( available for remote learning!)A 45-minute play based on the diary of Anne Frank written between the ages of 13-15 while she was in hiding in the annex behind her father’s business in Amsterdam, Holland, during World War 11. Living in cramped quarters with 7 other residents for 22 months before their discovery by the Nazis, Anne kept her diary writing daily accounts of the happenings in the secret annex, her wishes, dreams, and thoughts as a teenager and a Jew fearing her fate in Concentration Camps during the Holocaust. The play is set in a representation of the secret annex. For fifth grade and 8th grade audiences.

 

 

THE UNSUNG HEROES OF WW1: ANIMALS IN THE GREAT WAR
with actress Cathy Kaemmerlen
Take in an interesting look at how animals were effectively used in World War 1 for utilitarian uses as well as for moral support. With the help of student actors, we will meet various people and animals from dog trainers to archivists to malacologists to taxidermists to nurses and dogs, cats, passenger pigeons, horses, glow worms, slugs, and even a monkey. How did these animals contribute to the war effort? Millions of horses alone were used and killed in the war, creating a shortage for years following. Over 20,000 dogs were trained for service. A half a million cats served as mousers and companions in the trenches. Stories will be told about Rags and Sergeant Stubby, heroic dogs in the war; Pitouchi, a cat who saved her master; Jackie, a chacma baboon; Cher Ami, a passenger pigeon; Billy, the goat; slugs and glow worms; and the most famous of all—Warrier, the horse the Germans said could not be killed. At the end of the show, we’ll visit Princess Anne who is dedicating the British War Memorial to animals that served in the war.

• SS5H2
• TA5.RE.1
• TA5.CN.2 

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, GODMOTHER TO THE WORLD
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Wife, mother, newspaper columnist, speaker, UN Ambassador, human rights activist, and first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt emerged from her shell as a shy, ugly duckling to become one of our most popular and famous first ladies–a woman who made a difference. She was our first “working first lady” and a champion for those less fortunate. Our first ambassador to the United Nations, she was head of the Human Rights Commission, helping to draft the UN Mission Statement. She traveled around the world as “GODMOTHER TO US ALL.”

• SS5H3a, SS5H4, SSH4f
• ELAGSE5SL3
• TA5.RE.1 a,b,  TA5.CN.2 a

PEARL HARBOR CHILDREN
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Listen to three accounts of December 7, 1941: one of a young American girl, living on O’ahu, whose father is a civilian dock worker (Sarah Walker); one of the daughters of Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese flight commander for the Pearl Harbor attack (Miyoko Fuchida); and the third is of a fictional nisei, Japanese-American daughter of issei, living in Hawaii with the father interned as a prisoner-of-war (Yuriko Ito.) The three stories intertwine as we learn the facts about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and its consequences. There are musical transitions using authentic music from the period.

Character Traits utilized: courage, patriotism, citizenship, fairness, respect for others, kindness, cooperation, self-respect, self-control, compassion, tolerance, diligence, generosity, cheerfulness, patience, loyalty, perseverance, virtue

• SS5H4, SS5H4a, SS5H4b
• ELAGSE5RL2, ELAGSE5SL1, ELAGSE5SL3
• TA5.RE.1 a,b TA5.CN.1

 

 

 

MARSHALLING JUSTICE: THE STORY OF THURGOOD MARSHALL
with John Doyle

Join actor John Doyle in this one-man program with audience participation. Celebrate the life and contributions of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, who is well known for winning the Supreme Court case, Brown v Topeka Board of Education that tested equal but separate schools. Since the 1880′s, America had been operating under a policy of segregation, keeping the black and white races separate. By proving that separate but equal school systems are unconstitutional, via the 5th and 14th amendments, Thurgood opened the doors for desegregation and civil rights rulings in the United States. Known as “Mr. Civil Rights: and working within the framework of the law, he fought to confront discrimination wherever he found it. Join him in helping recreate his story.

