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Season 9 of Wheaton Family Theatre Series. Wheaton Family Theatre Series Season 9: October, 2023 through May, 2024 Past programs: InterAct Story Theatre Presents An Encore Performance! Not My Monkey October 7, 2023 and October 8, 2023 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. Everything's topsy-turvy under the big top in InterAct Story Theatre's NOT MY MONKEY . The new circus leader is trying her best to lead her zany crew of circus folk, but there’s a new problem every time she turns around, and no one wants to pitch in or even try to get along. "Not my circus, not my monkeys!" they say. To make matters worse, the monkeys have broken loose and are wreaking havoc everywhere! How can everyone work together to catch those monkeys, when no one thinks it’s their problem to solve? And how can the community work together to stop the monkey madness? Everyone in the audience gets into the act right from where they’re sitting, becoming part of the community of performers and townspeople who need to tackle this hair-raising problem. Best for ages 5 & up. Luis Garay: The Passion and Inspiration of the Drum November 4, 2023 and November 5, 2023 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. Luis Garay’s South American, Caribbean, and African rhythms is a highly educational and entertaining musical journey, introducing the audience to many exotic instruments such as the balofone, djembe, and talking drum, and also to the more familiar congas, bongos, timbales, and drum set. The audience participates throughout the performance as they learn to clap authentic rhythms from different cultures. Best for ages 4 and up. A Family Literacy Fiesta with InterAct's Ali Oliver-Krueger Books Alive January 20, 2024 and January 21, 2024 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. This January, celebrate the start of the New Year as InterAct Story Theatre’s Artistic Director, Ali Oliver-Krueger leads kids and adults in exploring a favorite folk tale together through movement, drama, and song. Everyone’s a part of the story in this Family Arts Workshop! Best for ages 3 and up. Dancing Our Way Through Books led by Kelly King February 10, 2024 and February 11, 2024 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. Join Kelly King, InterAct Story Theatre teaching artist and founder of Contradiction Dance Theatre and The Movement Movement as we'll explore a kid-friendly folk tale through creative movement and dance. Kids get to practice reading skills while moving, dancing, and sharing stories with our families and friends. No prior dance training needed...just bring your body and get ready to move. What a fun way to dance away the winter blues! Best for ages 3 and up. The Monster at the End of this Play by Sculpted Clay Productions March 2, 2024 and March 3, 2024 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. A spooky forest. A mysterious letter. The worst villains in all of Fairytale Land. What could possibly go wrong? "The Monster at the End of This Play" is a lighthearted and humorous exploration of how the things we don't understand are not always as scary as they seem. Best for ages 5 and up. The Monsters of Seahorse Island World Premiere of a Brand New Play by InterAct Story Theatre! April 13, 2024 and April 14, 2024 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. The people of Seahorse Island and the people of the Kingdom under the ocean have been at odds for longer than anyone can remember, but why? And what happens when worlds collide? This thoughtful and funny play includes lots of audience participation and is best for ages 5 & up. Mail List KidStory Theatre Festival A theatrical celebration of stories written by kids for kids May 18, 2024 and May 19, 2024 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. All year long, InterAct Story Theatre artists create stories with kids, and invite them to share their epic stories with us. This May, we’re choosing some of our favorite stories written by kids over the years, as we present a series of short plays and stories performed by our InterActors. We can’t wait to see what kids dream up each year! Best for ages 4 and up. Season 6 Season 5 Season 4 Season 3 Season 2 Season 1 To keep up on the latest news about InterAct’s Wheaton Family Theatre Series Season 10 and get reminders about our next program dates, join our mailing list . We also invite you to check out our past seasons by clicking on any of the season buttons! < Back to Community Page Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10

