Whether storytellers, magicians, improvisers, puppeteers, historical performers, or multi-genre musicians, our Community Stage Connections artists are true masters of their craft. Click the links below to learn more about them and their work. Community Stage Connections prioritizes partnerships with Children’s National Hospital and organizations serving older adults, but limited additional bookings may be available. To inquire, please reach out to Jared Strange, Director of Education and Community Programs, at jstrange@nationaltheatre.org.
Alex and Olmsted are a married puppeteering duo hailing from Takoma Park MD. They have been making puppets together since 2010. Their original puppet show “Milo the Magnificent” was awarded a 2017 Jim Henson Foundation Grant and a Greenbelt Community Foundation Grant. Throughout the pandemic Alex and Olmsted have been making short puppet videos for their YouTube channel. They are also members of the Helen Hayes award-winning company Happenstance Theater with whom they have created 9 original shows.
You can learn more about Alex and Olmsted here.
Fast paced, comedic and spellbinding sorcery that leaves everyone happy and mystified: this is what magician Michael Chamberlin has been providing to audiences up and down the East Coast for 35 years. Stage magic, close-up sleight of hand and walk-around entertainment are all part of his repertoire. Michael treats every magic performance as a piece of theater that he invites the audience into to experience mystery, comedy and uncanny contemporary entertainment.
To learn more about Michael explore his website.
Variety is the Spice of Life is Frank’s motto!
Frank Plumer is a pianist, vocalist, and accordionist who has been a musician and performer from age the of 4. Frank has a passion for all styles of music including American standards, songs from around the world, Classical, Jazz, Broadway, Patriotic, Religious and Inspirational works that stand the test of time. In addition to English, Frank;s repertoire includes Italian, French, Spanish, Yiddish, Hebrew, German, Russian and Latin. Mr. Plumer brings happiness and joy to all of his audiences and his authenticity comes across!
In addition to performing solo, Frank also performs with his three children, Tony, Julia, and Cecilia, as The Musical Plumer Family. They present a blend of more serious works and lighter fare that has been entertaining audiences of all ages for many wonderful years!
Find more information on Frank here.
Donato Soranno and his chamber opera ensemble and group of international troubadours present a feast of entertaining Italian and Spanish folk songs, as well as selections from opera, musical theatre, religious and old-time favorites. Special programs are available for Christmas, Columbus Day, Valentine’s Day and other holidays. Toes will be tapping and audiences members humming along to beloved and happily remembered melodies.
Read more about Donato on his website.
Curtis Maillioux aka Curtis “Blues” is a teaching artist who preserves the tradition of American acoustic roots blues music. His shows include performances on instruments from Africa to rural America to show how popular music evolved. His one man band style of acoustic blues brings music history alive for audiences of all ages. You can learn more about Curtis here: http://www.curtisblues.com/
Mary Ann Jung is an award-winning actress who performs fun, interactive, and inspiring shows about amazing women in history. Ms. Jung researches and writes her own scripts, and performs in the authentic costumes, accents, and attitudes for her characters’ eras. History Alive! shows are appropriate for all ages –and have been enthusiastically received at many schools, senior centers, retirement homes and military bases. Mary Ann Jung’s amazing portraits of famous ladies and their times encourage a love of history, drama, and literature – in young and old alike!
You can learn more about Mary Ann Jung and her History Alive! Shows here: http://www.historyaliveshows.com/
Noa Baum is an award-winning storyteller, author and public speaker. Born and raised in Jerusalem, Noa offers a unique combination of performance art and practical workshops that focus on the power of stories to heal across the divides of identity and build bridges for peace. Her stories draw on the wisdom of many cultural traditions including her own Jewish heritage and personal experience. Noa’s performances highlight our similarities, celebrate our differences, and encourage curiosity, awareness, and acceptance.
She offers programs for children/family audiences as well as for adults, teens and seniors.
Author: A Land Twice Promised – An Israeli Woman’s Quest for Peace (adults and teens)
And on Audible.
New picture book: How the Birds Became Friends (ages 4 – 8)
Learn more about Noa’s stories on her website.
