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Since our founding in 1981, InterAct Story Theatre has been dedicated to providing quality performances, arts-infused workshops and artist-in-residency programs for students, teachers and families throughout our region and across the country. About Us Scroll Down Our Core Values Our Vision and Our Mission Arts are for everyone, and everyone learns through the arts! InterAct Story Theatre is a theatre for young audiences and multidisciplinary arts-in-education organization based in Wheaton, Maryland, an urban district just outside of Washington, DC. Our mission is to create meaningful, accessible, interactive theatre and arts learning experiences for kids and the people who love them--especially to those who experience economic, social, or geographic barriers to equitable arts access. We believe that every kid, every grown-up, everywhere deserves great theatre, whether or not you can get to a theatre building. We believe that everyone, everywhere can learn and grow through artistic creation and exploration. And we believe that the arts help foster communication and understanding in our communities, because the arts help us express our ideas, our hopes, our emotions and our experiences when words alone are not enough. We create and produce original theatre for young audiences (professional artists performing for children, youth, families, and communities); present arts programming in our local community; and design and implement innovative, engaging, effective theatre and arts-based educational programs for all ages and stages. In our educational work, we are dedicated to providing quality performances, arts-infused workshops and artist-in-residency programs for students, teachers and families throughout our region and across the country. As experts in arts education and arts integration, InterAct is committed to producing arts programs with artistic integrity and direct relevance to the educational objectives of the schools and community organizations we serve. Our merry band of performers and teaching artists weave their artistry in theatre and drama, music, dance, creative opera and filmmaking with content curricula for students and teachers of all ages. InterAct Story Theatre creates performances and arts learning opportunities for all ages in: Drama and Theatre Applied Theatre Playwriting and Devising Improv for Actors Music Creative Opera Dance Creative Movement Media Arts and Technology Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Arts Our work at InterAct Story Theatre—on stage, in the community, in the classroom, and behind the scenes, are driven by these core values: Arts are for everyone, and everyone learns through the arts People above things Be open, be transparent, be inclusive Compassion and respect above all Humans treating Humans like Humans Statement on Equity, Justice, and Inclusion: InterAct Story Theatre believes in equity, justice, and inclusion for all. We believe our work is stronger by the many voices, perspectives, and experiences we bring to the organization and the field. We actively welcome and include all people regardless of race, socioeconomic class, color, national origin, religion, diverse perspectives, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, neurological or physical ability, veteran status, legal status, or education level. InterAct Story Theatre Company Members Hansin Arvind Performing Artist Kelly King Teaching & Performing Artist Dance Penny Russell Teaching & Performing Artist Puppetry Steve Wolf Design & Publications Manager Drama, Visual Arts Jordan Brown Performing Artist Nancy Krebs Teaching & Performing Artist Music Tom Teasley Teaching & Performing Artist World Music, Drumming Tierra Burke Performing Artist Marian Licha Teaching & Performing Artist Drama, Storytelling Khaleshia Thorpe-Price Stories on Stage Drama Hannah Fogler Teaching & Performing Artist Ali Oliver-Krueger Executive Artistic Director Drama, Music, Opera, Storytelling, Puppetry Emily Townsend Artistic Administrator and Literary Manager Creative Drama, Dramaturgy, Devising Lenore Blank Kelner Founder Drama, Creative Drama Pete Oliver-Krueger CTO / Technical Director Theatrical & Product Design, Multimedia Design Erica Washington Teaching & Performing Artist Anchor 1

Arts are for everyone ... and everyone learns through the arts! InterAct Story Theatre is a multidisciplinary arts-in-education organization and touring theatre for young audiences. InterAct Story Theatre Arts are for everyone, and everyone learns through the arts! interacting with our communities local performances, family workshops and community events interacting with students & learners arts education and arts integration programs for students and teachers interacting online interactive performances, school programs and community programs presented through virtual/online platforms January 10 & 11, 2026! Wheaton Family Theatre Series CLICK HERE to View Season 11! Dancing Our Way Through Books led by Kelly King Saturday, January 10 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, January 10, 2026 at 2 p.m. For kids & families 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 story 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. New * Now * Next • Stay Tuned! We're busily planning for this fall and the 2025-2026 school year. Please continue to check this website for new Information. • Interested in bringing InterAct Story Theatre to your school or community event? We’re selecting now for classes and events. Click here for information on KidStory Theatre , our annual May stage festival and drama-based writing program celebrating stories written by kids for kids! • Wheaton Family Theatre Series welcomes Kelly King on Jan. 10 & 11, 2026 for Season 11 with FREE events for kids & families! • Follow us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter to stay up to date on the latest info!

