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Season 5 of Wheaton Family Theatre Series. Wheaton Family Theatre Series Season 5: October, 2019 through February, 2020 Season 6 Season 11 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 5 Season 9 Season 10 Bobtail BONG BONG: A Monkey’s Tale October 2019 In this interactive forum theatre experience for kids and families, audiences follow Bob the Monkey’s madcap misadventures and help Bob figure out where they went wrong and got in trouble monkeying around. 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? Kofi Dennis & Performing Arts Center for African Culture November 2019 In honor of beloved InterAct Story Theatre Artist and Ghanaian Master Drummer Kwame Ansah-Brew, join Kofi Dennis and members of Performing Arts Center For African Cultures (PACAC) as they bring an exciting morning of rhythms, dances, and songs representing a variety of cultures across Africa. All ages. Preposterous! A Happenstance Clown Circus December 2019 InterAct Story Theatre welcomes back our friends from Happenstance Theater as these charming vintage clowns play circus animals, sing as a human calliope, do a classic circus mirror routine, invent a number of ridiculous “entrées,” perform live music, and execute a preposterous slow motion number involving a pie! All ages. Literacy Fiesta! January & February 2020 In our Literacy Fiesta programs, kids and adults are part of the story as we celebrate books and stories through drama, music, movement and dance! Join us and leave those winter blues behind! Add to Mailing List

Season 2 of Wheaton Family Theatre Series Wheaton Family Theatre Series Season 2: October, 2016 through May, 2017 The Legend of Pufferfish Pat: A Tall Tale For Mad Times October 2016 A brand new tall tale looking at how we deal with anger and other big feelings. The play is performed by three actors who become a variety of characters, with the whole audience becoming cowpokes and townspeople. Kwame Ansah-Brew and Fritete Drum and Dance Ensemble November 2016 An exciting morning of rhythms, dances, songs, and chants with a clear mission of representing various ethnic groupings in Africa! All ages. Cantaré ¡Feliz Navidad! A Latin American Holiday Celebration December 2016 Enjoy songs and stories from Latin American holiday traditions: villancicos from the Andes, festejos from Peru, parrandas from Puerto Rico, African chants from Brazil, Hanukkah songs from Spain and more! All ages. A Journey Around the World through Music March 2017 Celebrate Music in Our Schools Month with Tom Teasley, award-winning percussionist, world musician and composer. An inspiring cross-cultural musical journey around the world, weaving ancient musical traditions with modern technology. Silly Smarts and Other Stories from Japan April 2017 Ali Oliver-Krueger, Artistic Director of InterAct Story Theatre, will join us for a special interactive performance of Mama-San Stories, weaving stories from her Japanese-American childhood with traditional Japanese mukashibanashi (Long-Ago Stories) in this funny and heart-warming east-meets-west story theatre experience. KidStory Theatre Festival May 2017 A theatrical celebration of stories written by kids for kids! All year long, InterAct Story Theatre artists create stories with kids, and invite kids 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 our InterActors. We can’t wait to see what kids dream up each year! Best for ages 3 and up. Season 6 Season 5 Season 4 Season 3 Season 11 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 2 Season 9 Season 10

Arts Education & Arts Integration: Classroom Workshops. Elementary School. Available Online! ELEMENTARY SCHOOL These are just a sampling of the many arts-integrated workshops we do each year. All of these workshops can be expanded into a 2-, 3- or 4-day classroom residency in which the students explore the content area in depth through the arts. This allows us to provide a sequentially structured arts learning experience so we can really maximize student learning and create a deeper, more meaningful arts experience. 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! Drama Grades PreK-5 Available Online! BOOKS ALIVE Books come to life as students explore age-appropriate text from children's literature or folklore through creative drama, and dramatize the text in their own words. Books Alive workshops can be designed to fit a variety of themes, topics, world cultures or curricular goals. Please contact us with your questions and ideas! Maximum 25-27 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Grades K-5 Available Online! RESPONSIVE PLAYMAKING & PLAYBUILDING Through a variety of creative drama and short-form devising techniques, participants investigate a text, theme or curriculum topic as artists, and then collaborate in devising a short story, drama, or theatre piece in the classroom (or virtual classroom!). This is a great way to foster collaboration, social emotional skills and 21st century skills