Only Make Believe performs interactive theater for disadvantaged and chronically ill children throughout the New York City Metro area. OMB provides these theatrical workshops, free-of-charge to hospitals and care facilities. The OMB program model consists of a six-week series of one-hour original interactive plays. The shows are led by a team of three professional actors/teaching artists, who bring a trunk full of costumes and props, a backdrop, and music to set the stage. Every show is especially written by OMB to involve the children in the storytelling process; they become the stars of the show.

In 2008 OMB visited 28 hospitals and reached over 3,500 children. At all the sites OMB visits we work closely with child life specialists, recreational therapists, and nursing staff to learn about the children's needs and abilities and adapt all of the shows to meet these requirements.

MISSION

Only Make Believe is a non-profit organization that creates and performs interactive theatre for children in hospitals and care facilities. They are dedicated to the principle that freeing a child's imagination is a valuable part of the healing process.

HOW VARIETY HELPS

Variety the Children's Charity of New York's grant to OMB will be used to support its program at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center. ESPC is a pediatric nursing home that provides specialized residential and rehabilitative services to medically fragile children. OMB will present its six-week program to the children living at ESPC. A consistent team of three OMB actors will present a different play each week inviting all the children to participate.

The children living at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center have complex clinical conditions and disabilities including cerebral palsy, congenital heart disease, chronic lung disease, chromosome disorders, metabolic disorders, respiratory disorders, muscular and neurological diseases and immunodeficiency syndromes.