Alex and Olmsted (Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted Thomas) is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater company. In recent years, they have toured abroad at the Festival of Wonder in Denmark, the Puppet Festival Chuncheon in South Korea, the Festival de Casteliers in Montréal, and The Festival of Animated Objects in Calgary. In the United States, they have played Symphony Space in New York City, The Detroit Institute of Arts in Michigan, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, and Black Cherry Puppet Theater in Baltimore, among others. Alex and Olmsted has received two Jim Henson Foundation Grants and the 2020 State Independent Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council. Vernon and Thomas are also proud company members of Happenstance Theater with whom they have created 10 productions since 2012.
Steven Gellman is a quintessential folk singer-songwriter. His songs tell stories of everyday life wrapped in notes that will have you humming along in a style that Billboard Magazine has described as “intensely sensitive and impressively intelligent at the same time.” Steve can perform solo or as a part of his band, The Steve Gellman Trio. He writes his own music and performs a wide repertoire of folk, country, Irish, and old time songs and loves to take requests. His latest album, Cold Harbor, was released on May 14th, 2021.
Learn more about Steven Gellman here.
Baba Ras D, whose name means “Father of Kings and Queens“, is the creator of “Harambee.” Every presentation offers a creative atmosphere “where the children celebrate learning through movement and song.” In Swahili, Harambee means “All pull together.“ “Harambee” is the practice of hope, possibility and compassion — basically, all the things that happen when we all come together. With more than 10 years of experience in youth development, education, and conflict resolution, Baba Ras D’s “Harambee” is a morning jolt of inspiration for parents, caregivers and children.
You can learn more about Baba Ras D and Harambee here: https://babarasd.com/
“The Beat Goes On” is a rhythm enrichment program co-facilitated by artists Alan Yellowitz and Adam Mason who have been working in Rhythm Therapy since 2009. Their programs utilize evidence based research to encourage participants to engage both physically and mentally through rhythmic drumming. Both Adam and Alan have completed the Remo Health Rhythms program and are trained Health Rhythm Facilitators.
You can learn more about The Beat Goes On artists Alan Yellowitz and Adam Mason here.
Melanie Edwards is an award-winning singer, songwriter, pianist, violinist and music practitioner. Edwards has been nominated as Best Singer/Songwriter + Best Original Songwriting for The Independent Artist Network for the Music Arts. Melanie Edwards offers “Musical Mending” workshops which offer specialized songwriting to children with autism and terminal illness, as well as senior citizens suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. She composes and co-writes music with patients as a means of coping to alleviate emotional, mental and physical stress during different stages of recovery. Melanie also plays bedside performances in hospitals, assisted living quarters, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities.
Learn more about Melanie on her website.
Happenstance Theater, founded in 2006, is a professional company committed to devising, producing and touring original, performer-created visual, poetic Theatre. Under the artistic direction of Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell Happenstance Theater harvests imagery from the past and re-contextualizes it in performances that address eternal themes of life, death, and the ephemeral. With the simplest means – movement, silence, theatrical clown, music, text, physical comedy and beauty – they seek to elevate the moment when the performers and audience meet, to lift the encounter beyond the daily and pedestrian into the realms of dreams, poetry, and art. Meaning is often discovered by happenstance.
They have performed their shows Pinot and Augustine, and Diz and Izzy, for the Community Stage Connections program. You can learn more about their works here.
Lisa Sherman is an actress, improvisational acting teacher, and cognitive skills coach. She offers a variety of performances and workshops for all ages. For seniors she facilitates “Junk Drawer” writing workshops which use improvisational techniques to develop new story ideas. For children of all ages she has developed “Act As If” which uses improvisational techniques to encourage socio-emotional development.
You can learn more about “Act As If” here.
Consisting of Fred Nelson, Roger Williams, and Mike Ritter, Three Boys Night Out is a Folk, Bluegrass, and Old-Time Country band. They have been performing with the Community Stage Connections program since its inception. You can learn more about Three Boys Night Out on their Facebook page.