Imagination Stage and Kaiser Permanente Reveal National Partnership

Imagination Stage, the metro DC region's largest professional theatre for young audiences and leader in positive youth development through the arts, has received an exclusive three-year grant from the Kaiser Permanente Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation to deliver educational theater programming to schools and communities nationally. Starting in October 2025, Imagination Stage will produce live theatre and workshops for students in elementary through high school, as well as live and virtual professional development for school staff. These programs will tour in markets served by Kaiser Permanente in the continental US and Hawaii, and will reach over 65,000 students and educators each year. 

Imagination Stage is honored to continue Kaiser Permanente's decades-long commitment to arts-based learning about health issues. Kaiser Permanente, through its Thriving Schools initiative, has invested in educational theatre in schools and communities for more than 30 years as part of their mission to improve the conditions for health and equity in the communities they serve. Using the arts to engage and educate has proven to be a winning approach, and one with which Imagination Stage also has extensive experience in its 45 years of operation. 

By providing health education through interactive and absorbing plays and workshops, complex health topics become both accessible and memorable to school staff and K-12 students. The educational theatre national tour will focus on children's mental health and is presented free of charge to participating schools. The goal is to inspire students to engage in supportive conversations about their emotional well-being and provide strategies that help students and educators build resilience. 

Joanne Lamparter, Imagination Stage's Chief Artistic Programming Officer, says that “after 45 years of strong work serving the children of the DC region, we are thrilled to partner with Kaiser Permanente and expand our work to include touring plays and workshops to schools throughout the country. Imagination Stage is fully aligned with Kaiser Permanente in their mission to support the wellness and mental health of young people, and we are well-positioned to succeed in producing theatre that will reach and impact students and school staff through a community health lens.” 

“We are excited for this opportunity to work with Imagination Stage, as we continue to ensure that teachers, staff, and students have the support they need to thrive—in learning and in health,” said Annie Reed, DrPH, MPP, executive director for Kaiser Permanente Youth and School Engagement.

Imagination Stage is the DC metro region's leader in positive youth development through the arts, serving approximately 70,000 children and families in the region annually. Its partnership with Kaiser Permanente will double the number of children served while bringing its renowned work to a national audience. 

Supporting the health and well-being of young people is a core value of Imagination Stage. Since 1979, it has used the performing arts with youth of all abilities and backgrounds to address their urgent needs. The organization has served more than 1.6 million children and families through its three programming pillars: 1) professional theatre for young audiences, 2) theatre arts education, and 3) Theatre for Change. 

Professional theatre: Each year, Imagination Stage produces a full season of professional shows for young audiences. These shows, performed by adult professional actors with professional creative teams and production artisans, reflect the highest artistic and educational standards. In May, Imagination Stage received the Helen Hayes Award for “Outstanding Production: Theatre for Young Audiences” for its 2024 show Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood. 

Theatre arts education: Classes for children and young people ages 1-18 take place in The Jim and Carol Trawick Imagination Stage building in Bethesda, MD and also in classrooms around the Washington, DC region. The current summer camp season will see nearly 2,000 registered campers over the course of 11 weeks in four locations. 

Theatre for Change: Founded in 2015, the program's goal is to lift up underrepresented voices and explore complex social justice issues. Programs include: 

1. workshops using theatre as a tool to bridge relationships between police and youth. These residencies inform our touring play 10 Seconds; 

2. residencies through Health and Human Services with newcomer youth in Montgomery County as part of our ¡Óyeme! (“Hear me”) program. These residences inform our play Óyeme, the beautiful; and 

3. Voices Beyond Bars workshops for systems-involved young people. These residencies inform our play The Last Martyr.