Imagination Stage hosted its 2013 gala, Stories Make the World Go ‘Round, chaired by Jane Fairweather and Susan Lacz, on Saturday, October 19. At the heart of the event is the power of storytelling, both in connecting individuals with one another and in helping everyone, child and adult alike, to embrace their own stories.
The Stories Make the World Go ‘Round Gala included pre-show cocktails and a silent auction, followed by an original performance by Imagination Stage students and professional actors, and a buffet reception provided by Ridgewells Catering.
“We want to show that kids get their identity from the arts, and that everyone has a story to tell,” explains Janet Stanford, Imagination Stage artistic director and the writer of the gala performance. “The arts encourage children to be the hero in their own lives.”
The performance, directed by Imagination Stage’s associate artistic director Kathryn Chase Bryer, included characters from the productions sharing the stage in the 2013-2014 professional theatre season, with Imagination Stage students portraying Lyle from Lyle the Crocodile and Cinderella from Cinderella: the Remix, among others.
Judith Viorst, a local author perhaps best known worldwide for her picture book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, was honored following the performance with the Imagination Award. Heralded by Stanford as the “ultimate storyteller,” Viorst is the author of Lulu and the Brontosaurus, as well as the musical adaptation that will kick off the upcoming professional theatre season at Imagination Stage.