through theatre while building content knowledge. Responsive Playmaking can also be booked as a residency with multiple sessions with or without a sharing or informal performance. All stories are submitted for InterAct’s annual KidStory Theatre Festival, a celebration of stories written by kids for kids...and the best of the best are performed by professional actors at our festival in May!. The workshops are modified for varying grade levels. Maximum 25-27 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Grades 4-5 Available Online! A VISIT TO A COLONIAL VILLAGE The classroom is transformed into a colonial village as students take on their roles as colonists, each with a colonial occupation. Students learn and share information in-role about their occupations and display their wares in this fun and informative creative drama experience. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 60-minute session. Grades 4-8 Available Online! GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY Students explore mythology, the gods of Olympus, and the some of the cultural influences behind Greek and Roman mythology. Maximum 25-27 students (1 class) for each 60-minute session. Grades 3-6 Available Online! TALL TALES: STORIES OF WESTWARD EXPANSION Tall Tales are exaggerated stories about the taming of America's West. Students dramatize key moments of a Tall Tale and explore its relationship to our nation’s growth. Maximum 25-27 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. DRAMA GAMES FOR THE SCIENTIFIC BRAIN Students build content knowledge and vocabulary through experimentation and drama gaming. The workshops are designed to meet specific benchmarks and indicators. Please contact us so we can design a workshop for you! Recent workshops have dealt with such topics as Motion and Force; Tectonic Plates and Earthquakes; The Digestive System; Atoms and Elements. Music & Creative Opera Grades 2-6 OPERABUILDING Students learn the basic elements of opera and explore how opera uses music and drama to tell a story. InterAct's General Director Ali Oliver leads students through this lyrical adventure. Maximum 25 students (1 class) per 60-minute session. Note: This innovative and exciting workshop can be expanded into OPERAtunities for Writing, a 3-5 day residency linking creative opera with Writing and Reading Literature or Reading Informational Text. Grades 3-8 SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF WEST AFRICA Students are introduced to the instruments and sounds of West African music. Students play instruments and learn chants and songs. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Grades 3-8 DRUM CIRCLE Students are given a hands-on multicultural experience by teaching them the basics of African palm drumming. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Dance Grades 2-6 OPERABUILDING Students learn the basic elements of opera and explore how opera uses music and drama to tell a story. InterAct's General Director Ali Oliver leads students through this lyrical adventure. Maximum 25 students (1 class) per 60-minute session. Note: This innovative and exciting workshop can be expanded into OPERAtunities for Writing, a 3-5 day residency linking creative opera with Writing and Reading Literature or Reading Informational Text. Grades 3-8 SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF WEST AFRICA Students are introduced to the instruments and sounds of West African music. Students play instruments and learn chants and songs. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Grades 3-8 DRUM CIRCLE Students are given a hands-on multicultural experience by teaching them the basics of African palm drumming. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Early Childhood Elementary School Middle & High School Students < Back to InterAct in Schools

Online Workshop Submission for MSAC review: Mr. Brown Can Moo! (for PREK SPED/PEP) Thank you for reviewing this online performance for addition to InterAct Story Theatre’s AiE Roster listing! InterAct Story Theatre has visiting performances for a wide range of educational and family audiences. About this workshop The first version of this workshop was originally designed for an summer school class with MCPS PEP preschool education program, for students age 4; the majority of students were largely nonverbal but who were engaged by song, simple puppets, and animals. This program was loosely inspired by the book “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?” While a video was taken of the workshop in the classroom as it occurred, only one family came to school on that day…we had a wonderful, fun session, but so that you can see workshop design more clearly, we have recreated the workshop with a mock audience. A technical rider outlining the program coordination and tech rehearsal process is uploaded here; in addition to this tech packet, partner organizations also receive an electronic parent-educator resource/study guide and a link to a feedback form. Our website is currently being updated so this information will be easily accessible online. CLICK HERE FOR TECHNICAL RIDER CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO RECREATION WITH MOCK AUDIENCE CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THE ONE CHILD WHO CAME TO SCHOOL ON WORKSHOP DAY

