PJ brings enthusiasm and energy to Imagination Theater and the students we serve.
Welcome to Imagination Theater’s blog, Behind the Curtain, where members of our professional ensemble give you a glimpse of the work they do and what it means to them. To kick things off, we invited one of our newest ensemble members, PJ, to share some of his first impressions. You can learn more about PJ and the other members of our professional ensemble here.
As someone who put traditional theatre in my back pocket in pursuit of the more comedic route, working with Imagination Theater has made me realize once again why both traditional and experimental forms of theatre are not only fun, but also educational. It has been very rewarding going to the schools to present these complex topics in a way the children can relate.
The added bonus is seeing how enthusiastic the students are when it comes to expressing their opinions. There are literally some students hopping over each other with excitement to share how they can edit the “situation” for a positive outcome. It warms my heart knowing we have people at a young age who want to champion things like consent, empathy, and sympathy. I am learning that Forum Theatre can open doors for all ages.
Bringing that to the classroom has been a rewarding journey as well! This fall, on Mondays, Imagination Theater conducted a residency at Kimball Middle School in Elgin to help students understand conflict and how to resolve it. Through games like “Statue” and “Machine,” students learned how to work with each other to complete an objective. In the process, they sometimes ran into conflict with each other, which cued Cosmo—another ensemble member—and myself to give them the opportunity to discuss how they could overcome this to succeed. This allowed for empathy to enter this space, as well as creative problem-solving skills.
Now that I have been introduced to this style of theatre, I am loving the outcome so much that I am now concerning myself with how this can be brought to adults who may struggle with some of the topics we present. The past few months working with Imagination Theater have been enlightening and very fruitful. I am excited to work with more schools and to see how students respond to the works that we are creating.
