Orientation 101: Beyond the Books The
transition into college can be both exciting and strange! Students are
leaving home for the first time and are faced with a variety of new
challenges. (Academic life can be difficult, but the social climate can
be even trickier!) Our goal is to make things easier and safer for
freshmen who suddenly feel like they don’t know up from down. By putting
ourselves in their shoes, we’ve designed an interactive workshop lead
by trained facilitators that not only inspires dialogue, but gives
students a chance to step into some tough situations, to
practice new strategies on-stage, and have fun while developing self
confidence. As college begins, and students are faced with
decisions regarding roommates, money, dating, parties, the future… the students
who participated in College Orientation 101 will be well equipped to
handle these challenges with ease!
Where do we perform?
Since its premier in 2004, College Orientation 101: Beyond The Books has been performed at Colleges and Universities across the country. We’d love to add your school to our tour this year! Some of our previous clients include…
Central
College in Pella, Iowa
Central Connecticut State
University in New Britain, Connecticut
College of Notre Dame in
Baltimore, Maryland
Curry College in Milton,
Massachusetts
DeSales University in
Pennsylvania
Fashion Institute of
Technology in New York, New York
Fisher College in Boston,
Massachusetts
Institute for Extended
Learning in Spokane, Washington
Marymount Manhattan University
in New York, New York
Millersville University in
Millersville, Pennsylvania
Roanoke College in Salem,
Virginia
Saint
Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania
St. Louis University in St.
Louis, Missouri
St. Vincent College in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
University of Illinois in
Springfield, Illinois
University of Pittsburgh,
Greensburg in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
How does the show work?
College Orientation 101… is comprised of dramatic scenarios (both scripted and improvised), facilitated dialogue, and lots of audience participation. At the top of every show we bring several audience members onto the stage to voice their concerns about college through a fun (and often hilarious) warm-up game called Conduct-A-Gripe. This gets everyone laughing, comfortable, and ready to dive right into some scene-work. Imagination Theater actors present 7 dramatic scenarios, and at a moment of climax in each scene, the facilitator freezes the action and guides the student audience in a discussion: What are they are seeing on stage? What are the issues involved? What are some possible solutions? We then invite an audience member to replace one of our actors and finish the scene using their ideas to resolve the issue.
Topics we explore:
Adjusting to a Roommate Diversity Awareness Planning Ahead Managing $$$ Self Esteem Date Rape “Hooking Up” Balancing Work & Fun Substance Abuse Plagiarism
Show length: 90 minutes (flexible) We can perform up to 4 shows in a day!
We Customize!
Is your school facing a specific issue? No problem. We are happy to customize or add scenes to address your specific concerns. Just ask.
Need a testimonial?
Jim Korte at University of Illinois at Springfield was so pleased with our show, he wrote us this letter:
"I wanted to take a moment thank you and the “Troupe” at Imagination Theater for the wonderful work you have done with our students at orientation over the past four years. While some of the performers may have changed over the years, the energy, enthusiasm and quality of your presentations have never wavered. The Imagination Theater presentation is always one of our most highly rated sessions on the student’s evaluations.
Perhaps the best testimonial I can give came from our student attendees following IT’s first performance at UIS. ... In spite of your many assurances, I remained a bit nervous about the presentation and how it would be received by the students—after all this was a presentation dealing with some tricky issues ranging from alcohol to roommate awareness to date rape. I became even more nervous when, after beating the bushes to make certain the students actually attended this mandatory program, I was called away from the residence hall right as the presentation began. As I scurried back, knowing that our allotted time had elapsed, I was greeted by three of our new students yelling at me across the parking lot, “That was great!” Believe it or not, as I got closer, they even thanked me for making them attend.
I can’t imagine anyone else doing for us what Imagination Theater does. The interaction and direct involvement of the students in your performances, the insightful dialogue and interaction with our students, your willingness to customize the program to meet our needs, and certainly the enthusiasm of the performers all make Imagination Theater one of a kind.
Thanks again. I’m looking forward to having you at UIS again this fall."
—James C. Korte Assistant Dean of Students University of Illinois at Springfield
Imagination Theater is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.