TWO WEEKENDS ONLY! In this interactive forum theatre experience for kids & families, help Bob the Monkey figure out where they got in trouble monkeying around. Led by 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. Best for ages 4 & up. MC Cultural Arts Center, Theatre II. 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910 #InterActStoryTheatre #interactstorytheatre Bobtail Bong Bong A Monkey's Tale Performance Dates! Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025: 1:30pm & 3:30pm Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025: 1:30pm & 3:30pm Plus a Field Trip Friday for school groups and home schoolers! Friday, Oct. 3, 2025: 10:30am & 12:30pm Children must be under the supervision of their parent or a responsible adult at all times. PURCHASE TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE Performed at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, Maryland! A play for kids and families. 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. PURCHASE TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE Directions to the MC Cultural Arts Center Mail List

Artist-in-Residence programs, or residencies, combine a series of workshops and a performance to create an in-depth arts-based learning experience for students and teachers. Available Online! Arts Education & Arts Integration: Artist-in-Residence Programs Artist-in-Residence programs, or residencies, combine a series of workshops and a performance to create an in-depth arts-based learning experience for students and teachers. As arts integration specialists, InterAct Story Theatre conducts many residencies each school year, connecting the arts with learning objectives in a variety of subjects in preK-12. The following pages list just a few sample residencies that we have conducted in the past. A number of these residencies were designed or adapted especially to suit the needs of the partner school. REQUEST MORE INFO Artist-in-Residence programs for students of all ages and their teachers Artist-in-Residence programs, or residencies, combine a series of workshops and a performance to create an in-depth arts-based learning experience for students and teachers As arts integration specialists, InterAct Story Theatre conducts many residencies each school year, connecting the arts with learning objectives in a variety of subjects in preK-12. The following pages list just a few sample residencies that we have conducted in the past. A number of these residencies were designed or adapted especially to suit the needs of the partner school. Interested in how an InterAct residency can infuse the arts into your learning objectives? Please contact us or request more info ! Sample Residencies Most of the residencies InterAct Story Theatre leads in schools and learning spaces are individually designed or adaptive residencies: We partner with teachers and schools to talk about what your goals are, and then design a residency to meet those needs. Here are just a few of the residencies InterAct has led recently connecting drama, dance, music and creative opera with content curricula. For more information, please contact us or fill out our response form ! Sample Early Childhood Residencies These are just some examples of residencies we’ve designed and implemented over the past few years. Contact us or request more info for any of these programs, or if you would like us to design something especially for your learning community! Available Online! Books Alive! - a creative drama approach to foster language and emerging literacy skills. Available Online! Responsive Playmaking: Creating Curriculum-Based Theatre in the Classroom - In this project-based residency, students explore a curriculum topic, a text or set of texts, a theme, or an event as actors and theatre-makers, and then work together to devise or create an original scene, drama, play, or story inspired by what they’ve learned. All stories, plays, scenes, and dramas created in this residency are submitted for consideration in InterAct Story Theatre’s KidStory Theatre Festival, a celebration of stories written for kids by kids...and the best of the best are performed by professional actors in the annual Festival! Available Online! Books + Math = Drama! - students explore selected math concepts through age-appropriate literature and creative drama. Available Online! Penny's Puppets - students build literacy skills and gain hands-on experience with different types of puppetry. Available Online! Creative Arts for Early Childhood - Mix and match among our many early childhood workshops to create a multidisciplinary arts residency for your students Available Online! Sing it! Dance it! Act it! - an