Young audiences and their families will be captivated by two imaginative and inspirational productions when Imagine U returns for a new season. Imagine U is the nationally recognized producer of theater for young audiences at Northwestern University.
The 2022-23 season opens with "Me… Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall," Oct. 21 to Nov. 6, 2022, and will close with "The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats," Feb. 24 to Mar. 5, 2023. Performances take place at the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts on the Evanston Campus. Tickets for both performances are available now on the Wirtz Center Website.
"Me… Jane: The Dreams and Adventures of Young Jane Goodall"
Before she became a renowned humanitarian, conservationist and animal activist, Jane Goodall was a little girl with a special toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. In this musical adaptation directed by Northwestern theater professor Rives Collins, together Jane and Jubilee learn about the world around them and the importance of protecting all living species.
"Jane Goodall believes passionately that everybody can make a difference," Collins said.
"You don't have to change the entire world, but you can change your corner of it. And that starts with the difference that children can make."
"Me… Jane" was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was first produced by the Kennedy Center during the 2017-18 season. The play was adapted by Patrick McDonnell and Aaron Posner from the book by Patrick McDonnell, with music and lyrics by Andy Mitton. Imagine U's production will take place on the stage of the Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. "Me… Jane" is suitable for ages 5 and above.
Third-graders from Evanston/Skokie School District 65 will attend two special productions of "Me… Jane" as part of Northwestern's new community partnership with D65, Learn and Imagine Together Through Theater (LITTT). The partnership, announced in spring, is designed to make live theater more accessible to hundreds of young people.
A specialized sensory friendly performance of "Me… Jane" will take place on November 6, at 2 p.m. The performance, facilitated by SeeSaw Theater in collaboration with Imagine U, will provide a relaxed and safe environment for disabled audience members. This performance is open to all with an enhanced focus on theatrical accessibility.
"The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats"
In February, audiences are invited to enter a magical world created by famed children's book author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. Keats' stories and characters ultimately became the inspiration for the children's television show, "Sesame Street."
"A Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jack Keats" is packed with humor and fun and celebrates the joy in the small moments of a child's world, like the wonder of a fresh snowfall or whistling for the first time.
The Caldecott Award winning play is based on the book by Ezra Jack Keats and adapted for the stage by playwright Jerome Hairston. The Wirtz Center production is directed by assistant professor of instruction Detra Payne. The play takes place on the stage of the Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theater, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston.
"I saw myself in Peter, our little protagonist," Payne says. "I felt as a 3-year-old that I looked like him - I never recognized the gender of who this Black child was, I just knew I looked like Peter. Peter was me. Black boy representing an idyllic childhood is at the heart of this play, and I am honored to help lead the team bringing it to life."
"The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats" is suitable for ages 3 and above.
The Wirtz Center is a member of the Northwestern Arts Circle, which brings together film, humanities, literary arts, music, theater, dance and visual arts.
