A Note From The Artistic Director

"There is no place I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there you'll be free." – Roald Dahl

It seems fitting in a year where two of master imaginator, Roald Dahl's stories make appearances on the schedule, that we take time to free our minds and explore the power of pure imagination – unfiltered and undiluted…and undoubtedly organic!

When was the last time you took advantage of your imagination? In an era of reality television, where we look to be entertained by real life, it's been some time since we put our thinking caps on for our own entertainment.

Today's youth spend much of their time in reality – from school work and sports to violin lessons and horseback-riding to homework and college-prep testing. We're spending so much time developing young minds that there isn't often a lot of time left for play. And, an important part of playing is imagining. Reality keeps us grounded. Imagination keeps us moving forward. It's the visionaries who imagined – John Lennon, J.F.K., Martin Luther King. Without their pure imagination, where would we be today?

Whether it's kids reversing the roles of parenting in How to Eat Like a Child, a small-fry of a tailor who thinks big in Brave Little Tailor or a magical carpet salesman who explains to Madeline that "sometimes, wonderful things can happen" when you think outside the box, each of the shows this season illuminates the power of unleashing one's imagination.

This season, we invite you to open your mind to the limitless possibilities that pure imagination presents. As Roald Dahl's Mr.Wonka tells his guests, "There's no knowing where we're going! There's no earthly way of knowing!" Save destinations for the everyday – real vacations begin when you have no idea where you are.

Sound scary? You bet! But what a ride! So leave those GPS's at home and take a trip unlike any you've taken before. Maybe it's time, as Junie B Jones says, to "rearrange the world according to me!"

A wise grasshopper advises young James that "the only thing stopping this peach from rolling away right from the beginning is the thick stem attaching it to the tree. Break the stem and off we go!"

Break free and escape into the magical and mysterious world of pure imagination.

Mark Metzger
Managing Artistic Director

P.S. – There is one thing you won’t have to imagine this year: online tickets! New this season, patrons will be able to purchase tickets online, from the comfort of their own home. No more missed calls from the box office or standing in line on the day of the show! Talk about thinking outside the box…office!