We offer professional quality live musical theater productions featuring local talent and full live orchestras as well as straight plays, with a focus on works that are typically on required reading lists for area high school students.

EarthBeat Music presents West African Drum-Dance-Sing Presentations, Workshops and Residencies! Our programs enhance mental health and well-being, foster personal development and encourage creative expressiveness through the powerful, transformative practices of drumming, movement, and singing. We share West African traditional music, which includes diving into the rich history, culture and language, to create more resilient and empathetic communities. We strive to connect students to the Master Musicians - our mentors - from West Africa, as well as other regional visual and dance artists to create a WHOLE experience.

Create A Space NOW is an interactive social justice platform, creating art to combat bias, racism, and systemic oppression. We believe that art is a powerful tool, and we're committed to creating space for art to inspire change, educate, and activate. At Create A Space NOW, we deliver dynamic, art-centered educational programming that goes beyond performance, and we spark dialogue, critical thinking, and courageous imagination. Our curriculum includes dance, theater, film, and poetry and media productions, workshops, presentations, syllabi, and engagements rooted in social justice, equity, and healing practices, giving students the tools to process complex realities and build skills for positive change. Create A Space NOW is committed to equipping schools, teachers, and young people with creative tools that challenge oppression and nurture liberation. Through the transformative power of art, we believe every student can learn to build a more just, joyful, and connected world.

WonderWorks, a science focused indoor interactive museum/amusement park which combines education and entertainment. With over 100 hands-on exhibits, there is something unique and challenging for all ages. Feel the power of 74mph hurricane–force winds in the Hurricane Shack. Make huge, life–sized bubbles in the Bubble Lab. Get the NASA treatment in our Astronaut Training Gyro and experience zero gravity. Nail it by laying on the death–defying Bed of Nails.

Mars pottery offers raku workshops all day workshops where students create and fire their work in the Japanese art of raku. We also offer sculpture classes and children’s classes. @ginamarspottery

ENTA’s visual and performing artists work collaboratively with K-12 classroom teachers to develop customized arts-in-education programs that concentrate on any curricular content and allow students to express their knowledge and mastery through a creative process (visual, performance, process arts). We work in all subject areas -- ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc. We also offer services to Art, Band and Choral classrooms. Our programs are customized to meet the needs and desired outcomes of the classroom teacher(s) and we usually work with all the students in an entire grade level. Through the Arts, students and teachers experience their studies in active, hands-on, problem-solving, challenging environments that produce measurable and meaningful results. Sample Programs include: Improv & the Salem Witch Trials (7th grade Social Studies); Taking A Stand – Art for Social Change (8th grade ELA); Biomimicry & Sculpture (7th grade Science); A Book’s Journey – develop & hand-build original book (4th grade ELA); Sol Lewitt – Math, Language & Art (MS/HS); Geometry & Landscape Drawing (3rd grade Math); Books on the Boards: Theater & Reading (K-3 ELA); Anatomy & Figure Drawing (HS Art) Currently running more than a dozen on-going programs in mid-Hudson region pubic schools. All developed collaboratively with classroom teachers.

Prismatic Magic Laser Programs is a pioneer in educational and entertaining school assemblies and library programs. Our mission is to inspire children to learn in new ways and to use fun to unlock children’s desire to learn. With two decades of performing at thousands of schools, we are experts at presenting laser light assemblies to create an unforgettably fun learning environment. Our laser programs all feature hit music and stunning laser animation to excite and inspire every student, making it a surefire school assembly idea. Your kids will be singing and cheering throughout, all while wanting to learn more! We offer the following programs/themes: American Pride Black History Laser Tribute Bullying Prevention Halloween Spooktacular Kindness Quest Laser Reader Laser Safari Lasermania Preschool Sing-Along Prismatica Space Explorer Spring Jam STEM Expansion Winter Holiday Adventure Be sure to visit our website at www.prismaticmagic.com, click on SHOWS, then on each program to watch videos and learn more about each program, get pricing, etc.

