discussion topics designed for children in grades K-5 and is fun for the whole family to participate in!

Please come in your pajamas and enjoy the milk and cookie reception after the show!

For a summary of the play please click HERE!

To download a performance of “One Life, Two Cultures” or a copy of our parent activity guide please click HERE!