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Imagination Theater in Placerville

Mar 29, 2016 05:10PM ● By David Norby

Lend Me a Tenor Cast

Imagination Theater (IT) humbly began in 1999, after co-founders Peter Wolfe and Lanny Langston teamed up to form a different kind of theater. In their experience, most community theaters would go back and forth with drama and disputes, stealing the spotlight from the end goal of producing amazing shows. 

Without a theater of their own, the first play IT produced was presented at the Placerville Shakespeare Club. Eventually, the nomadic company built their own stage, scheduled out 16 performances, and sold out completely two weeks before opening night. “Lanny and I decided that [there had] to be a better way to do this and still have fun [while allowing] for artistic expression,” Wolfe says. “We knew every organization needed a mission statement, and we came upon one that really worked.” 

Four concepts formed that mission—trust, respect, personal growth and challenge—a mission that’s become the cornerstone of everything the company does. Seventeen years, 53 productions and about a million dollars in revenue (all cycled back into the non-profit’s productions) later and IT is still operating on those four basic principles. 

Producing as many as six shows a season and as little as three, the theater has performed beloved favorites such as Les Miserables, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, The Diary of Anne Frank and Oliver. “We’ve learned that you have to do a little bit of everything,” Wolfe explains. “Every once in awhile we throw in certain shows because we can and we should.”

From April 8-24, IT is proud to feature Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. With the astonishing goal of positioning 101 children dressed as the well-known spotted puppies on stage, Wolfe had cast nearly 80 at press time. A true community theater, the musical will showcase actors of every caliber—from seasoned veterans to first-timers. 

Auditions for their always highly anticipated holiday show are just around the corner. This year, the classic A Christmas Story, slated to run November 25-December 21, will delight audiences with the director’s unique musical twist. 

 

With Wolfe and Langston both eyeing retirement, IT is currently going through a re-organizational period. Although the company will see operational changes, Wolfe will likely still serve as artistic director while passing the legacy on to the mission-driven hands of a new member-owned company—ensuring the artistry and fun IT is renowned for remains. “We want Imagination Theater to continue. It’s quite a legacy—not just for us but for the 1,500 or more actors who’ve been on stage at different times over the years,” shares Wolfe. 

 “I draw energy from the theater—a place where audiences and participants can come in and move away from their everyday life—put aside mortgages and algebra homework and be entertained,” says Wolfe. “We’re not curing cancer but for just a brief moment in time, we can improve people’s lives. It’s a positive thing for everyone involved.”

By Heather L. Becker  // Photo by Dante Fontana © Style Media Group