Storyteller

ELLEN: A True Story:
(Special Program  -  Published September 2008)
Born a slave on a plantation in 1860, my great grandmother, Ellen or Mama as we all called her, lived until 1953 and I got to know her. Mama was a storyteller and she passed her gift for telling on to me.  In this educational program experience some of the joys and sorrows of life seen through my eyes, as a child growing up in the Missouri boot hill in the 1950’s.  I guarantee you that you will take a little piece of history away with you.  
(2nd. Grade to Adult) 

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Where Would We Be Without Thee:

In this history packed, educational program I portray Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Renee (Renee is a fictional character, but the facts are true).   All of these women were front line warriors of their day.  These four women always showed strength of character as they experienced many hardships during slavery.  Come, see and hear about their struggles in this unforgettable program.  Watch as I transform myself into these women, on stage, right before your eyes.  I honor the women in this program, they laid the foundation for a better life for future generations. 

(2nd. Grade to Adult)

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Cathay Williams:  A Buffalo Soldier

This is a must see educational program.  Come, see, hear and learn as Loretta Washington portrays Cathay Williams, the first documented female "Buffalo Soldier".  Loretta protrays Cathay Williams in her later years as she remembers back and talk about her life and why she joined the Union Army after the Civil War ended.  Listen as Cathay (Loretta Washington) tells you about some of her experiences and how she concealed her identity while in the Union Army.  Hear about her later years and her endless struggles, trying to get her government pension approved. 

At the end of the program the audience will be given an opportunity to ask both Cathay Williams and Loretta Washington questions.

(2nd. Grade to Adult)

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My Corner Of The Porch:

My Corner of the Porch is the title story in a series of stories from my childhood in the Missouri boot heel. Like most kids I got into my share of trouble when I was growing up.  My grandmother's often sent me to the corner of her front porch to think.  Needless to say I spent a lot of time thinking and dreaming as I sat on the corner of the porch. This is a collection of heart warming and humorous stories, seen thru the eyes of a child growing up in the Missouri boot heel.  Most of the stories are true with a splash of history and some are my imagination,  but all have moral endings and are worth hearing and sure to please every listening ear.
(1st. Grade to Adult)

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Renee:  The Life of a Female Slave:

Renee is a fictional character, but the story includes historical facts about the life of a typical female born into slavery.  This program looks into what life was like for a female slave from birth to adulthood.  Follow Renee's life in this informative story as her mother is taken and sold.  As a baby, Renee is given to another slave, Aintee Pearlie who raises her until she is old enough to work in the Big House.  Renee worked in the Big House for many years, than one day she is sent to the fields.  Why?  As a field slave her life changes and becomes much harder as the other slaves treat her differently.  Why?  Other areas covered in this informative adaptation will be the never ending desire of all slaves to be free.  Some of the secret signs, signals and codes and how they were passed on from slaves of one plantation too slaves of another plantation.  Learn how slaves decided how and when was the best time to run and not get caught and how to find safe houses and the underground railroads.  Contact me about bringing this program to you.  Would like to learn more about Renee's journey?  Did she ever get her freedom?    

(2nd. Grade to Adult)

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Young Martin: MLK’s Childhood:

This is an educational program that covers three areas of Martin Luther King Jr.s childhood.  In this program I portray Alberta King, a mother talking about her young son Martin or ML as he was called. In this informative program I will cover three areas of young Martin’s childhood. I feel that these events played a major role in Martin’s life and aided him in the decisions he made both then and later. These incidents took place during Martin’s formative years and they help to mold the man that Martin Luther King Jr. later became. These areas are:

First: Martin’s encounter with segregation as a small child.
Second:  One of the experiences that taught ML that non-violence would be the path he would choose.
Third:  An incident that made Martin realized that he was going to make a difference in the way people were treated.
Close:  I read one of Martin’s favorite poems by Langston Hughes. I share one of the stories that Martin loved to tell to his classmates. I close with an excerpt from Martin’s Nobel Lecture Speech in 1964.

(K thru 3rd. Grade)

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Seaman’s Adventures: The Lewis and Clark Expedition Seen Thru A Dogs Eyes:  

View the Lewis and Clark Expedition thru the eyes of Seaman the dog. Seaman didn’t quite understand humans and being a dog he saw things differently. Some of Seaman's encounters will make you laugh while others will touch your heart. Come along with me as I share with you what I thought was going thru the mind of this vlaued member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  And, along the way thru my stories you will learn some interesting and valuable facts about history in this educational program about life, seen thru a dog's eyes. 

(All ages)

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                                         Residencies...........................................

High School 

Designed and put into operation a five month residency program for teenage mothers and fathers, called "Parents as Storytellers".  Through a series of books, interactions, field experiences and processes, with parent and child, the parents were taught how to bring a book to life.  Within these processes the teen parents learned how to hold their infants and toddlers attention for longer periods of time during storytime and activities.   The processes used in this residency do work and as a storyteller with many years of experience, I know how to make the processes work.  The teen parents storytelling skills started to show some definite changes after only two months.  At the end of our five months together the teachers, grandparents and observers could see a noticeable change in the teen parents reading habits with their children.  The parents showed a greater appreciation for books.  And, the children showed more interest in books and an improved attention span.      

My Goal:  To teach each parent how to become better story readers and story tellers for their child and in the process improve their children's attention span.

Infants and Toddlers
Designed and taught a seven month Enrichment Program for 25-30 infants and toddlers, ranging from ages eighteen months too, two and a half years old.  In each session there was interacting with the children through stories, activities, games, coordination skills and memory retention activities.  All of stories, activities and games were designed and put into practice with the child’s whole well being in mind.  At the end of the residency there was a very noticeable difference in the way each infant and toddler responded to stories and activities. 
My Goal:  To allow each child to learn and express themselves at their own pace. 

Middle School
Worked twelve weeks with four inner city middle schools.  Worked with two groups of six graders and two groups of eight graders.
The task:  Prepare them for a book reading, poetry readings, acting out a story and performing a skit in mime.  
My duty:  Have each group of students ready to perform for an end of the year school function.
Results:   Each group was prepared and ready to perform.

City Parks Recreation Centers

(Six weeks each year for the 8 years)

Type of Programs and Activities:   Storytelling and Puppetry Programs and Workshops.

For:  After school storytelling, arts and crafts programs for inner city children.

Group size:   12-45 children. 

Ages:  Pre-school thru six grade.

Goal:   **Teach storytelling

            **Make and use puppets with storytelling to enhance self-esteem.

            **Students share their own stories using a specified guidelines and puppets.

            **Students perform a puppet show.

            **Students finish the workshop with a sense of accomplishment and pride, based on successfully  

                completing their projects and expanding their knowledge about the art forms we had covered.

            **Close with a round table discussion where each child shared 1-2 things that he or she had   

                learned from the six week experience. 

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