Arts Education Showcase Directory

A program of The Kentucky Center (www.kentuckycenter.org) in partnership with Kentucky Educational Television (www.ket.org) and The Center for Rural Development (www.centertech.com).

Mary Hamilton

Mary Hamilton

Telling Stories...Creating Worlds. Mary tells stories. Your students strengthen their listening skills and imaginations as they create worlds.

Main Art Form: Dramatic Arts
Other Art Forms: Dramatic Arts, Creative Writing
Other Subjects: Reading, Social Studies, Language Arts, Practical Living, Science
Grade Levels Served: Primary, Intermediate, Middle School, High School

Description

When Mary Hamilton takes the stage, the show unfolds in the hearts and minds of the audience. Mary uses her body and voice. Her audiences use their ears, eyes, and imaginations to listen and create worlds. Since 1983 Mary has exercised the imaginations of hundreds of audiences from Florida to Alaska, including audiences at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN; the Corn Island Storytelling Festival in Louisville, KY; the Cave Run Storytelling Festival in Morehead, KY; Stories by the Sea Festival in Newport, OR; By the Light of the Moon Storytelling Festival, Las Vegas, NV; Nebraska Storytelling Festival, Omaha, NE; Hoosier Storytelling Festival, Indianapolis, IN; Ocoee Story Fest, Cleveland, TN; WinterTales, Oklahoma City, OK; Winter Storytelling Festival, Atlanta, GA; Florida Storytelling Camp, Eustis, FL; OOPS Storytelling Conference, Centerville, OH; Chinquapin Folk Music and Storytelling Festival, Peoria, IL; and many more. In Kentucky, Mary has told stories in 97 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Mary’s favorite audience is always the one in front of her because she knows the art of storytelling depends upon story, teller, and audience working together. So, call Mary and schedule her work at your school. She will be delighted and so will you and your students. After all, telling to a wall is no fun for Mary, and listening to a disembodied voice is not nearly as much fun for your students as listening to a real live human being who artfully uses listener reactions to help guide her telling of the tale.

Program Goals

Mary Hamilton Entertainment yes, Mary entertains your students. When telling folktales, she also inspires your students to read traditional literature (398.2 folklore; 290 mythologies). When telling true stories, she also inspires your students to create stories from their lives. Whenever Mary tells stories, your students have the opportunity to:

• Experience the art of storytelling both a dramatic and a communication art form.

• Observe spoken word/storytelling performance techniques used in oral delivery including both verbal (e.g. tone, volume, rate, articulation, pacing) and nonverbal (e.g. gestures, facial expressions, eye contact) techniques.

• Strengthen their imaginations by creating visual images as they listen.

• Respond to visual and auditory cues as they join in (applies mainly to K - 3 programs).

• Use reading comprehension strategies using prior knowledge, predicting and constructing sensory images as they listen to the stories.

• Be exposed to story structure including the interaction of characters, setting, plot, conflict/problem and resolution.

• Practice making sense of messages to which they listen.

• Observe examples of a performer giving proper credit to sources.

• Practice concert behavior. In a storytelling, this means listening and reacting. Laughing when something strikes the listener as funny. Sighing, gasping all are appropriate reactions during storytelling. Listening to a story is an active, not absolutely silent, behavior.
Note: Most of the above list correlates directly to the Kentucky Program of Studies document.

What stories will Mary tell? That depends on what you need. If you have a theme, discuss it with Mary. She will accept the job if her repertoire is a good fit. Below are just some of the many possible themes available from her 200-plus story repertoire. Performances run 45 - 60 minutes, depending on the age group. When a broad grade range is listed, students in different age groups do hear different stories.

Kentucky Tales -- (Grades Primary -- 12), A celebration of Kentucky’s narrative traditions -- folktales for the younger children; tall tales, ghostly tales, folktales, and personal narratives for the older students.

Buggy Kentucky Science & Story (Grades K - 5) Your students hear stories (personal narrative, fable, pourqoui tale, legend) plus a riddle and a song while learning about Kentucky insects. This program, which uses stories and large photographs of Kentucky insects /or projected power point images using your projector, is followed by an exhibit of actual insect specimens, all collected in Kentucky. Mary presents Buggy Kentucky in collaboration with Charles Wright, an insect collector for 20 years. By the way, this program also makes a great family night!

All Together Now -- (Grades K, Primary) Children chant along, sing along, and join in.

What Really Happened -- (Grades 3 -- 7) Your students will hear both 1st person and 3rd person true tales. By the end of the program, your students will have enjoyed the tales and thought about: 1)which stories are personal narratives and why, 2) how telling the truth does not require a 100% exact, even photographic, memory, 3) how stories stay true, but still change when told to an audience of friends & family compared with an audience of strangers.

Tales of Athena -- (Grades 5 -- 10) Greek myths featuring the goddess Athena. Your students will hear about Athena’s unusual birth from the head of Zeus, of her contest with Poseidon, and of Athena’s role in the creation of Medusa, Pegasus, and Arachne. Instead of viewing Greek mythology as a list of unfamiliar names, this program leaves your students eager to retell the tales.

And much, much more
Haunting Tales
World Folktales
Fairy Tales
One-woman shows with multiple characters
Family Nights

Just contact Mary!

Pricing Info

In Kentucky fees: $300 plus expenses -- covers two back-to-back presentations in the same school; $100 each additional presentation, same day (Two nearby schools may share a four presentation day.) One week, same school = $1500 plus expenses. One week, same area = $2000 plus expenses. Expenses = mileage; food & lodging if overnight needed.

Additional Information

Mary Hamilton You and your students can also enjoy Mary’s work through her recordings. No, it’s not the same as live because a recording can’t allow for interaction between teller and audience. Still, Mary firmly believes recorded stories are far, far better than no stories. You’ll find her recordings on the Story Store page of her website: www.maryhamilton.info

Mary also has stories appropriate for adult and family audiences.

Out of Kentucky? Please contact Mary for fees.


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