I wish that every single human being on this planet could have been at the Imagination Workshop rehearsal this evening. To say that it was exciting and hilarious and absolutely brilliant and wonderful is keeping it simple.
Our brand new Ravenswood program has been off and running since the middle of July, and next week is our last class. This was a pilot program- we were testing the waters to see how successful an in-house Imagination Workshop would be, and I have to say, I think it's going really well. It's different from the other Imagination Workshop classes because we recruited the clients and they are coming to our facilities, instead of having our facilitators go to other agencies. Thankfully, Ravenswood Presbyterian has been very supportive in our efforts to get this program off the ground, and the clients are having such a great time.
The amount of growth I've witnessed in the past 6 weeks is astounding. On the first day of class, Judith spent the final 30 minutes of the workshop with her head buried in her arms. Last week we had to use all sorts of tactics to get her to stay on stage, and this week, after a firm heads up, not only did she gladly join the rest of the group as we practiced screaming and fainting, she made one of the best stage entrances I think I've probably ever seen as she slid in on her belly, yelling all the way.
I've noticed developments in eye contact, motor skills, confidence, and all those obvious physical things, but what has been so exciting to me is their growth as actors and artists. Their energy and enthusiasm is through the roof, and their ability to listen to each other, be patient, and exhibit superior comedic timing has created a fascinating show.
"Elvis is Coming!" will be performed on Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00 pm at Ravenswood Presbyterian Church- 4300 N. Hermitage, Chicago. Admission is free and open to the public. Please call Still Point at 773-868-1700 for more information.
Seriously though. Come see this show. You will never see anything like it again. Not only that, but they are very proud of their work- and it's work that is worthy of a supportive audience.
tory.
