Ages: 7 – 13
Length: 60 Minute show
Auditions & Rehearsal Dates: March 3rd – April 19th, 2025

Show Dates:
Friday, April 11 & 18 @ 8 PM
Saturday, April 12, 19 @ 2 PM & 7 PM
Sunday, April 13 @ 2 PM

Enrollment Fee: $400 – Standard | $300 – RaueNow Family
Enrollment Deadline: February 26, 2025

Pure Imagination is a brand-new and captivating musical revue that evokes all those cherished childhood memories! This collection of songs is pulled directly from Music Theatre International’s Broadway Junior® collection. Pure Imagination features 14 beloved musical numbers from shows like Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and Annie Jr., along with fan-favorite titles from Seussical and Shrek The Musical to Disney favorites like Beauty and the Beast and Frozen. Audiences will enjoy a delightful mix of popular Broadway tunes, fun facts about the songs provided by our students in the show, and so much more!

This RCSA production is sure to enchant viewers of all ages and make you want to sing and dance in your seat.

Featuring Songs by (in alphabetical order):
Lynn Ahrens • Kristen Anderson-Lopez • Howard Ashman • Chad Beguelin • Leslie Bricusse • Morris “Moose” Charlap • Martin Charnin • Anthony Drewe • Stephen Flaherty • Zina Goldrich • Marcy Heisler • Carolyn Leigh • David Lindsay-Abaire • Robert Lopez • Alan Menken • Tim Minchin • Anthony Newley • Tim Rice • Richard M. Sherman • Robert B. Sherman • Matthew Sklar • George Stiles • Charles Strouse • Jeanine Tesori • Deborah Wicks La Puma • Mo Willems

MTI’S BROADWAY JUNIOR REVUE-PURE IMAGINATION is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
Al authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
www.MT|Shows.com

Tuition: $400 | RaueNOW Family Member: $300*
*Includes show t-shirt and 2 complimentary tickets per enrollment. All students who enroll in Pure Imagination are guaranteed casting, but will still need to go through the audition process to be assigned specific songs, solos, featured dancers, and more. Information regarding signing up for an audition time will be sent at a later date to all those enrolled. 

Scholarships & Financial Aid Available.

Christina Giorgi is a recent graduate from Illinois Wesleyan University where she obtained her BFA in acting with a minor in Hispanic studies. When not acting, Christina has a passion for teaching and directing. For the past two summers, she has worked as a teaching artist and director for young performers at the New London Barn Playhouse and Wagon Wheel Conservatory for the Arts. Most recently, Christina has directed Huntley High School’s production of Little Women and RCSA’s summer production of Moana. A Crystal Lake native, Christina is thrilled to be working with young performers and providing them a safe space to expand on their dreams of becoming a performer just like she had at their age.

James Mablin (Music Director) is a music director, composer, orchestrator and arranger originally from London, England. He has musically directed or played keyboards on over ninety shows, from large national tours in the UK to shows from London to New York City to Alaska. As an educator, James ran the musical theatre program at a college in London, was a professor & musical theatre specialist at The Yale School of Drama and was the head of the music department at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center, named one of the top summer theatre programs in the world. James is the musical supervisor for Thin Air Theatre Company and has also written the vocal arrangements & musically directed opening and closing numbers for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In January of 2024, James is currently the Resident Music Director for Raue Center for the Arts.

Rob Scharlow (Director of Education) is an award-winning director and has spent 35+ years working in the performing arts which has taken him across the country working as a director, actor, teacher and more. For the past 17 years, he worked for the internationally acclaimed performing arts training center, Stagedoor Manor in New York… a recipient of Broadway Theatre Museums Award for Excellence in Arts Education. During his time at Stagedoor, his journey began as a director/teacher, eventually transitioning into the role of Director of Education for 11 years and then most recently serving as Associate Artistic Director. Rob also oversaw the Dramafest program which helps to develop new and exciting 10-minute plays by young writers. A program that worked in conjunction with Stephen Sondheim’s Young Playwrights.

Education in the arts has always played such a large part in his career and he couldn’t be more delighted to be helping develop and ignite the education program as he comes back to the Raue Center, where (what seems like a lifetime ago) he spent time working as a marketing intern, appeared in several productions including the role of Sweeney Todd in William Street Rep’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (BroadwayWorld.com Best Actor Nominee), Hands on a Hardbody and Barefoot in the Park. He also directed their production of Search for Signs of Intelligent Life and spent some time with SAGE Studios teaching an advanced acting class.

With 150+ directing credits under his belt, some of his most memorable productions include; Ride the Cyclone: High School Edition where he had the opportunity to direct and help workshop the first production designed specifically for high school-aged performers. Evil Dead: The Musical in which he helped in the creation of the High School Edition working closely with Dramatic Publishing and the creators of the show. Other favorite directing credits include Evita, High Fidelity, BARE, Spring Awakening, Carrie: The Musical, In the Heights, BKLYN the Musical, The Toxic Avenger, Big Fish, Rock of Ages, You Can’t Take It With You, and more. On the flip side of things, some favorite acting credits include; Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd (BroadwayWorld Best Actor Nominee), Billy Flynn in Chicago, Lockstock in Urinetown, Phantom in Phantom, Jon in Tick, tick…BOOM!, El Gallo in The Fantasticks and others.