Doug Berky has been creating and evolving his own brand of physical theater for over thirty years. His performances weave together classic theatre forms of mime, mask theatre, circus arts, physical comedy and storytelling. Doug is also known internationally for his mask construction. He designs and constructs the masks for his own performances as well as creates all of the sets, choreography, scripts and many of the costumes.
Internationally renowned in the puppetry field, and an award-winning performer, Hobey Ford is known for his excellence in puppetry performance and craft as well as his skill as a master storyteller. He designs and constructs all of his Golden Rod Puppets as well as the beautiful sets that surround them, and he performs his original works all over the world. His performances incorporate a variety of puppetry styles: Bunraku, rod marionettes, Foamies and shadow puppetry.
Hobey has received the highest awards for his brilliant and priceless contributions to the world of puppetry: two-time winner of puppetry’s highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, recipient of three Jim Hensen Foundation grants and The Hermitage Fellowship.
He tours a number of family and student performances as well as conducts community, student and teacher workshops. Mr. Ford tours one performance per tour.
Scott Ainslie is a traditional acoustic Blues singer, guitarist, historian and songwriter with personal roots in the Civil Rights era and a great affection for cross-cultural exchange. He is a powerful musician, a fine singer and a masterful storyteller. Peppered with humor and stories, Ainslie’s teaching concerts help students and teachers learn to listen for the musical building blocks that continue to influence the music they hear all around them today – contemporary Rock, Bluegrass, Country, Gospel, Metal, R & B, and Hip-Hop.
Children’s theater
Songs and Stories Around the World: Global Awareness and Tolerance
Multicultural and thematic music & dance performances
Goowin’s Balloowins” brings stories to life with student actors and balloon costumes, scenery, and props.
Anti-bullying and character education
Harmonic blend of Irish stories, enhanced by music and song
James Bruchac was raised in the Adirondack foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York. A member of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, and eldest son of Abenaki and Adirondack storyteller Joseph Bruchac III, James grew up immersed in the natural world, storytelling and native culture.
James has both authored and co-authored books for all ages. Children’s books include How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, Turtle’s Race with Beaver, Rabbit’s Snow Dance, Raccoon’s Last Race, When the Chenoo Howls and Native American Games and Stories. General public titles include Scats and Tracks of the Northeast, Scats and Tracks of the Southeast, and Scats and Tracks of the Mid-Atlantic. James also co-authored The Girl Who Helped Thunder, an anthology of Native American tales. James is a member and former president of the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. Upcoming releases include Kids in the Woods, James Bruchac’s Animal Tracking Adventure Guide, James Bruchac’s Woodland Survival Tips and The Stories He Tells, the Story of Joseph Bruchac.
As a professional storyteller James has shared stories at hundreds of schools and libraries across the country. Whether telling an interactive animal story or a monster tale, he keeps listeners of all ages on the edge of their seats as well as part of the action. James has performed at many festivals, museums including the Smithsonian Discovery Theater (Washington DC), the Corn Island Storytelling Festival (KY), Noble Tales Festival and the Connor Prairie Museum (IN), Indian Summer and Riverbend Festivals (WI), The Boston Children’s Museum and the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum (MA), the Hudson River Clearwater Festival, the Noteworthy Indian Museum, and The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake (NY). James and other members of his family were featured on the PBS special Adirondack Storytellers (WMHT/PBS).
As a naturalist and outdoor educator James has conducted tracking and wilderness survival-based research in all corners of the United States and Lower Canada. He has also traveled to places such as West Africa and Central America and continues his work with John Stokes and The Tracking Project in Corales, New Mexico. James is a graduate of the Tracking Project’s “Nurturing The Roots Community Mentor Program.” James’ tracking & wilderness programs include a variety of learning experiences: primitive and modern survival techniques, animal tracking, appreciation of the natural world, and Native uses of natural resources among other things.
I love to share with young people the process of illustrating books. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many schools with great responses and rave reviews. Teachers and students alike have said that my presentations are “inspiring, lively and engaging.”
