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In this Issue -
2008 Success Stories & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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We Tell Stories
is a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit Organization.
Location:
5740 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone:
323.256.2336
Fax:
323.256.3236
Email:
info@wetellstories.org
Online:
Board of Directors
Carl Weintraub, Chairman
William Turner, President
Gilbert Pacheco, Secretary
Dennis Carter
Tanya DeLeon
Larry Guzin
Jeff Hilger
Staff
Diana Tanaka,
Artistic Director
Susan Devlin,
Programs Director
Stacy Turner,
Associate Artistic Director
Joyce Lee,
Educational Programs Director
Candy Danzig,
Director, Staff Development & Master Teacher
Betsy Oltmann,
Development Director
Lisa Grissom,
Director of Marketing & Special Events
Jamie Hebert,
Ronalee Par Miyisaki
Administrative Assistants
Company Members
Rico Anderson
Teri Benjamin
Beresford Bennett
Candy Danzig
Gina Fields
Tony Gatto
Keith Gaytan
Carrie Gibson
Maricella Ibarr
Gerald James
Jully Lee
Caryn Andrea Lindsey
Pablo Marz
Brian Meredith
Linda Miller
John Miyasaki
Cadry Nelson
David Nott
Armando Ortega
Deena Rubinson
Pogo Saito
Ova Saopeng
Michelle Simek
Annika Smith
Carla Vega
Carl Weintraub
Teaching Artists
Jesse Bliss
Candy Danzig
Denise Iketani
Gina Fields
Gerald James
Peter Kors
David Lewis
Angela Lloyd
Pablo Marz
Linda Miller
Laura Napoli
Armando Ortega
Michelle Simek
Carl Weintraub
We Tell Stories
is grateful for the support from the following organizations:
Corporate Partnership
Employees Community Fund of Boeing California
Funders
Ahmanson Foundation
City of Culver City Performing Arts Grant Program Fund with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment
City of Los Angeles, Department
of Cultural Affairs
City National Bank
Employees Community Fund of Boeing California
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Norris Foundation
Ralph Parsons Foundation
Stern Memorial Trust
Collaborators
Arts for All
Centennial Plaza Park
Children’s Creative Project
Community Arts Resources (CARS)
Los Angeles County MTA—Go Metro
Los Angeles Music Center
Education Division
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles Unified School District, Arts Education Branch
North Figueroa Association
Old LA Farmers Market
Orange County
Performing Arts Center
Performances to Grow On
Festival Plaza de la Raza
Community Partners
Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council (HHPNC)
North Figueroa Association
Councilmember
Ed P. Reyes, District 1
Councilmember
Jose Huizar, District 14
Credits
Photos: BSO Photography
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WTS Residency Programs off to a Roaring Start
The We Tell Stories 08-09 Residency Program is off to a great start! Since 2004, WTS has been a member of the Arts Community Partnership Network (ACPN), a project of the Arts Education Branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District. ACPN coordinates the efforts of arts organizations in supporting dance, music, theatre and visual arts instruction, K-12.
The WTS Residency Program reaches students and teachers throughout the Southland. As Educational Programs Director Joyce Lee says: "From the San Fernando Valley to Carson, this program makes reading and learning fun for children and easy for teachers."
The strength of the WTS Residency Program lies in its skillful integration of our improvisational method of turning stories into plays with Open Court Reading, which is standard curriculum for most LA Unified schools. Teachers take what they learn in WTS workshops and apply the tools to their teaching, allowing students to benefit directly.
The We Tell Stories Residency Program has many success stories among both new and returning schools. New to the program, 92nd Street Elementary had a productive experience led by Teaching Artist Jesse Bliss. Third grade teacher Ms. Diaz said, "[Jesse] was great at modifying her lesson to accommodate my students."
Jesse returned from her workshops with plenty of pictures of smiling children. (see above!)
Long-term relationships are strengthened as many schools request the WTS Residency Program annually. Teaching Artist Linda Miller recently completed her third year at Franklin Elementary. All the teachers who participated in Linda's workshops expressed that her teaching was “Awesome." According to Linda, the feeling is mutual, “It’s as enriching for us as it is for the teachers and students. It’s awesome for everyone!”
To schedule a residency at your school,
contact Educational Programs Director Joyce Lee at joyce@wetellstories.org!
Consider WTS in your year-end giving!
To donate, click on this link:
The difficult economy
affects us all. If you are able to make a charitable donation this
year, please consider making a donation to We Tell Stories. Any amount will help inspire creativity and enhance literacy among countless children throughout Southern California.
Your donation supports
the art of storytelling and our arts education programs: assembly performances, student workshops,
professional development & more.
You can also donate by making an in-kind donation!
We are collecting items for a 2009 Garage/Rummage Sale.
Get your year-end tax deduction with an in-kind donation
of furniture, electronics, gently used or vintage clothing,
jewelry or accessories.
Call Jamie @ WTS: 323-256-2336 by December 31st!
All donations are tax-deductible.
5740 York Boulevard • Los Angeles CA 90042 |
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An evening of spooky stories, food & wine
at Firefly Bistro!
 On October 6th, WTS put together our first formal fundraising event at South Pasadena's Firefly Bistro, owned by WTS founder Carl Weintraub.
