Theater
Alan J Prewitt Ben Franklin Alive
Ben Franklin is brought to life with all his wit and charm intact by award-winning actor, playwright and director Alan J. Prewitt in this one-man, Chautaugua-style, interactive performance. History, science, political process, the art of critical thinking and the value of reading and personal character is made relevant through stories of his past and views of today’s events and inventions.
Alan Ox
A 1-man musical/ stage play that dives into the UFO taboo heads-first. Actor/ singer Alan Ox portrays 6 actual military men coming forward with their accounts of what happened behind closed doors when 'visitors' came to call. With tunes ranging from the tin pan alley 'Call On The British' to the driving 'Radar Don't Lie' the stories move as quickly as the onstage costume changes- and in the end, the audience is left to ponder the revelations that could change one's world-view. From one playgoer: "I'm NOT nuts. This play has to be seen by everyone. I loved every aspect of it."
Digital Projection system & rear screen preferred. Computer HDMI interface capability. - Assorted, basic theatrical stage lighting. Adequate stereo audio system. Basic stage props.
Brian Wendling: Juggling! Comedy! Energy!
For 44 years, Brian Wendling has brought his high-energy mix of award-winning juggling, audience antics, and personable wit to almost every conceivable setting. An international Jugglers' Association Team champion, Brian uses his incredible range of skills to create a personal relationship with his audience - whether it is with the Kansas City Symphony, a college visiting artists series, a nationwide school assembly tour or a renaissance festival. As one newspaper noted: "Give the skinny fellow three or more objects and he'll juggle them. Add three or more spectators and he'll make you wonder whether he's juggling the objects or the people. Actually, he's doing both..."
Full lighting. 45-60 minutes to load in and set up. He uses his small, effective, portable sound system for his microphone/music or can plug into an existing system. Very flexible and can perform in any environment.
Ed Reggi’s Paper Slip Theater
Ed Reggi is a nationally recognized and award-winning improv actor who brings his unique style of Viola Spolin Theater Games to schools and communities around the region.
The simplicity of Viola Spolin's Improvisational Theater allows Ed Reggi to require almost no technical requirements. A bare floor with basic lighting is the only requirement.
Elizabeth Ann Townsend
Elizabeth Ann Townsend received the 2016 St. Lou Fringe Festival award for Best Production for her one woman performance piece: COUNT TIME! The Life and Times of Patricia Prewitt! Other selected credits include: Houston: Stages Repertory Theatre: Stupid Fucking Bird (Emma – Best Supporting Actress, 2015, Houston Theater Awards); St. Louis: Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Good People (Jean – Best Supporting Actress, 2014, St. Louis Critic Circle Awards) Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; Tennessee Williams Festival: Small Craft Warnings; St. Louis Actors’ Studio: Gidion’s Knot; Talking Heads-Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Upstream Theatre: The Maids; Blood Wedding. New Jewish Theater: Awake And Sing. Cleveland: Cleveland Play House: A Christmas Story (5 seasons). Dobama Theatre: The Exonerated; Syracuse Stage NY: A Christmas Story. FILM/TV: The Makings of You; The Sopranos; Law & Order; National Commercials.
Very limited needs- Elizabeth will come with Stage Manager, van with three pieces of furniture and projection screen, and laptop equipped with QLab. We will require a brief spacing/tech rehearsal. Strike will take about half an hour. We will require a basic light and sound setup and a projector.
Imaginary Theatre Company
The Rep’s Imaginary Theatre Company, the touring ensemble of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, invites teachers and their students to share all the wonder, poetry, wit, drama and excitement that only live theatre can bring. ITC's high quality stage work will not only nurture love of the arts but will also enhance teachers' educational programs. The literature-based productions honor and value a story well-told while supporting the Missouri Learning Standards. ITC's specialty is taking audiences into a magic world that will spark the imagination.
Juggling Jeff
Juggling Jeff has been amazing audiences for over 15 years. Through stunts of silliness, stamina and bravery, he engages and enlightens. The Juggling Jeff Show is high-energy, fast-paced, comedic juggling show that includes danger, suspense, lots of audience interaction and a single magic trick! It's great family entertainment that both kids and adults will enjoy. Jeff's use of comedy and audience participation make him an audience favorite time and time again. Jeff's programs, no matter if they are educating about the library, Shakespeare, Med-evil Jesters or simply entertaining, are perfect for almost any type of event both inside and outside.
30 minutes set-up, 30 minute take down, table is preferred for stage performances, Wireless mic (headset or lav) and sound system may be required for audiences of 250+
Martin City, Jr., Theatre for Children
Martin City, Jr., has a variety of original interactive musicals for children. Each musical revolves around an important theme for children, such as self-esteem, tolerance, and respect for peers. Martin City, Jr., uses originial source material such as Native American legends, folk tales from different cultures, and oral histories to create its stage stories. Martin City, Jr., writes original songs for all of its shows to highlight the educational content of each performance in an entertaining and engaging way.
If outdoors, speakers and cordless mics, a 12'x12' performing area, and 30 minutes to set-up or strike.
Since 1973, the nationally-renowned Metro Theater Company has provided exceptional arts experiences to students throughout Missouri. Our touring productions respect the intelligence and emotional wisdom of young people, inviting them into the world of theater and charging their imaginations. The themes of any Metro Theater Company work provide opportunities for meaningful learning in support of Missouri Show-Me Standards. We provide Learning Guides for teachers, parents, and other educators to expand the learning experience beyond the performance itself. Talk-back sessions are a part of every performance, which often lead to further stimulating conversation at school and at home. Metro Theater Company can also provide classroom residencies where our teaching artists use drama and creative movement to enhance core curriculum and character education. During COVID-19 many of MTC’s programs are available for virtual touring, including arts-integrated workshops for classrooms and live Q&As to accompany streaming productions. Metro Theater Company honors include the Missouri Arts Award, the Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences, and the “What’s Right with the Region” Award from FOCUS St. Louis, among others.