Khaleshia Thorpe-Price As an artist, she co-wrote A Journey with Jazz, an interactive performance experience for young audiences, for the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts. She perform in this production with the Wolf Trap Jazz Trio. She has served as the host for the Music Box Family Concert Series with members of the BSO at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and has directed performances in the Folger Shakespeare Children's Festival. She has worked in arts education since 2000. As a teaching artist, she has facilitated residencies and workshops for children and adults for many arts organizations including Wolf Trap, Arena Stage, Young Playwrights Theater, Young Audiences of Maryland, Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare Theater Company and M-NCPP. As an arts manager, she as coordinated workshops and residencies for thousands of students and educators in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. She has partnered with many organizations including the United States Department of State, the National Portrait Gallery, and ZERO to THREE to provide unique arts learning experiences for all ages. In addition, she has managed enrichment and academic afterschool programs for D.C. Public Schools. She earned an MA in Arts Management from the University of Central Florida and a BA in Theater Arts from Morgan State University. Drama Stories on Stage Back

Tom Teasley Tom Teasley, described in the Washington Post as “a multi-instrumental genius,” maintains a unique career as a solo percussionist, composer, and collaborator. He is a Drummie Award winner for “World Percussionist of the Year by Drum! Magazine. Tom is a multi Helen Hayes Theatre Award recipient for outstanding sound design (nominations in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2019). Tom tours frequently worldwide, performing and presenting clinics for the instrument companies he endorses, including Yamaha, Vic Firth, Sabian, Remo, and Gon Bops. His educational book /DVD, An American Approach to World Percussion, is published by Alfred Publishing. Tom is a five-time WAMA (Washington Area Music Award) World Music Instrumentalist of the Year. A six-time recipient of a Fulbright-Hayes grant for performances in the Middle East, Tom collaborated with indigenous musicians and gave historic performances by invitation of U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Samoa, Oman, and Jerusalem. He has been an artist-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Tom has collaborated with the National Symphony as both a soloist and composer. As an international collaborator, he has performed by invitation in Europe, South America, New Zealand, Samoa, and Korea. Tom earned the Artist-of-the-year award from Young Audiences of Virginia for his creative and educational presentations. His CDs receive international airplay and acclaim. He has been the subject of numerous feature articles in Modern Drummer Downbeat and Drum! Magazines. World Music, Drumming Teaching & Performing Artist Back

Hansin Arvind Performing Artist Back

Evan Simon Performing Artist Back

Evan Simon Performing Artist Back

InterAct Story Theatre’s arts education programs are going online and into the virtual classroom! Interactive performances, school programs, and community programs presented online through virtual/online platforms. InterAct Online Scroll Down Interactive online programs for the virtual classroom or virtual stage InterAct Story Theatre’s arts education programs are going online and into the virtual classroom! Looking for ways to keep students engaged in the virtual classroom or at home? Seeking out online programming that makes classroom learning more interactive? On the hunt for culturally responsive arts education options, or teaching artists with expertise in working with students with varied abilities, students with Limited English Proficiency, and students who just need to be active...even when they’re sitting in front of a Chromebook? Look no further! InterAct is here to help! In response to requests from educators and parents, we’ve been adapting a lot of our workshops, residencies, and performances for virtual/online instruction! Available Online! Look for the box saying “Available Online!” next to program titles. And if you don’t see what you’re looking for, ask us about designing a program just for you and your students! One of our favorite things to do is to design programs with our partners...in fact, many of the programs you see on our website were originally designed in response to requests by parents, teachers, and kids. All programming is designed from a framework of Universal Design for Learning and creating child-centered, child-driven arts learning activities. Contact us or fill out our response form to talk with us about how InterAct can design or present a virtual/online program for your school or community. Virtual/online offerings available include: InterAct in the Community Performances & Assembly Programs Arts Education & Arts Integration: Classroom Workshops Arts Education & Arts Integration: Artist-in-Residence Programs Out of School Time Programs Staff Workshops & Training Professional Development Residencies Parent-Child Workshops and Family Literacy Events AND we’re cooking up some new and creative online programs—including new versions of some of our interactive plays—so check back with us or join our mailing list to stay in the loop with the latest information! < Back to InterAct in the Community