exploration of a text through music, dance and drama. Available Online! Dancing Through the Rainforest - exploring the flora and fauna of the Amazon rainforest through dance and creative movement. Available Online! OPERAtunities for Reading - a creative opera residency designed for early childhood populations And more! Please contact us or fill out our response form for more details, or ask us how we can design a residency for you. Sample Residencies for Elementary School These are just some examples of residencies we’ve designed and implemented over the past few years. Contact us or request more info for any of these programs , or if you would like us to design something especially for your learning community! Available Online! Responsive Playmaking: Creating Curriculum-Based Theatre in the Classroom - In this project-based residency, students explore a curriculum topic, a text or set of texts, a theme, or an event as actors and theatre-makers, and then work together to devise or create an original scene, drama, play, or story inspired by what they’ve learned. All stories, plays, scenes, and dramas created in this residency are submitted for consideration in InterAct Story Theatre’s KidStory Theatre Festival, a celebration of stories written for kids by kids...and the best of the best are performed by professional actors in the annual Festival! Available Online! The Play's The Thing - This classic InterAct residency is based on one of our featured assembly programs. Students attend a performance of one of InterAct's featured plays, and then participate in creative drama workshops in which they explore the themes of the play. This residency connects with curriculum standards in Reading Literature, Writing, and Speaking & Listening as well as fine arts standards in Theatre. Available Online! Books Alive! - Students explore text through creative drama, and develop original scenes extending the themes/plot of the text. This residency can be adapted to connect with curriculum standards in Reading Literature or Reading Informational Text, as well as standards in Speaking & Listening, Writing, and Theatre. Available Online! The Folktales Project - Students explore select folkloric traditions, and develop their own folktale incorporating both elements of good story structure and conventions of folklore. Available Online! History Alive! - Students explore historical events through creative drama, in a process that enables students to develop more understanding for the human factor behind key historical events, people, movements and eras. Requires advance notice of topic and planning. Available Online! Reader's Theatre - A creative drama approach in which students develop and perform a readers' theatre script. Available Online! OPERAtunities for Writing - A creative opera residency designed to promote writing skills. Available Online! Playbuilding - An extended residency project in which students devise original performance pieces. Available Online! Creating a Colonial Village - Students examine appropriate text and data sources to explore colonial occupations, and then use acting tools and skills, technical theatre and design ideas, and simple craft materials to transform their classroom into a colonial village. And more! Please contact us or fill out our response form for more details, or ask us how we can design a residency for you. Sample Residencies for Middle and High School These are just some examples of residencies we’ve designed and implemented over the past few years. Contact us or request more info for any of these programs , or if you would like us to design something especially for your learning community! Available Online! Exploring Shakespeare's Themes - expanded from the single workshop to offer a more in-depth exploration of a select Shakespearean play. Available Online! The Underground Railroad and the Civil War - Students explore issues surrounding the Underground Railroad and Civil War through the creative drama strategy of tableaux. Available Online! The City Dionysia/Greek and Roman Mythology - Students explore Greek mythology and theatre through creative drama, tableaux, and theatrical design. Available Online! Novel OPERAtunities - students explore key thematic issues of a select novel and create original operatic arias or scenes in this residency designed to foster text-to-self connection and an understanding of character traits and motivations. Available Online! OPERAtunities to Make History - students explore key events and eras of history through creative opera. Available Online! Devising Original Theatre - an extended artist-in-residence program in which a teaching artist works with a group of students to develop and perform a short original piece. And more! Please contact us or request more info for details, or ask us how we can design a residency for you. < Back to InterAct in Schools

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 . Featured Plays Stories on Stage World Music Family Programs < Back to InterAct in Schools