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre
MET is committed to extending access to theatre in schools and communities throughout Missouri. In addition to our programming in Kansas City, we offer theatre performances of masterworks and classics and customized theatre education programs that serve K-12 schools and entire communities. From full performances of mainstage touring productions, to school-based residencies, we deliver quality theatre programming designed to provide an outstanding artistic experience for both our presenting partners and their participants. Each project is customized to meet the needs of participants and to work with resources available to achieve success.
Available on request.
OMG Josh has been performing literacy, good character and other educational themed shows for over 20 years. His biggest hits have included - 'The Pirates of Reading Island' and 'The Character Circus'. In 2011 he performed his science based reading show, 'Mr. Gigglewatt and The Science of Bubbles' at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC! Shows come complete with a study guide for pre and post show support. He is perfect for audiences PK-8th grade. He also has a comedic "just for fun show" for larger audiences and theaters called The OMG Josh Experience!
10x15 performing space, 8ft table, 2 chairs, electric outlet or extension cord near performing space, 1 hour minimum set up time.
Professor Farquar’s Great American Medicine Show
Step right up folks, for an engaging bit of Americana, ideal for audiences of all ages. Professor Farquar and Polecat Annie set entertainment back more than a century. Unlike the snake oil hucksters of the past, they peddle no elixirs or patent pills. Instead, they dispense copious amounts of laughter, the best medicine of all. With guitar, banjo and an odd collection of percussive instruments, they perform timeless toe-tapping traditional tunes, lyrical laments and droll ditties from the Civil War, the Ozarks and the Old West. Astonishing demonstrations of illusion, chicanery, hoodwinking and flimlam. Hands-on instruction in juggling and archaic amusements. Vibrant, vintage vaudeville virtousity!
Prefer 60 minutes for set up and sound check. If we're sharing a stage with other acts, we can do it in less than ten minutes. Need an 8' x 12' stage or performance area. Require three microphones with stands (or we can provide our own system). Gaily festooned medicine show wagon available as a stage set (optional).
Quixotic
Quixotic is an ensemble of musicians, dancers, aerialists, composers, technicians, designers, and choreographers collaborating to produce new forms of artistic expression through customized experiences. This inventive group of artists goes beyond the limits of any specific art form to create total sensory immersion for its audiences. Quixotic makes unique memorable experiences ranging from site specific installations to full stage performances.
Available on request.
St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
A performance of Shakespeare by our touring ensemble, TourCo, will dazzle your students, inspiring them to read, respond, reflect, discuss, and write. in 2020, we will presents a 90-minute touring production and living study guide of Cymbeline. One of Shakespeare’s final plays – and one of his greatest achievements – Cymbeline is a romantic adventure story on an epic scale. It tells the story of Innogen, the princess of Britain, who embarks on a dangerous journey to find her husband and through courage and ingenuity clears her good name. Combining elements of comedy, tragedy, history and fairy tale, Cymbeline is not only a summation of Shakespeare’s incomparable career but a dazzling piece of showmanship that culminates in one of the most masterful final scenes of revelation and reconciliation in the canon. Featuring an inventive and energetic company of six actors, the Shakespeare Festival TourCo’s production offers a fast-paced, easy-to-understand performance of this underappreciated gem that revels in all the unbridled theatricality of a writer pushing the boundaries of what a play can be.
Students will be greeted first by the actors and led through discussion and activity prior to the start of the show, called the Living Study Guide, to increase performance literacy. How do we decipher, understand, and analyze a performance that you are unfamiliar with? How do we as audience members know which part of the performance is most important to understanding and enjoyment? The Tour Co will walk audiences through skill level appropriate exercises and discussion topics to break down the mystique and foreignness of Shakespeare’s plays and language. The performance of the show that follows will be appropriately set up for the audience in a unique way designed to provide definitions, vocabulary preview, authorial information, and structural patterns.
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The Black Rep
K-12 students experience the magic of live professional theatre through The Black Rep Professional Touring Company productions. Three different grade-level appropriate productions are available. The shows are performed by The Black Rep’s professional interns and include question and answer sessions. The performance experience can encourage study in history and literature, develop imagination, stimulate practice in writing, comprehension, and oral skills, foster interest in the arts, and develop an appreciation for the artistic expressions of diverse cultures.
Available on request
The DisAbility Project
Student audiences are invited to laugh as they learn with the award-winning DisAbility Project. This theatre ensemble enhances public awareness about various disabilities through original, high-quality theatre. The program empowers individuals, honors their stories, sparks imaginations, and encourages dialogue about disability issues in our community. Ensemble members, both with and without disabilities, present scenes about the true-life experiences of people with disabilities in a format designed to educate and also entertain. Performances are tailored for students of all ages and also school district personnel. Age-appropriate study guides can assist with preparation or follow up learning. All questions are encouraged in the concluding Q&A session with the DP performers.
Need 16' x 24' performance area and 90 minutes advance access for warm up and sound check. If stage is raised, our wheelchairs need a back wall and guide rails along the ramp for safety. Need 2 clip-on or handheld microphones and a movable podium. Easy access to restrooms with 31-inch clearance for stalls. Three accessible parking spaces near building entrance, with clearance on one side for exit by ramp.