InterAct Story Theatre’s Wheaton Family Theatre Series is a free, monthly performing arts series that runs each year fall through spring. Season 11 of Wheaton Family Theatre Series. Scroll Down Wheaton Family Theatre Series Season 11: 2025—2026 To keep up on the latest news about InterAct’s Wheaton Family Theatre Series Season 11 and get reminders about our next program dates, join our mailing list . We also invite you to check out our past seasons 1—10 by clicking on any of the season buttons! Season 11 Season 10 Season 8 Season 7 Season 6 Season 5 Season 4 Season 3 Season 2 Season 1 < Back to Community Page Season 9 The Wheaton Family Theatre Series is a FREE public performing arts series for kids and families celebrating the rich diversity of our arts community. In season 11 of InterAct Story Theatre's Wheaton Family Theatre Series will present a series of interactive family events, for the Wheaton community, in theatre, dance, storytelling and world music completely FREE to the public! Thanks to the partnership support of Highland Elementary School and support from a plethora of community members; and funding from Maryland State Arts Council, Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and individual and corporate donors. Dancing Our Way Through Books led by Kelly King Saturday, January 10 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 2 p.m. 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 story 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. A Family Literacy Fiesta with InterAct's Ali Oliver-Krueger Books Alive Saturday, February 7 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 2 p.m. Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. This February, 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. InterAct Story Theatre's Jewel the Great Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 2 p.m. Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. A new play for elementary school audiences about positive and negative attention-seeking behaviors and grappling with identity. Jewel is new to the small mountain town of Highview, where she struggles to fit in and make a name for herself. How can she get everyone to see her the way she wants to be seen? And what can she do when nothing seems to work, and everything she tries seems to blow up and make things worse? Students in the audience participate right from their seats, becoming members of Jewel’s community and helping Jewel along the way with problem solving. This fun and heartwarming play connects with social emotional competencies related to Self-Awareness and Social Awareness, and the character education pillars of Respect and Responsibility. Best for ages 5 and up. TAHIRA The Storyteller Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 2 p.m. Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. TAHIRA isn’t just a performer; she’s a tapestry artist, intricately weaving tales and melodies into experiences that ignite hearts and minds. TAHIRA’s high-energy performances are more than entertainment; they’re journeys of human brilliance revealed through laughter, tears, and the unifying power of music. With every song and story, she champions the arts as a catalyst for social change, lighting the way to a brighter future. All ages. KidStory Theatre Festival A theatrical celebration of stories written by kids for kids Saturday, May 16 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 2 p.m. 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, 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. Past programs: InterAct Story Theatre's Encore Performance Bobtail Bong Bong A Monkey's Tale Saturday, October 18 & Sunday, October 19, 2025 Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. Bob the Monkey is the smartest monkey in the land, and they want everyone to know it! Bob the Monkey wants what they want and they want it NOW! But...why is everyone mad at Bob? Bob didn’t do anything! In this interactive forum theatre experience for kids and families, audiences follow Bob’s madcap misadventures and help Bob figure out where they went wrong and got in trouble monkeying around. Led by InterAct Story Theatre’s Artistic Director Ali Oliver-Krueger, audience members make suggestions about how Bob could do things differently, and watch Bob and friends role play out their ideas. Can Bob flip the script and turn things around? Can Bob make things better by making better choices? Does it work? What happens next? Best for ages 4 and up. Happy Theater: The Light House Saturday, November 15 at 11 a.m. & Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 2 p.m. Event held at Highland Elementary School - 3100 Medway Street, Wheaton, MD 20902 FREE and open to the public! No tickets or registration needed. An interactive storytelling show with shadow puppets. On an island in a faraway sea, a little girl tends a lighthouse and never ever smiles…Until one day, when she must set out for the horizon beyond the sea! With live ukulele tunes, a ticklish octopus, and a little help from the audience, this interactive shadow puppetry tale celebrates kindness, magic adventures, and friendship. Inspired by the artist’s collection of lighthouses, this show by Happy Theater is about finding your own light, and how your light can help even faraway friends through a hard time. Best for ages 4 and up. Mail List

Tina Canady Tina Canady is a black, queer theater artist. Since earning her BFA in drama from NYU, Tina has worked with several theaters across Baltimore, including Single Carrot Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, and Submersive Productions, LLC, where she serves as an artistic associate. Tina is passionate about creating new works, arts integration and continuing to cultivate her black joy! When she's not performing or teaching, she can usually be found playing board games, laughing or buying new wacky socks! Drama Teaching & Performing Artist Back

