The Risk Pays Off: Imagination Stage Received Two Helen Hayes Awards

At the 2013 Helen Hayes Awards, Imagination Stage was honored to receive two awards for The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Imagination Stage is extremely proud of this collaboration with The Washington Ballet, and though it was the riskiest production the organization has ever produced, it was also the highest grossing show in Imagination Stage’s history and broke attendance records. 

Imagination Stage received two awards at the 2013 Helen Hayes Awards: Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical and Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences.

“This is simply tremendous,” said Janet Stanford, Artistic Director of Imagination Stage and Director of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. “The opportunity to collaborate with The Washington Ballet gave us the chance to create a new theatrical language for the story. Dancers, actors, singers, and puppeteers combine their talents in our show to make a world on stage that was larger than life.”

Catherine Leggett, Montgomery County’s First Lady, presented the award for Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences. “We really honor the fact that Imagination Stage does so much for so many,” said Mrs. Leggett.

Imagination Stage is pleased that the community recognizes that Theatre for Young Audiences produces quality theatre, able to be nominated and awarded in categories historically only for theatre for adults. “It really speaks to our values as a community,” said Janet.

This award-winning production grew out of a partnership with The Washington Ballet and a desire to create a world premiere fusion of theatre, dance, and puppetry. In this groundbreaking collaboration, based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, the roles of the four children were played jointly by an actor and a dancer, and the courageous lion Aslan was portrayed by a larger-than-life size puppet operated by three actors/puppeteers, similar to the puppets used in the Broadway production War Horse. Imagination Stage and The Washington Ballet are in discussion about a second collaboration.

“The people of Imagination Stage brought us together so well,” said Rafael Cuesta, actor in the production, during a post-award interview. Michael John Casey, another cast member, agreed by saying, “There was a dynamic that set in almost immediately…we were a family.”

The concept was developed by Kathryn Chase Bryer, David Palmer, Janet Stanford, and Septime Webre; libretto and lyrics by Janet Stanford with additional lyrics by Bari Biern; choreography by Septime Webre and David Palmer; music by Matthew Pierce; directed by Janet Stanford.

The ensemble included Michael John Casey, Laura Chachich, Rafael Cuesta, Francesca Forcella, Kate Guesman, Dylan Keane, Sam Lariviere, Justine Moral, Robert Mulvey, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Tracy Ramsay, Morgann Rose, Betsy Rosen, Daniel Savetta, Chong Sun, Carly Wheaton, and Christopher Wilson.

Imagination Stage received 10 Helen Hayes nominations this year, the most in the theatre’s history. The honored productions were Rapunzel, Seussical, and The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Eighty-four professional theatres and a total of 201 eligible shows were considered for nominations.

About The Helen Hayes Awards
One of the country’s most prestigious cultural honors, since 1985 the Helen Hayes Awards has celebrated outstanding achievement in over 80 professional theatres through the Washington metropolitan area. Named for the legendary First Lady of the American Theatre, nominated artists and companies exemplify the excellence found on all Washington stages, and therefore propel Washington as a nationally and internationally recognized theatre town.

About Imagination Stage
Imagination Stage is the largest and most respected multi-disciplinary theatre arts organization for young people in the Mid-Atlantic region, offering a year-round season of professional shows (adult actors performing for families and classes), after-school programs and summer camps for ages 1-18, and arts-integration professional development training for teachers, students, schools and families. All of our programs are informed by our core belief in making the arts inclusive and accessible to all children, regardless of their physical, cognitive or financial status.