Master Classes, Clinics, and Lecture-Demonstrations for Performing Arts Students and Developing Artists Clinics & Master Classes When they are not teaching, many InterAct Story Theatre artists are creating artistic work and performing professionally with respected companies throughout the region. Several of our artists are directors of their own arts companies, and have won recognition and awards for their craft. A masterclass or clinic with an InterAct Story Theatre master artist can be a great way to help your arts students move forward, provide real-world professional insight and feedback on student work, or to pursue specific skills and topics in your theatre, music, or dance classes. For more information about specific topics, or to inquire into artist availability for master classes and clinics, please contact us or request more info ! REQUEST MORE INFO Sample Master Classes, Clinics, and Lecture-Demonstrations for Performing Arts Students and Developing Artists Master Class leaders and clinicians, and their areas of expertise: Kelly King , dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Contradiction Dance and co-founder of The Movement Movement: choreography, modern dance Ali Oliver-Krueger , Executive/Artistic Director of InterAct Story Theatre: vocal music, theatre, acting/actor coaching, directing, audition preparation for actors and singers, playwriting, theatre management/arts administration. Tom Teasley , award-winning composer, world musician, and percussionist: world music, percussion, combining digital looping with live performance. Emily Townsend , Artistic Administrator, Literary Manager, and Resident Dramaturg of InterAct Story Theatre: dramaturgy, theatre criticism < Back to InterAct in Schools

Ashton Schaffer Drama Teaching & Performing Artist Back

Marshal Bailey Marshall Bailey (he/him) is a teaching artist and actor. At Salisbury University he studied both theatre performance and ecosystem biology. Shortly thereafter, he began doubling as a Teaching Artist and Education Coordinator for Compass Rose Theater. As both an educator and administrator, Marshall strives to make meaningful connections with his community by giving people the tools to explore their creativity and discover who they are. In addition to his work with InterAct Story Theatre, Marshall’s broad range of credits include performing, directing, teaching, arts administration, and technical production with such companies as Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, Compass Rose Theatre, Drama Learning Center, and others. He hopes to one day bring together his passion for environmental stewardship and theatre craft to create a new form of theatre to help audiences build an empathetic relationship with nature. Teaching & Performing Artist Back

World Music and Dance World Music & Dance InterAct has enchanted audiences for years with our story theatre productions, plays and storytelling performances. As we begin our fourth decade of arts for young audiences, we're celebrating the talents of our wonderful teaching artists and adding programs in Music, Dance and Multidisciplinary/Hybrid performances. We'll be adding more programs soon! Drumming Through Time and Across Cultures with Tom Teasley (programs for grades PreK-12) Available Online! Join award-winning composer and world percussionist Tom Teasley on a unique journey through the history of percussion from around the world! Audiences travel the Silk Road from Italy to China and follow the Sugar Trade Route from Africa to the Americas. This program for all ages combines ancient instruments with the most recent advances in music technology, including digital looping. Audiences are captivated as Tom creates and records performances in real time, layering elements to create virtual percussion ensembles of up to five “performers”. Described in the Washington Post as “a percussionist in the widest and most exuberant sense of the word”, Tom is a two-time recipient of the Helen Hayes Theatre Award for Outstanding Sound Design and a three-time recipient of a Fulbright-Hayes grant for performances in the Middle East. For more information Contact us or request more info . < Back to InterAct in Schools

Bobtail BONG BONG: A Monkey's Tale Click Here to read the review by Theatre Bloom Five Stars! October 29, 2019 “It’s quite the experience, an honestly beautiful learning endeavor that engages young audiences while they think they’re having nothing but fun and games in this great theatrical show. Bobtail Bong Bong: A Monkey’s Tail Tale is the exact theatrical experience InterAct Story Theatre has been attempting to achieve in years of late, and this new highly immersive and involved format is really working toward their overall company mission.” < Back to Press