David Prather is a graduate of Princeton University and American Conservatory Theatre. As an actor, writer, and master teaching artist, he has been with The Music Center for two decades. He has worked with the LA Phil as narrator and host of the annual Holiday Sing-a-long for eleven years, including two with Dame Julie Andrews! He also led the Phil's SummerSounds at the Hollywood Bowl for a decade as the beloved "Cap'n Dave". He has performed his Music Center on Tour assemblies "Poetry Jam", World of Myths" and "Star Spangled Poetry" at hundreds of schools, and led numerous student workshops, teacher professional development workshops, and Summer Institutes for Educators. He has written and performed original shows for the Getty Museum, The Alley Theatre of Houston, and the San Francisco and Pacific Symphonies.
Prather employs a range of theatre techniques to improve speech and creative expression, as well as increase listening, abstract thinking, and collaborative skills. Drawing upon poetry, idiomatic expressions and other texts, students use tongue twisters, improvisation, tableaux, and character walks to explore language arts through drama.