our mission & History
Imagination Theatre is committed to providing a theater program for young children that sets the stage by inviting children to imagine with adults the endless possibilities of sharing and developing gifts and talents in a creative arts community. We celebrate learning and who our children and families are and who they will become.
Imagination Theatre was initially created in 1998 as a small arts curriculum focus for the children at Anew Dimension Child Enrichment Center, our early childhood education program based in Minneapolis. It was developed by the Artistic Director of IT, Mary Jennings. The goal was to develop a fun, unique and engaging first theater arts experience that supported the early language and critical listening skills of young children. Puppet marionettes became the primary storytellers in the original IT productions. The success and importance of the curriculum soon became clear, and Imagination Theatre expanded its outreach to the broader community, hosting audiences at The Playwright’s Center in Minneapolis.
In 2000, a gift from an anonymous donor enabled us to build our own theater space on site at Anew Dimension, designed with children in mind. The new onsite theater also supported new artistic goals. The scope and scale of our productions literally transformed to include life-sized marionettes, hand, and rod puppets and set designs that glow using a black light system. This significant development in our history also allowed for even greater community outreach. We hope to continue to gain momentum and growth welcoming more children, puppeteers and artists from our community.