Arts Education & Arts Integration: Classroom Workshops. Middle & High School. Available Online! MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL All of these workshops can be expanded into a 2-, 3- or 4-day classroom residency in which the students explore the content area in depth through the arts. This allows us to provide a sequentially structured arts learning experience so we can really maximize student learning and create a deeper, more meaningful arts experience. 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! Drama & Theatre Available Online! RESPONSIVE PLAYMAKING & PLAYBUILDING Through a variety of creative drama and short-form devising techniques, participants investigate a text, theme or curriculum topic as artists, and then collaborate in devising a short story, drama, or theatre piece in the classroom (or virtual classroom!). This is a great way to foster collaboration, social emotional skills and 21st century skills through theatre while building content knowledge. Responsive Playmaking can also be booked as a residency with multiple sessions with or without a sharing or informal performance. All stories are submitted for InterAct’s annual KidStory Theatre Festival, a celebration of stories written by kids for kids...and the best of the best are performed by professional actors at our festival in May! Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Available Online! THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD & THE CIVIL WAR Through the drama strategy of tableau (living statues) students explore key events and issues of the Civil War. Some of the causes, tragedies and triumphs of the war are revealed. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45- to 60-minute session. Available Online! EXPLORING SHAKESPEARE'S THEMES Students explore through drama some of the issues and themes in Shakespeare's plays. The workshop can be custom-designed for: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45- to 60-minute session. Grades 5-8 Available Online! GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY Students enact scenes from various Greek and Roman myths using the creative drama strategy of tableaux, delving into the themes, morals, and context of these ancient tales. Maximum 25-30 students (1 class) for each 60-minute session. Multiple programs Available Online! ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS These workshops and residencies are designed to meet grade level Social Studies objectives and curriculum standards, and are available for a variety of eras and content areas. In these workshops, students explore key events and issues related to the topic you’ve selected through image theatre, tableaux, and related drama and music techniques. Recent Ancient Civilizations topics include: Julius Caesar and The Roman Republic; Dynastic China; Ancient Greece; The Aztecs. More are available, and we’re happy to design a program to fit your Social Studies curriculum! Maximum 25-30 students (1 class) for each 60-minute session. DRAMA GAMES FOR THE SCIENTIFIC BRAIN Students build content knowledge and vocabulary through experimentation and drama gaming. The workshops are designed to meet specific benchmarks and indicators. Please contact us so we can design a workshop for you! Recent workshops have dealt with such topics as Motion and Force; Tectonic Plates and Earthquakes; The Digestive System; Atoms and Elements. Music Grades 5-8 OPERABUILDING Students learn the basic elements of opera and explore how opera uses music and drama to tell a story. InterAct's General Director Ali Oliver leads students through this lyrical adventure. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45- to 60-minute session. NOTE: This innovative and exciting workshop can also be a 3-5 day residency linking creative opera with writing skills called Operatunities for Writing. Grades 5-8 SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF WEST AFRICA Students are introduced to the instruments and sounds of West African music. Students play instruments and learn chants and songs. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Grades 5-8 DRUM CIRCLE Students are given a hands-on multicultural experience by teaching them the basics of African palm drumming. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Dance Grades 5-8 Available Online! A TASTE OF LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE In this action-packed dance travelogue of movement, chants and dance, students explore cultural traditions and customs of Latin America. Maximum 25 students (1 class) for each 45-minute session. Early Childhood Elementary School Middle & High School Students < Back to InterAct in Schools

The Hero of EVERYTHING Click Here to read the review by Sarah Shah with DC Theater Arts September 26, 2022 “A delightful way to spend an hour with a young person on a weekend.” < Back to Press

