A Slice of Rice (T12)
Nobuko Miyamoto & Great Leap
Nobuko Miyamoto shares her story, "Joanne Is My Middle Name," to dramatize the dilemma of being a third generation Japanese American searching for a way to belong. This unit is all about discovering ourselves through the telling of personal stories and working out the pieces of our own puzzle. Dance, theatre and research are all included as part of the process in expressing a "personal history story." Includes video (13 min) and audio.
Price: $40.00

Classic Journeys or Tableaux of Contents - Featuring the Heroic Climb of Itsy-Bitsy Spider (T13)
David Novak
David Novak draws his stories from classic myths, fables, legends and well-known nursery rhymes. He plays with the story's form to find messages radiating from the symbols and images. This unit details the process of storyboarding, as well as providing lessons on creating 'living photographs' (tableaux) of story scenes. Also included is David's technique of designing 'A Story String' to recall a personal story. Includes audio (12 min) and slides.
Price: $40.00

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Let Them Eat Books Carl Weintraub & We Tell Stories (T16)
Carl Weintraub and We Tell Stories
"Let Them Eat Books" is a story theatre performance. One of these stories, "The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided to Have a Child", by Carl Sandburg, is featured in this unit.
Lessons highlight the essential elements of We Tell Stories' creative process and the art of improvisation and storytelling. Transformation and Enduring Values themes are threads that run throughout. Includes video and an original story script of "The Two Skyscrapers Who Decided to Have a Child," by Carl Sandburg. Includes video (10 min).
Price: $40.00

Life Cycle (T01)
The Chameleons - Keith Berger and Sharon Diskin
"Life Cycle" follows the relationship of two characters, one female and one male, from infancy through childhood, adolescence, courtship, marriage, parenthood, middle-age, old age, death and finally, rebirth. The Chameleons use pantomime techniques to project a spectrum of human emotions, emphasizing Enduring Values and the Human Family.
Lessons are chock full of theatre techniques including mirrors, playwriting and pantomime. Includes video (6 min).
Price: $40.00

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Negro Love Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar (T19)
Joanna Featherstone
Joanna Featherstone specializes in presenting the work of African American poets, from 1760 to modern times. She features dialect poetry that was expressive of early African American language, and was frequently used by both black and white early American writers. The poem, "Negro Love Song," by Paul Laurence Dunbar, is featured in this unit that highlights freedom and oppression and the spirit of the human family. Poetry is woven throughout the lessons, that teach how to recite poems with expression, write poetic epistles and scan well-known poems to identify the rhyming pattern. Includes video (4 min).
Price: $40.00

excerpts from On the Day You Were Born (T14)
Sandy Spieler & Debra Frasier
"On the Day You Were Born" is a play created by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre which is based on Debra Frasier's book of the same title. Puppetry, paper cut-out illustrations, poetry and music blend to celebrate the natural miracles of the earth and extend a jubilant welcome to each member of the "Human Family."
Lessons focus on creative drama techniques combined with writing and illustrating a book about the day you were born. Includes video (8 min) and slides.
Price: $40.00

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Poetry Jam (T21)
David Prather
Poetry Jamis a tour de force trip through poetry with verses from Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, A.A. Milne and Mother Goose. ump rope jingles, poems that sing and the classic American verse of Carl Sandburg and not forgotten, as Prather performs a score of poems using accents, audience participation, pratfalls and physical comedy to investigate rhyme, rhythm, metaphor and the origins of poetry. (Available in 2005) Includes video.
Price: $40.00

excerpts from Simply Maria, or the American Dream (T10)
Josefina Lopez & Playwrights Project
When she was a teenager, Josefina Lopez was greatly moved by a play she saw. Inspired to become a playwright, she wrote a play about a young Hispanic girl's struggle to find her own sense of self and freedom. The girl does this by challenging the traditional part of her heritage and traveling a road that helps her find her own truth.
Lessons focus on making up stories, writing dialogue and character development. Includes video (10 min).
Price: $40.00