• SS5H6a, SS5H6b

FOR FOURTH GRADES: 
*NEW TO TATTLINGTALES PRODUCTIONS:  HARRIET TUBMAN:  FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD
with actress Deborah Strahorn
Learn of the heroic story of Harriet Tubman, from childhood to adulthood as she escaped from the bonds of slavery in the summer of 1849, to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad making 19 trips and bringing 300 slaves to freedom. Known as the Moses of her people, she was also known as the General, leading black troops in the Civil War. 45 minutes with Q and A to follow.
GSE:  SS4H4a; TA4.RE.1

PIONEER GIRL FROM NEBRASKA 

with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Follow the story of Grace McCance, who grew up on the Nebraska prairie during the 1800s. Moving from the civilized East and their large wooden home, her father took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862, offering free land to pioneers who lived on and worked the land for at least 6 years.  Living in a soddie and facing hardships from grasshoppers to tornadoes to prairie fires to drought, Grace learned what it was to face life with “Grit.” Lots of audience participation in prairie chores, costumes, games, “bees.”  In the end, will the McCances pull up stakes and join the wagon trains moving West or stay in Nebraska? The audience will decide.

• SS4H3 b, S4H3c

PAUL REVERE: REVOLUTIONARY MESSENGER
with actor Alex Oakley
Join Alex in this new one-person show featuring the story of Paul Revere and his legendary midnight right signaling the beginning of our Revolutionary War. Alexportrays Paul in period costume. Lots of audience participation as the story unfolds. Lots of background information too on the lead up to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, with the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party re-enacted. Period songs included. 45 minutes with Q&A afterward. The perfect compliment to the fourth grade social studies curriculum.

• SSH1a, SS4H1b,  SS4H1
• ELAGSE4SL1,
• TA4.RE.1, Ta4.CN.1a

“Great fun, engaging, and very informative”

— Fulton County 4th grade teacher

 

SUSAN B. ANTHONY: FAILURE IS IMPOSSIBLE
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

CELEBRATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE! Learn about the struggles for American women to gain the right to vote, led by Susan B. Anthony, who spent her life devoted to this cause. Among her many struggles and achievements was her arrest in 1872 for voting in the presidential election and challenging the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Traveling cross-country, she made thousands of fiery speeches to garner support for women’s rights. For her failure was impossible. Tens of thousands of mourners attended her funeral and called her “The Mother of Us All.” This 45-minute program offers lots of audience participation and is a direct tie-in with fourth grade social studies curriculum.

• SS4H4a
• ELAGSE4SL3
• TA4.RE.1 a,b

 

“Thank you for coming to my school. It was excellent! I recommend for you to go to every elementary school that is learning about Susan B. Anthony.”

— 3rd grade student, Puckett’s Mill Elementary

 

LET’S KEEP IT A SECRET: THE WRITING OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Young Mary House during the summer of 1787 is sent to help her great aunt, the owner of the Indian Queen Tavern in Philadelphia, where many of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention stayed. While cleaning James Madison’s room, Mary comes across his notes taken during the sessions and “spills the beans” to her audience, who in turn play various delegates at the Constitutional Convention. Grade levels 4 and 5. Limited to 100 or one grade level.

Fourth grade Civics and Government PSA component: “the student will describe the ‘We the people’ preamble, the federal system of governments, etc.”

“You make us feel like we are stepping back in time. It has been wonderful. Thanks for getting our students interested in our Constitution.”

• SS4H1b, SS4H1c
• ELAGSE4SL1, ELAGSE4SL4
• TA4.CN.1 a,   TA4.RE.1 a,b

BUTTONS FOR GENERAL WASHINGTON/A REVOLUTIONARY SPY FOR GENERAL WASHINGTON
with actress Sara Gaare Brune

Buttons for General Washington is for young audiences of elementary age, who have some knowledge of the colonial period and the Revolutionary War. Set in the Revolutionary War, covering the time frame of October 1777 through late summer of 1778, this is a spy story of one Quaker family, the Darraghs of Philadelphia, who sent secret messages in code, in buttons sewn on a son’s coat. Seen through the eyes of daughter/sister Anne, who, because of her older brother John’s illness, must deliver the buttons to brother Charles, aide de camp for General George Washington. 45 minutes with question and answer period and some discussion about spying through the ages.

