Imagination Stage Goes to Narnia

In a fusion of theatre, dance and puppetry based on C.S. Lewis’ first-in-the-series novel, Imagination Stage and the Washington Ballet are currently collaborating on a not to be missed summer production, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

On stage now through August 12, the play (for ages 5+) 
is a British
 wartime 
tale, in which four children (Lucy (Justine 
Moral), 
Edmund (Rafael 
Cuesta), 
Susan (Kate Guesman), 
and 
Peter (Christopher 
Wilson)) happen upon a magical wardrobe that transports them to the world of Narnia, where they are destined to battle evil forces and find heroic qualities within themselves.

“Dancers, actors, singers, 
and 
puppeteers 
combine 
their
 talents 
in 
our show,” explains Imagination Stage Artistic Director Janet Stanford, “
making
 a 
world 
on
 stage 
that is 
larger
 than
 life
 and
 that
 will
 make 
our 
audiences 
feel
 a part
 of 
Narnia’s 
magic
 as 
they
 never 
have 
before.”

Among the firsts for Imagination Stage (or otherwise ‘as never before’) include this partnership with the ballet featuring dancers from the company’s Professional Ballet Trainee Program and Studio Company, and Aslan — portrayed by a life sized puppet — which come alive via three puppeteers Michael
 John
 Casey
 (who
 also
 provides
 his 
voice),
 Betsy
 Rosen,
 and
 Tracy
 Ramsay.

The  Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a coming of age (as well as potentially religious) themed classic that speaks to the imaginative of all ages.

Imagination
 Stage is located at 
4908 
Auburn 
Avenue,
 Bethesda, 
MD.  Tickets 
are $10 
to $27.

*All photos credit Scott Suchman