Every year, all year long, InterAct Story Theatre artists create stories with students, and invite students to share their epic stories with us. Each May, we choose the best of the best and transform them into short plays, musical numbers, and vignettes performed by professional actors as part of our KidStory Theatre Festival event. We can’t wait to see what kids dream up this school year! KidStory Theatre Our annual May stage festival and drama-based writing program celebrating stories written by kids for kids! Every year, all year long, InterAct Story Theatre artists create stories with students, and invite them to share their epic stories with us. Each May, we choose the best of the best and transform them into short plays, musical numbers, and vignettes performed by professional actors as part of our KidStory Theatre Festival event. Your class can participate in a set of arts integrated creative drama workshops in which we create short stories and plays about the curriculum you are already teaching! REQUEST MORE INFO How can my school participate in a KidStory Workshop? Click the Request More Info button or contact us at info@interactstory.com or (301) 879-9305 about bringing our KidStory Theatre creative drama-based writing workshops to your school. Before the workshops, we’ll ask your teachers about the curriculum content/topics/themes you would like us to explore with your students. The minimum number of workshops is two sessions per classroom, with a two classroom minimum. We are now scheduling workshops with classes in grades preK-8... if your school or class is interested in participating, please contact us! Subsidies are available thanks to our generous funders at the Nora Roberts Foundation, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Between October - April, InterAct’s teaching artists lead participating classes in a collaborative, creative drama-based writing process to create and dramatize a story rooted in the topic(s) or text(s) you’ve given us. Our process is designed to connect with grade-level content standards and National Arts Standards in Theatre. The project can also be designed to meet standards in other subject areas. In the spring, we select our favorite stories. These stories are transformed into short plays and musical numbers to be performed by professional actors at the Annual KidStory Theatre Festival in May! REQUEST MORE INFO We can’t wait to see what kids dream up each school year! < Back to InterAct in Schools

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 11 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 11 Season 10

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

Arts Education & Arts Integration: Classroom Workshops. Early Childhood. Available Online! EARLY CHILDHOOD These are just a sampling of the many workshops we do for early childhood populations each year. All of these workshops can be expanded into a 2-, 3- or 4-day classroom residency . Providing children repeated exposure to arts-integrated learning experiences can help build and reinforce literacy skills and a host of developmental skills. Stick with one art form to create a deeper, sequentially structured learning experience or mix and match workshops to give your students a variety of arts experiences. The choice is yours! REQUEST MORE INFO Arts Education & Arts Integration: Classroom Workshops We are constantly designing new workshops! In fact, most of the workshops you see here were originally designed because someone asked us, "Hey, InterAct...can you do a workshop on ___________ to address __________ objective?" WE LOVE THIS. It's really our favorite thing to do. The answer is almost always, "Sure. Let's put our heads together and see what we can create!" So, if you would like an arts integration experience for your students that you don't see here, please contact us or request more info so we can design something for you! Music & Creative Opera Grades PreK-1 SONGBUILDING Students sing songs and even create an original song together as they are introduced to various musical instruments and musical styles. This workshop is led by veteran InterActor Nancy Krebs. Maximum 50 students (2 classes) for each 30-minute session. Grades PreK-1 LET'S SING A STORY Students explore a book or folktale through music, drama and movement. This workshop is led by InterAct's General Artistic Director Ali Oliver-Krueger or a staff artist trained in creative opera techniques. With advance notice, we can tailor a workshop to meet your specific theme, content area or curricular objective. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 30-minute session. Grades PreK-2 A MUSICAL JOURNEY TO WEST AFRICA A taste of West African culture is explored thorough games, dances and songs. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 30-minute session. Dance Grades PreK-2 Available Online! DANCING OUR WAY THROUGH BOOKS An InterAct dance artist leads students in a movement experience rooted in age-appropriate children's literature or multicultural folk tales. This dynamic approach to reading comprehension and emerging literacy also gives students a chance to practice locomotor and non-locomotor movement, personal space, and gross-motor skills. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 30-45-minute session. Grades PreK-2 Available Online! DANCING THROUGH THE CURRICULUM Let us design a workshop to fit your theme, content area, or curricular topic! Drama Grades PreK-1 Available Online! STORY CAN THEATRE Students are mesmerized as they observe a story brought to life with miniatures and toys. The students then dramatize scenes from the story. The workshop stresses oral language and emergent literacy skills. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 30-minute session. Grades PreK-2 Available Online! BOOKS ALIVE Books come to life as students explore an age-appropriate children's book or folktale in this literature-based creative drama experience designed to promote literacy skills, comprehension, and oral language skills. Note: Books Alive workshops can be developed to connect with almost any theme or curriculum area, with advance notice and planning time. Please contact us for more information! Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 30-45-minute session. Grades PreK-2 Available Online! BOOKS + MATH = DRAMA Students learn fundamental math skills through this literature-based creative drama workshop. With advance notice, workshops can be designed to meet a specific math indicator or benchmark. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 30-45-minute session. Grades PreK-2 Available Online! DRAMA BY DESIGN: CURRICULUM-BASED DRAMA WORKSHOPS Let us design a workshop to fit your theme, content area, or curricular topic! Early Childhood Elementary School Middle & High School Students < Back to InterAct in Schools