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Songs and Stories of My People (T08)
Geri Keams
Geri Keams, a Navajo, learned from her grandmother the importance of passing on the stories of the 'Old Ones.' One of these, "The Quillwork Girl" communicates the experiences of Native American tradition and culture in ways that are educational, entertaining and memorable.
Lessons stress Transformation and Enduring Values, feature sand painting, Indian legends and song-poem compositions. Includes audio (8 min).
Price: $40.00

The Boy Who Wanted to Talk to Whales (T11)
Robert Minden & the Robert Minden Ensemble
"The Boy Who Wanted to Talk to Whales" is a contemporary folk tale about the adventure of a boy compelled by a powerful dream to talk to the great whales. The story, a simple folk tale about man and nature, expresses a desire to connect with the landscape, soundscape and species of our world.
Lessons guide students through sound discovery, a sound scavenger hunt, and verbal and nonverbal communication. Themes include Transformation and The Power of Nature. Includes audio and video.
Price: $40.00

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excerpts from The Little Theatre of the Deaf (T05)
David Hayes & The National Theatre of the Deaf
The performance style of "The Little Theatre of the Deaf," described as "Poetry for the eye and heart," uses expressive body movement, the spoken word and American Sign Language. Each company, composed of four deaf actors and one hearing actor, brings literature to life.
Lessons include practicing creative drama techniques, partnering to narrate and "sign' a story, and "signing" a Haiku poem. Includes video (16 min).
Price: $40.00

The Long Haired Girl (T18)
Eth-Noh-Tec with Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo & Nancy Wang
Eth-Noh-Tec presents "The Long Haired Girl," a legend from China. A synthesis of music, movement and words, this performance fuses Eastern and Western artistic motifs. The performers share narration and transition between different characters within the story. Embellished with rhythmic dialogue, poses and comic facial gestures, it combines traditional Asian theatre with modern ideas.
Lessons emphasize the elements of a story, as well as techniques for animated telling with physical interpretations. Includes video (10 min).
Price: $40.00

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excerpts from The Mask Messenger (T04)
Robert Faust & Faustwork Mask Theater
"The Mask Messenger" offers insights into the artistic, psychological, and historical aspects of the mask. Robert Faust demonstrates their power by putting on a variety of masks and assuming the character expressed in each face. Some are worn on top of the head or on the back of the head, transforming the performer into creatures on all fours.
Lessons cover two-sided mask making, body language and mask metaphors. Includes video (5 min).
Price: $40.00

excerpt from The Story of Babar, The Little Elephant (T02)
The Children's Theatre Company
The challenge of bringing a book off the page and onto the stage lies in transforming a two-dimensional artwork into 3-D. Jon Cranney and his creative team combined their skills in a cooperative problem solving process to bring this classic tale to the stage.
Lessons focus on the process of transforming a literary work into a theatrical one. Includes video (5 min).
Price: $40.00

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The Tale of Beatrix Potter, Peter Rabbit & Friends (T17)
Judith Helton
Actress Judith Helton brings historical characters to life with her intriguing portrayals of women of accomplishment and artistic talent. The Tale of Beatrix Potter illuminates the life of the author/illustrator who gave us such beloved stories as "The Tale of Peter Rabbit." The audio features Ms. Helton as Beatrix Potter being interviewed during an English tea time, followed by Judith speaking as the actress rather than the character, telling us how she creates her work.
Lessons include "Picture letters," life-study drawings and how to create an original story based on first-hand observations. Includes audio.
Price: $40.00

Voice of the Wood (T20)
Robert Faust and Eugene Friesen
"Voice of the Wood" is a play adapted from the exquisite children's book by Claude Cl�ment, and performed by Robert Faust and Eugene Friesen. A two-character piece utilizing masks and music, the story begins with a luthier (a maker of stringed instruments) who crafts his cello masterpiece from the wood of an ancient tree in his yard. The night of Carnival, he challenges the musicians of Venice to make his cello "sing." The play tells the story of his quest to discover the touch that will unlock the "Voice of the Wood."
Lessons show how to create a Toy Theatre and design "stock characters" to tell a story in the Italian theatre style of Commedia dell'Arte. Includes video.
Price: $40.00