Starlight Program Allows Kids to ‘Just Imagine’
Did you know that Starlight has a program called Just Imagine that brings a traveling, interactive theatre troupe of professional actors to hundreds of children at schools, community centers, and nonprofits each year? It’s one of our favorite ways to spend time with community partners and to showcase the magic of theatre to kids around the metro!
Recently, the Just Imagine team had the opportunity to perform with elementary kids from the African-Centered College Preparatory Academy. This was extra special because it is right down the street from Starlight—practically in our own backyard!
As kids were waiting to be picked up by their parents, they filed into ACCPA’s performing arts center. The Just Imagine actors always start with a couple questions for the audience: “Does anyone know what theatre is?” “Have you ever been to Starlight?” and “What do you think acting is?” This is a fun way to get kids out of their shells and ready to participate.
After the simple Q&A it was time to get up on our feet! The actors started with a game of mimicking. “As I raise my hand, you do the same! Let’s all streeeeeeetch to the left, now to the right.” Once they’re all warmed-up, it’s time for some audience participation! After asking for volunteers, one brave boy was designated to come up to the front of the audience to lead the crowd.
“It’s always our goal to get the kids who come to a Just Imagine performance up on stage with the actors,” said Community Engagement Manager Katherine Tolbert. “We want to show them just how fun theatre can be, helping to build their confidence and find their voice in front of an audience.”
Next, the actors got out their box of costumes to tell a full story through only pantomime! The actors all donned old-west gear and, without any words, told a story of love, betrayal, and loyalty in the wild west. There was a horse chase, a robbery, and high stakes throughout the story! After the play ended and the actors took their bows, the audience was asked if they could understand the story even with any words. This led right into a lesson on body language, and how you can tell a story with actions as well as words!
At this point in the program, every time the audience was asked for a participant you could see almost every hand shoot up to volunteer. While the kids might have started out a bit quiet, almost 30 minutes in, they were anything but. Laughing, squealing, volunteering, yelling answers, they were fully on board.
After the final scene, as the last kids filed out to wait on their parents, the exhausted actors finally sat down and to drink some water. They packed up their cowboy hats, superhero capes, fake microphones, wizard hats and backdrop, putting it all back in the containers it came in. It’s important that everything is back in its place, because they have another performance tomorrow!
Just Imagine is one of the most meaningful programs at Starlight. Through the support of generous program donors, these performances are completely free to community partners. They are the perfect example of living out Starlight’s mission: to connect our community through live arts experiences that entertain, inspire, and engage.