I offer two one-person plays (one about Langston Hughes the other about Dr. King) and one poetry reading from my award-winning poetry collection Boneyarn, the only book of poems about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. In conjunction with any of the above presentations, I have thematically related writing workshops so students can have their own creative experience to go along with my presentations. Below are descriptions of the three shows. I also give talks about the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Trumpeter Louis Armstrong, and Tuskegee Airman Harry Stewart Jr, who was part of the first group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II. Below are descriptions of the Langston Hughes, Dr. King and Boneyarn presentations. DAVID MILLS PRESENTATIONS 1) The Dreamweaver: Langston Hughes Performance and Creative Writing Workshop What better way to celebrate Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes—affectionately known as “Shakespeare in Harlem”—than to have students see a dramatic 45-minute presentation about Langston Hughes. Actor David Mills, (whose Hughes show was voted the #4 young-adult show in the nation by The American Library Association) does just that. He takes students on a theatrical odyssey of Hughes’ life spanning six decades from his humble Missouri childhood to his days living in Harlem as an adult. Mr. Mills also captures Hughes’ world travels and writing of his classic poems, such as “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Mother to Son,” “I, Too,” “Montage of a Dream Deferred” and “Madam Alberta K.” While playing black and white, young, old, and male and female characters, Mr. Mills captures Hughes’ unending love for Harlem—with its foibles and fantasies, bruises and beauty. Mr. Mills show also explores how Hughes wrote nearly 50 plays. A Q&A would follow the presentation. Mr. Mills could also conduct a writing workshop using a Hughes blues poem as a model. 2) Dare to Dream: Dr. King Performance and Creative Writing Workshop In a 45-minute, dramatic presentation for an auditorium of students and teachers, actor David Mills would take the audience on an engaging, historic journey, where they witness Dr. King go from a young preacher (with uncertainties about Civil Rights during the Montgomery Bus Boycott) into the nationally-recognized figure he became during the 1963 March on Washington. Mr. Mills’ stirring performance looks at Dr. King as both the public figure and private man. Be roused, be inspired, be transported by “Dare to Dream,” Mr. Mills’ theatrical tribute to Dr. King. A Q&A would follow the performance. Mr. Mills has worked as a teaching artist and performer for over 20 years in schools, universities, and senior centers. So, in conjunction with the performance Mr. Mills can also lead a 45-minute creative writing workshop, in a smaller classroom setting, using Dr. King’s iconic “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a writing prompt. This workshop will get students to write poems in the forms of letters that relate to their lives. Talking to the Bones: Poetry reading about slavery in New York City and Creative Writing Workshop. Award-winning-poet David Mills would read from his collection, Boneyarn, winner of the North American Book Award and the only poetry collection about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. Mr. Mills would conduct a 45-minute reading to an auditorium and use projected visuals to give attendees a sense of 17th-19th century New York. Mr. Mills would discuss the research and writing process that went into creating this groundbreaking book, where he weds little-known colonial history and poetry. What lessons can be learned from coupling these two disciplines. The reading would also be followed by a Q&A. Mr. Mills has worked as a teaching artist and performer for over 20 years in schools. Therefore, in conjunction with the reading, Mr. Mills can lead a 45-minute creative writing workshop that uses a question-and-answer form from his book Boneyarn to get students to write their own poems reflecting on slavery in New York City.

We offer an experience of what it was like to be a child during the American Revolutionary War.

I coordinate Onondaga Lake education experiences for elementary and middle school students. The lake field trips involve hands-on learning stations that include fishing, water quality testing, a nature walk to learn about the ecosystem, a local history lesson related to Onondaga Lake, and an integrated art project.

Award-winning author of The Memory of Things will share why she wrote a young adult novel set in NYC during 9/11, the research she did to create authentic characters and story, and how reading and writing historical fiction builds empathy, often far better than non-fiction. Can be paired with writing workshops and other interactive presentations. Author can do similar presentations on any of her seven award-winning novels, both middle grade and young adult.

Misty Yarnall is a writer and teaching artist. She actively teaches creative writing and theatre workshops through libraries, homeschool co-ops, and nonprofit organizations. She is passionate about creating brave spaces for people of all ages to share their stories. A few examples of workshops she has led in the past are included below. World Building 101: Do you love reading adventure books with fantastical settings and magical elements? Have you ever wanted to write a story set in a place you’ve never been? In this workshop, students will master the layout of the land within their stories, no matter what genre. Students will take inspiration from real plants, animals, and cultures, and apply what they've learned to their made-up worlds. Writing for the Screen: Have you ever wondered how your favorite TV show got to the screen? Want to try your hand at writing a script made for TV? In this workshop, you will learn to write your own screenplay and collaborate on a pilot episode for a TV series. We will generate ideas, learn to use the three-act structure, and operate as if we were in our own TV writers' room. Playing with Plays: Through movement-based improv games and collaborative writing prompts, students will better understand how plays go from the page to the stage. We will learn about character motivations, use of props, scene structure, and understanding of performance. Students will end the workshop with a new play to showcase. Guided Journaling: Have you always wanted to start journaling, but aren’t sure where to start? Have you been journaling for a while and want a community to write and share with? In this workshop, participants will complete writing prompts geared towards eliminating the daunting, listy idea of journaling and replace it with interactive, fun activities for all ages and backgrounds. No prior journaling or writing experience necessary!