Character Traits utilized: courage, patriotism, citizenship, honesty, cooperation, diligence, patience, loyalty, perseverance, virtue, respect for the creator

• SS4H1b, SS4H1c
• ELAGSE4SL1, ELAGSE4SL4
• TA4.CN.1 a,   TA4.RE.1 a,b

TURN HOMEWARD, HANNALEE
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

First in the series of one-woman shows by Cathy Kaemmerlen, Turn Homeward… is a dramatic presentation of the plight of one of the 400 Roswell Mill workers who were arrested under orders of General William Tecumseh Sherman in July of 1864, charged with treason for making cloth for the Confederate States of America, and shipped to Louisville, KY to live in refugee warehouses until work as servants, farmhands, or mill workers could be found. The one woman play is loosely based on the historical fiction juvenile novel by Patricia Beatty. The play documents the horrors and realities of war, particularly civil war; family devotion, love, and perseverance, that can provide strength in times that are “hilly, bumpy, and stumpy;” and it portrays the good and bad characteristics of both sides who fought in the Civil War. The play covers the nine month period from July 1864, through April 1865, the final months of the Civil War, and Hannalee’s adventures, including serving as an eyewitness to the Battle of Franklin, KY, as she turns homeward. 45 minutes. Grades 4 on up. Character Traits utilized: courage, honesty, kindness, cooperation, self-respect, compassion, tolerance, diligence, generosity, cheerfulness, respect for creator, patience, creativity, loyalty, perseverance, virtue

• SS4H5e,
• ELAGSE4SL1, ELAGSE4SL3
• TA4.RE.1 a, b

“It sounded like you were really Hannalee. You had a lot of expression.”

— Fourth grader

NEW MANCHESTER GIRL (available on special request)
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

The true story of Scynthia Catherine Stewart of New Manchester, Georgia, during and immediately after the Civil War. Scynthia, as well as others in the mill town, was charged with treason against the United States government for making cloth for the Confederate cause. After the Yankee soldiers burned the textile mill, she was sent to Louisville, Kentucky, along with her mother and siblings, as prisoners of war. There they were miraculously reunited with their father. After the war, they returned home to their ghost town to find wild strawberries, their manna from heaven that helped them survive that first post-war year.

• SS4H5e
• ELAGSE4SL1
• ELAGSE4SL3
• TAES4.11

“For 45 minutes I listened spellbound at the beautiful tale you crafted about Scynthia Catherine. It brought to life portions of the book I put my heart into about five years ago.”

— Ruth Beaumont Cook, author of NORTH ACROSS THE RIVER: the Civil War Trail of Tears

 

FOR THIRD GRADES:

THE ADVENTURES OF HERNANDO DE SOTO AS TOLD BY SURVIVOR JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
with actor Alex Oakley

 

This is a true adventure story of Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s exploration of La Florida, into Georgia, and the entire Southeastern United States, ending at the mouth of the Mississippi River, where he met his death.  Told by survivor Juan Carlos Rodriguez – one of fourteen on the expedition who made it back to Spain. Rodriguez looks back on his times with de Soto, his interactions with the Native Americans, and his search for gold and glory for Spain.  With slides, audience participation, authentic chain mail costuming and conquistador helmet, learn what it was like to spend over four years of your life facing dangers and the unknown in conquering and exploring the southeastern part of the United States.  

• SS3Ha,b
• SS3H2c
• ELAGSE5SL3
• Ta3.RE.1 a, b
• Ta3.CN.1

“An engaging performance with students participating and dressing up. Will book again.”

— Fulton County Teacher

 

PILGRIM COURAGE: FROM MAYFLOWER TO FIRST HARVEST
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Follow the story of the courageous pilgrim voyage of 1620 from England to the New World, continuing through the first year at Plimouth Colony, as told through the eyes of Mary Allerton, 4 years old at the time of the pilgrimage and the last living survivor of the Mayflower voyage. Hear first hand what it was like to spend 65 days at sea; the struggle to start a new settlement and survive the first winter; the impact of the Mayflower Compact; making peace with area Indians; and the first harvest feast. Performed as a first-person narrative, in authentic period costuming: “One small candle may light a thousand … out of small beginnings greater things have been produced.”

