Young theatre campers who attend the Garfield Center for the Arts’ Playmakers program are treated each summer to additional events that are simultaneously entertaining and educational in nature. These performances, by Maryland artists, bring other performance perspectives to the campers beyond the theatre skills opportunities that the Playmakers program already provides them.
This additional programming is funded by the Hedgelawn Foundation and is free to the public. Due to camp time hours, the presentations occur during the early afternoon. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to just show up at the theatre within a half hour of the presentation start time. Tickets are not required.
Appearing on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 starting at 1 PM is TAHIRA. A storyteller, poet, vocalist, and musician with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University’s School of Communication and Theatre, she has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil! Since 1996, TAHIRA has been a full-time performing and teaching artist. Whether performing her original works or her vast repertoire of stories from the African oral tradition, she brings to her audience messages of courage, hope, and spiritual strength. Blending, song, poetry, and story in a high-energy performance TAHIRA captivates and enthralls audiences in schools, libraries, festivals, and social services organizations nationally and internationally. TAHIRA is the 2000 Recipient of the Delaware Division of Arts Fellowship in the Established Professional category for her outstanding contributions to Oral Literature. She will present her program “(LOL) Literacy Out Loud.”
Appearing on Wednesday, July 3, starting at 1:30 PM is NOA BAUM. Israeli-born Noa Baum is an internationally-acclaimed storyteller who uses mesmerizing voices, impeccable timing, and warm authenticity to captivate audiences and confront important topics, such as bullying and intolerance. Noa shares stories from diverse cultures and her own rich Jewish heritage to highlight our similarities and celebrate our differences. Noa was awarded the 2014 Storytelling World Award for her CD “Impossible to Translate But I’ll Try: True Life Israeli Stories.” Trained in theater and education at New York University, Noa is a Parents’ Choice Award winner and recipient of awards from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Montgomery County Arts Council. She presents her program “Ancient Glories: Stories from Greek Mythology.”
The Hedgelawn Foundation supports the arts and humanities of the Delmarva Peninsula, with a primary focus on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, including the visual and performing arts, arts education, libraries and museums, historical research and publication. The Foundation supports the natural environment, with a primary focus on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including efforts that promote stewardship, sustainability and protection of our natural resources. The Foundation also supports historical research and publication for the study and appreciation of the history and culture of Venice, Northeast Italy and the former Venetian Empire. The Hedgelawn Foundation values fairness and justice for all, variety, multiplicity and intersectionality, authentic representation, empowered participation, and full access.
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