The Haunted Harvest Evening kicked off the autumn season with three wonderfully spooky stories by the famed WTS troupe. Chef-owners Paul Rosenbluh & Monique King created delicious seasonal food & wine pairings, while the slack-key music of Jim "Kimo" West provided a warm ambiance to the entire event. Guests mingled while bidding on an array of Silent Auction items—many donated by Northeast LA merchants. A Live Auction also added to the excitement. One of the evening’s highlights was Carl Weintraub's performance of Edgar Allen Poe's classic Halloween story The Tell-Tale Heart.
Special thanks to the Firefly staff, and especially to ALL of our donors for their collective efforts in making our event a success. We hope to see you at the next one!
Halloween Fun at 3rd Annual
Haunted Harvest Storytelling Fest!
The Tuesday before Halloween is fast becoming a hallowed tradition
at the Old LA Farmer's Market in Highland Park! On October 28th, We
Tell Stories partnered with the North Figueroa Association once again
to put together a fun-filled festival for adults and kids alike.
Featured Guest Artists were The Alley Cats, America's
premiere 50's a cappella doo-wop group. Kids and parents danced along, while they enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the Market. WTS
performed three stories: Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, Macario by B. Traven, and Gifts of Love, a Korean folktale. Other highlights included a Costume Contest, Frankenstein of Gumplestiltskin, and the Latin music of Estani.
Special thanks to Councilmember Ed P. Reyes, the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Figueroa Produce, and ALL of our local contributors. The festival is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs
Mark your calendars for October 27th, 2009!
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WTS can perform at your school, library, or special event.
Contact Susan Devlin to book a show for 2009! susan@wetellstories.org
Some discounts available!
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2008 Culver City Julian Dixon Library
Residency Re-Cap!
In 2008, We Tell Stories completed another
fun-filled Residency at the Culver City Julian Dixon
Library. For the year-long program of events, WTS performed shows that drew upon the cultures of Mexico, West Africa and China.
For the Summer Reading Program, WTS performed eight shows. The theme for the SRP was "Catch the Reading Bug"--and hundreds of kids did just that! WTS created two new stories from Africa specifically for this Program. According to Artistic Director Diana Tanaka, "WTS and the Summer Reading Program are a perfect match. Children’s Librarian, Joan Mead, displays the books that contain stories we perform, and the children check them all out immediately after our performance. It’s theatre and literacy in action!"
 WTS also presented three
Fiesta La Ballona story-plays in August, to celebrate the
heritage of Culver City, as well as a Halloween and a Holiday show.
These free
performances were made possible in part by a grant from the Culver City
Arts in Public Places Fund, with support from the Sony Pictures
Entertainment Platinum Sponsorship.
WTS will be returning to the Julian Dixon Library again throughout 2009, marking the fifth year of this fruitful partnership. '09 performances will be supported by the City of Culver City Performing Arts Grant Program Fund with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The first show of the '09 Residency will take place on Saturday, February 7th at 2 pm with The Spirit of Black Folklore in celebration of Black History Month.
We hope to see you there!
For a complete schedule of events,
WTS Welcomes Company Members Old & New!
We are excited to introduce, not one, but three members to our growing group of artists. In the case of John Miyasaki, it's more of a re-introduction! John worked with WTS for many years in the late 1980's, and we couldn't be happier to have him back.
Beresford Bennett is a Connecticut born artist who works as an actor, writer, director, filmmaker, and voice-over artist. On stage, he has performed a variety of characters from the title role in Julius Caesar, Treplev in The Seagull, to Fick in Balm in Gilead. He has worked in film and TV, including multiple roles on television’s Law & Order. Beresford is also the the host/narrator for a live touring multi-media show that has taught nearly 50,000 grade-school students the history of jazz music.
Annika Smith is a Jamaican born actress that is thrilled to be living her dream out here on the West Coast. A graduate of USC's Cinema Program, she has also worked as an actress in commercials, film, and TV, including roles on The Shield, ER and Studio 60. Her excitement about WTS is contagious: "I love performing these shows! It's so much fun, I can hardly stand it!"
Sunday, January 4 at Noon
"A Feast from the East"
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street, Los Angeles 90012
Wednesday, March 18th at 10 am
"Aesop's Fables"
Lewis Family Playhouse
12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, 91739
Story Time by Artistic Director, Diana Tanaka
A Buddhist parable:
A man is being chased by a tiger. He comes to the edge of a cliff and
having no other choice, grabs onto a vine and begins to scale down the
steep mountainside. Above him the tiger stands snarling. Below him
another tiger stands waiting. The vine begins to break. Out of the
corner of his eye, the man seeds a wild strawberry growing near him. He
reaches for the strawberry and eats it. It is delicious!
With the economy plummeting, violence escalating, and jobs disappearing, it is good to pause and enjoy the beauty of
this moment.
This year, we lost two very special individuals with whom we worked in the not-for-profit arts education community. We want to express our deepest sympathies to their family, friends and colleagues. We also wish to recognize them for their contributions to WTS over the years.
We will miss them.
Jason Siebert, Orange County Performing Arts Center
Jerry Washburn, NetConsult |
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PEOPLE ARE TALKING!
“The show’s a hoot…filled with energy, lots of chuckles, and
frequently hilarious audience participation. This is the multi-cultural
troupe at its creative, professional best.”
-Lynne Heffley, Los Angeles Times
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