About the Imagination Workshop

Imagination Workshop (IW) is a non-profit theater arts organization committed to using the unique power of the theater to provide life-changing artistic opportunities for the mentally ill, homeless veterans, senior citizens, and ‘at-risk’ young people. For more than 50 years, IW's programs have given marginalized individuals, who are frequently alienated and overlooked by society, a safe way to express themselves and gain insights that often help make their lives more successful. Through this program, IW enhances the dramatic skills of professional theater artists and expands the creative and emotional horizons of its participants.

The participants are mentored by specially trained theater professionals (playwrights, actors, and directors) in weekly, structured sessions. Under the guidance of the artists, the participants create characters and then work with each other to imagine storylines, improvise scenes, and experience the pleasure of genuine creation. Then, together – pro and novice – they perform the work on stage under the direction of a theater professional. Through this program, IW enhances the dramatic skills of several dozen professional artists and expands the creative and emotional horizons of eighty to one hundred participants annually.

 

WONDERFUL PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH US

 

Board of Directors

Les Zackler, M.D., Board Chair | Margaret Ladd Founding Artistic Director | Chip Bent, Treasurer | Curtis Graham, Esq. | Lyle Kessler, Co-Founder | Kathleen Coyne | Cindy Kludt | Nicholas Rowley

Staff

Jim McGrath, Executive Director| Gerald James, Christina Linhardt, & Marnie Olson, IW Playwriting Group Leaders | Luci Kwak Bradley, Special Events Coordinator

 

Our Supporters

Foundations who have supported IW in recent years include: Metabollic Studio | Annenberg Foundation | Parsons Foundation | Wells Fargo Foundation | Drown Foundation | Buntzman Foundation | Public Support has come from: National Endowment for the Arts | Los Angeles County Performing Arts Commission | City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department | California Arts Council | Parish, Shea & Boyle, LLP | Lewitt, Hackman, Shapiro, Marshall & Harlan | Daniel Balaban, Balaban & Spielberger, LLP

Senior Artists

Chip Bent | Gerald James | Lyle Kessler | Margaret Ladd | Jim McGrath | Christina Linhardt

Shadow Caster