Imaginate is the national organisation in Scotland, which promotes, develops and celebrates theatre and dance for children and young people.
We want more children in Scotland to experience work that is deeply engaging, innovative and inspiring. We believe and uphold that it is every child's right to develop their creativity, emotional intelligence and reach their true potential. Our vision is driven by the belief that inspiring our young people is essential not only to their individual development but to the development of Scotland, its economy and its place in the world.
We strive to achieve this ambition through the delivery of:
A world-class festival of theatre and dance for children
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival showcases high quality, distinctive Scottish and international performances to an audience of around 19,000 children, their teachers and their families, as well as programmers and artists from all over the world.
An artform development and support programme for artists based in Scotland
We want more high quality children’s work made in Scotland, and so support artists with a year-round programme of creative development. This programme nurtures, supports and encourages artistic excellence by offering a range of opportunities to Scottish based artists and producers, including events, training, residencies, mentoring and special projects.
A creative learning programme for schools
Our year-round programme with schools includes Immerse – a 3-year programme working in 6 schools in some of Edinburgh’s poorest areas – and artists-led school projects and residencies. The programme also includes Theatre in Schools Scotland (TiSS), a national touring programme in partnership with National Theatre of Scotland, which brings high-quality performances specially designed for school settings.
