Magic and Monsters, directed by Norah Shapiro, was recognized as a runner-up for the Library of Congress/Lavine Ken Burns Prize for Film. This compelling documentary exposes the decades of sexual abuse at Minneapolis’s Children’s Theatre Company and captures survivors’ fight for justice. Currently, in the final stages of post-production, several key processes are underway, including archival material licensing, color correction, sound engineering, animated title design, key art, and website development. Magic and Monsters is set to premiere in 2025.

Between 2015 and 2019, 17 plaintiffs filed lawsuits against the Children’s Theatre Company, seeking justice for the sexual abuse they endured as students during the 1970s and 1980s. Filed under the Minnesota Child Victims Act, these lawsuits revealed decades of abuse by founder John Clark Donahue and other teachers and actors, exposing a harmful culture that persisted despite the theater’s national acclaim.

The film’s recognition as a runner-up underscores its profound impact, offering both a historical account and a moving testament to the survivors’ resilience and pursuit of justice. This acknowledgment affirms Magic and Monsters as a crucial narrative in understanding the long-term impacts of institutional abuse and the power of survivor advocacy.