SEA SONG
by Hobey Ford

Hobey Ford’s Golden Rod Puppets present Sea Song, the story of a boy discovering nature for the first time through a fascination with the life cycle of the sea turtle. When a city boy comes to spend his summer at the coast he is suddenly cut off from his digital world and turns his attention to the natural world of a remote coastal beach. Hobey Ford tells the story without words, performing his own hand crafted foam puppets in full view of the audience to the enchanting hang drum music of David Kuckhermann. Following in the style of his classic production Animalia, Sea Song will inspire and delight.

I CAN DO IT
with Zak Morgan

Filled with musical stories, laughter and warmth, I CAN DO IT! encourages children to learn through reading skills, facts included in the songs, imagination and believing in themselves. Zak will encourage the audience to use their voices and body movements to join in the fun. He incorporates both music education and arts integration with life science facts, literary devices, reading skills and confidence building. In addition, teachers can access thirteen interactive lessons for classroom use at a variety of grade levels supporting creative writing and reading comprehension.

ZOOKEEPER’S IN THE HOUSE
with Roger Day

Roger Day’s newest performance, Zookeeper’s in the House!, is STEAM-based learning with a jungle beat.  Through interactive, energetic songs like “It’s a No No to Kiss a Rhino” and “Rumble in the Jungle,” Roger will encourage students to “observe, reflect, question and decide” as they not only learn about the amazing animals at the zoo but also the dedicated team of scientists who take care of them everyday.  This show is based on a field-trip series Roger Day created in partnership with the Education Department at the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, AL.

BEAR HUG/ABRAZO DE OSO
presented by Opera Carolina

Bearnardo the Spanish brown bear is feeling lonely and lost when he meets Polly the panda bear and Marla the koala bear.  Although Bearnardo doesn’t speak the same language, he and Polly and Marla are able to turn Griff the mean grizzly bear from bully to friend by discovering that even though we are each different on the outside, our hearts are all the same!

GEMS
with Doug Berky

Doug Berky uses classic styles of storytelling from many cultures including masks, mime, puppetry and the power of a good story to introduce this collection of wisdom stories from around the world. All people seek to understand the world, to live in peace, to deal justly with one another. These stories of hope, peace, freedom and justice will inspire while introducing students to literature from other cultures including Greece, India, Native America, and tales from Europe and South America.

IMMERSED IN VERSE
by Allan Wolf’s Poetry Palooza

Allan’s main objective is to get the audience jazzed about poetry and the power of words. Allan Wolf, an award-winning poet and master presenter, performs poetry from memory, mixing theatre, music, and audience participation. Students will experience contemporary and classic poetry in a wide variety of styles and subjects. Wolf gives students an opportunity to meet a real working author while learning how we transform words into poetry and how poems transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

GRIMMZ FAIRY TALES
by Charlotte Children’s Theatre

Brothers put a spin on classic fairy tales in this hip-hop revelation for the younger generation. Jay and Will Grimmz, the hip-hop fable story dance-pop sensation, have come back home to the city where they grew up to give a concert. They’re known not just for their sounds but for their powerful storytelling, an inventive remix of familiar classics. The brothers put a modern spin on valuable life lessons in Snow White and the Seven Shawties, Down with Rapunzel, Hanzel & Gretel: Lost in the Hood, and their brand new release based on Rumpelstiltskin. Pay your bling, hear them sing and get ready to drop the mic in this unforgettable theatrical experience.

WELCOME TO THE BUSH UNIVERSITY/WONDERS DOWN UNDER
with Paul Taylor

Jalala Paul Taylor introduces his audiences to the “The Dreaming” and shares stories, songs, bird calls and ancient wisdom from the “Bush University,” his adopted Wardaman Aboriginal heritage; includes Aborigininal teachings of caring, inclusion, social and environmental justice in these uncertain times. The wisdom of these stories applies universally, and the show can adapt to all age levels, enhanced with live artist illumination.

JACKIE ROBINSON: A GAME APART
presented by Mike Wiley

Glimpse into baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s life during a bygone era of separate and unequal locker rooms, whites-only hotels and restaurant back doors. Witness the hopeless humiliation of a star player showered with adulation on the field –but a second-hand citizen outside the stadium. Meet compatriots fighting the same battles between end zones, inside the ring, around the track. JACKIE ROBINSON: A GAME APART is a powerful lesson of courage through dedication, perseverance and leadership. 

HOW MARTIN CLIMBED THE MOUNTAIN
presented by Reggie Harris

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, but he did not dream alone. This program honors the African American artists, poets, educators, inventors, explorers, scientists and other important contributors to the life and culture of America and the world who influenced and informed the work of Dr. King. Using stories and music, Reggie highlights how the contributions of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker, Satchel Paige and others helped young Martin become a man who added to the fabric of our nation and who changed the world.

HISTORY OF JAZZ
by John Brown Jazz Quartet

Bassist, composer, educator and actor John Brown is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and currently resides in Durham, NC. He is a graduate of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the School of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. John currently serves as Director of the Jazz Program and Associate Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke University, and he has served on the faculties of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University and Guilford College (NC).

John Brown and his musicians are committed to jazz education – for all people, at all levels. John is a Professor and Director of the Jazz Program at Duke University and makes education a part of his daily life. Evincing his commitment to education, John constantly seeks opportunities to work with students and to study himself.