Community InterActions is a four-part podcast series exploring the impact of Covid-19 on the Wheaton area. Our Wheaton community is full of stories to tell, and we're telling just a few of them in this series. Click on an arrow below to listen to podcast episodes or you can also listen to podcast episodes on Spotify! Scroll Down Community InterActions Community InterActions Podcast Episodes Welcome to Community InterActions, a four-part podcast series exploring the impact of Covid-19 on the Wheaton area. Our Wheaton community is full of stories to tell, and we're telling just a few of them in this series. Community InterActions collects some of those stories and shares them through the words and voices of the people who are living them. This limited audio series will be taking a look at who we are in Wheaton, and focusing on some specific people in Wheaton who wanted to share their stories about the impact of the pandemic on their lives and livelihoods. Click here to navigate to our Virtual Gallery Explore the Virtual Gallery Click on an arrow below to listen to podcast episodes. Transcripts are available with each podcast episode below. We'd love to hear what you thought of our podcasts. Please fill-out this short survey to let us know! Community InterActions Podcast Episodes Episode 1: Who Is Wheaton? In this first installment, Ali Oliver-Krueger and Emily Townsend from InterAct Story Theatre begin by laying a foundation of the history of Wheaton, Wheaton's changing demographics and culture, Wheaton's economic landscape, and how all of these factors have contributed in the significant impact Covid-19 and its effects are having on this economically and racially diverse community. Click the PLAY arrow to begin Episode 1 Community InterActions Episode 1 InterAct Story Theatre 00:00 / 18:42 Click here for a transcript of Episode 1 in English Haga clic aquí para ver la transcripción del episodio 1 en español We'd love to hear what you thought of our podcast. Please fill-out this short survey to let us know! Community InterActions Podcast Episodes Episode 2: Pandemic and Food and Housing Insecurity Covid-19 and its effects impacted Wheaton residents in disparate and inequitable ways. For the most vulnerable, the shutdown created stark gaps in important services and lifelines, including food insecurity, and housing insecurity. Ali Oliver-Krueger and Emily Townsend look at the national picture and then share perspectives from local community advocates and community members who are taking action. NOTE: This episode was recorded before Governor Hogan announced lifting of the State of Emergency in Maryland on July 1, 2021. Click the PLAY arrow to begin Episode 2 Community InterActions Episode 2 InterAct Story Theatre 00:00 / 22:52 Click here for a transcript of Episode 2 in English Haga clic aquí para ver la transcripción del episodio 2 en español We'd love to hear what you thought of our podcast. Please fill-out this short survey to let us know! Community InterActions Podcast Episodes Episode 3: Pandemic and Small Businesses In this episode, Ali Oliver-Krueger and Emily Townsend discuss the impact of pandemic on small businesses, across the nation and in our local Wheaton-Kensington area. Ali talks with local business owners and community members on how the effects of the global pandemic have affected business at home. Click the PLAY arrow to begin Episode 3 Community InterActions Episode 3 InterAct Story Theatre 00:00 / 21:52 Click here for a transcript of Episode 3 in English We'd love to hear what you thought of our podcast. Please fill-out this short survey to let us know! Haga clic aquí para ver la transcripción del episodio 3 en español Community InterActions Podcast Episodes Episode 4: Pandemic and Making Art One of the sectors hit hardest by pandemic and facing the slowest recovery has been the arts and culture sector. As an Arts and Entertainment District, Wheaton not only is home to several artists and arts organizations, but also draws artists from nearby areas. In this episode, Ali Oliver-Krueger and Emily Townsend talk about the pandemic experience at InterAct Story Theatre, and talk with community artists and members of Wheaton arts organizations to get their unique perspective on pandemic times. Click the PLAY arrow to begin Episode 4 Community InterActions Episode 4 InterAct Story Theatre 00:00 / 39:01 Click here for a transcript of Episode 4 in English Haga clic aquí para ver la transcripción del episodio 4 en español We'd love to hear what you thought of our podcast. Please fill-out this short survey to let us know! This project was made possible by a grant from Maryland Humanities, with funding received from the Maryland Historical Trust in the Maryland Department of Planning. Maryland Humanities’ Grants Program is also supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and private funders. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Maryland Humanities, Maryland Historical Trust, Maryland Department of Planning, or National Endowment for the Humanities.

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