Penny Russell Penny Russell has worked as a writer, director and performer with the Blue Sky Puppet Theatre since 1994. She performs with Good Life Theatre, with whom she just completed a three year run at Wolf Trap, and sings with the Swing Set Trio and the Roland Cumberland Orchestra. Past performing credits include Bread and Puppet Theater, The Other Opera Company, Adventure Theatre and The Puppet Company at Glen Echo. Penny has worked as a director and performer for Seize the Day: Mixed Abilities Performance, Quest 4 Arts, Camp Jabberwocky on Martha's Vineyard, Camp Tulgey Wood on Nantucket, and the Iona Community in Scotland. In addition to teaching and performing with InterAct Story Theatre, Penny is a teaching artist with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts and with ArtsStream. Puppetry Teaching & Performing Artist Back

Kelly King For over 10 years, Kelly has worked with teachers and students on adaptive movement bringing dance to all types of students. She has founded three dance programs, including the CityDance Center at Strathmore (2004) and Contradiction Dance (2007), led countless professional development workshops for educators nationwide, consulted for the DC Collaborative for the Arts and Humanities (2006-2008), and served St. Mary’s College of Maryland teaching all levels of improvisation, composition, jazz and modern dance (2006-2009). Currently, Kelly teaches beginners through professional levels of dance to students ranging from pre-school to senior citizens, including adults with disabilities. She also leads Moving Dialogues workshops to engage and empower non-dancers in the artistic process through their own writing and movement. As a trainer in arts integration, she also leads workshops designed to create the next generation of master educators. Dance Teaching & Performing Artist Back

Meet Our Team: Tina Canady We’re so proud of our community of artists who share their skills and talents with InterAct Story Theatre and the communities we serve! Although we can’t gather together and do what we love—performing and creating fabulous art with kids, families, teachers, and community members—we want to take a few moments to celebrate some of the amazing people who make up our merry band of artists and educators. Today, we feature the wonderful and talented TINA CANADY! Meet TINA! Tina Canady is a black, queer theater artist. Since earning her BFA in drama from NYU, Tina has worked with several theaters across Baltimore, including Single Carrot Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, and Submersive Productions, LLC, where she serves as an artistic associate. Tina is passionate about creating new works, arts integration and continuing to cultivate her black joy! When she's not performing or teaching, she can usually be found playing board games, laughing or buying new wacky socks! 1. What do you love the most about working as a teaching artist? I love sharing my passion for theater making and creative expression. As someone who struggled academically, the arts allowed me to not only feel successful or “smart,” but it created a space for me to be myself. 2. Do you enjoy teaching or performing more? That’s so hard! But I think performing because that’s when I feel the most alive. 3. What is your favorite grade to work with? Early childhood! Early childhood classes leave me inspired because there is consistently a sense of novelty. The students are fearless in their pursuit of joy and self expression. And they remind me how to access parts of myself that too, feel wondrous, magical and limitless. 4. What have you learned from the teachers in the schools you’ve visited as an InterAct teaching and performing artist? Teachers do not get enough credit for the work they do! They create and maintain structure for these kids all while making learning enjoyable and that’s no small task! 5. Favorite story your students have created in class? I had one class create an extension about Anansi, a trickster spider that played tricks on other animals by using a magic flying carpet. That was pretty epic. 6. Favorite moment with a student/young audience member? In InterAct’s touring show “Not My Monkey!”, I played Delia the Dazzler, a bearded lady who sang an awesome song about loving yourself and accepting yourself. And I will never forget the first time an audience full of K-6th graders started singing along with me as they celebrated Delia in all of her beauty. As a queer artist, you don’t always get the opportunity to show up to work with your whole self and that was definitely a moment of pure joy and wholeness. 7. Favorite Children’s Book? I was obsessed with any book about the Berenstein bears. I’ve collected over like 70 of their books! So hard to pick a favorite! I'll say The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food because I loved to snack! 8. Must-have Quarantine snack? Brownies with vanilla ice cream. 9. Favorite Self-Care Activity? Meditating outside. 10. Something you can’t wait to do when social distancing is over? Visiting my mom and giving her a hug! 11. Dream Role? Hmm, I’m not sure because I can’t even begin to imagine the wondrous roles yet to be written! 12. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned this year as a teaching and performing artist for InterAct? One of the biggest takeaways I have as an InterAct teaching and performing artist has to do with the intersection of where preparation meets humanity. InterAct has prepared me to facilitate workshops in an academic environment while still encouraging me to bring my humanity to the classroom. I work with a vast variety of kids and they always come with goodwill and their own unique perspectives and my hope is to bring structured lesson plans and poses the flexibility necessary to bask in our shared humanness and just have fun!

Hansin Arvind Performing Artist Back