• SS3H2a,  SS3H3a, SS3H3c
• ELAGSE3SL1
• TA3.DN.1  TA3.RE.1 a,b

FOR SECOND GRADES:
MS. NOODLEHEAD HAS GEORGIA ON HER MIND!
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Ms. Noodlehead is all set to make Georgia a shining example for the rest of the nation as she proves how much Georgia is on her mind. She takes the Whaddya Know About Georgia Quiz with questions from the Peanut Gallery; she celebrates Georgia as the Poultry Capital of the World with the chicken dance; she tests the audience in their knowledge of Georgia’s state symbols; she takes everyone on a year-round tour of fun festivals throughout the state; and along the way she tells some interesting legends about our Peach State, the Empire State of the South. For 2nd-5th graders. 45 minutes long with lots of audience participation. Now Ms. Noodlehead has her own book that accompanies the show. You can order one from the Books section of the website. Available in ebook format too!

• SS2H1, SS2H2
• SS2G1, SS2CG3
• ELACCRL2,36
• TAES2.1b,e 2.3a,e,f

“Thank you for showing me a nice show. It was real funny. I laff so much I got hickup.”

— Second grader

FOR FIRST GRADES: 

RUBY BRIDGES GOES TO SCHOOL
with actress Max Nolan

What was it like to go to first grade at a school where you were the only person of color?  Meet Ruby Bridges, the first African American student to attend William Frantz Elementary in New Orleans, LA in 1960.  The United States Supreme Court had just ruled against segregation (separating the races) in America’s schools.  With the support of her mother and her faith in the goodness of people and her religious faith, Ruby was the first to test this ruling at this New Orleans school. Accompanied by US marshals every day for the first grade, she faced significant challenges just entering the school. But her friendship with her teacher, Barbara Henry, helped her persevere. Hear Ruby’s story and how we are all connected, with one heart. 

• SS1H1a,b
• SS1 G1 d
• SS 1CG1
• ELAGSE1SL4
• TA1.RE.1 a,b

“The show was fantastic and the kids had such a great learning experience!”

– Fulton County First Grade Teacher

 

SEAMAN SPEAKS (new show with Captain Lewis’ dog, Seaman)
with cathy Kaemmerlen

SEAMAN SPEAKS tells the story, (through the use of an adorable hand made large rod puppet), of Captain Meriwether Lewis’ dog, Seaman, who accompanied the men of the Corps of Discovery on their 18 month journey to the Pacific Ocean.  With the help of Sarah Brown, who sold the black Newfoundland Lab dog to Lewis for $20, we will learn of Seaman’s adventures and his closeness to Sacajawea.  Children will hear about the silver tipped grizzly bear and Seaman’s heroics; how he helped Sacajawea rescue the captains’ papers from the waters of the Missouri River; teaching lessons he heard Sacajawea tell Pomp about the lessons of respect and giving back; and many more during this 45 minute show.  Students are seated on blankets on the floor.

Character traits utilized:  courage, honesty, respect for others, respect for the environment, loyalty, perseverance, patience

• SS1H1a, SS1G1, SS1CG1
• ELAGSE1R11, ELAGSE1RL2, ELAGSE1RL9
• ELADSE1SL4, ELAGSE1SL5, ELAGSE1SL5
• TA1.RE.1 a,b

SACAJAWEA SPEAKS
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

A 45-minute program to celebrate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the contributions that Sacajawea or Seaman made to the expedition that opened the Northwest Passage.  Through costume, props, visual aids, the audience will use their imaginations to aid them through this 18-month expedition that covered 11 states and thousands of miles by land and sea.  Sacajawea or Seaman invites the audience to sit on “listening blankets” to hear teaching stories about the trip and various adventures.  Some stories include the silver-tipped grizzly bear, overturned pirogue, near-fatal flash flood,  reunion with the Shoshones, bartering for horses, and many others.  Ideally designed for audiences of 100 or less, for first and fourth-grade curriculums.

Character traits utilized:  courage, honesty, respect for others, respect for the environment, loyalty, perseverance, patience

• SS1H1a, SS1G1, SS1CG1
• ELAGSE1R11, ELAGSE1RL2, ELAGSE1RL9
• ELADSE1SL4, ELAGSE1SL5, ELAGSE1SL5
• TA1.RE.1 a,b

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: INVENTOR / PRINTER / STATESMAN
with actor Alex Oakley

Meet Benjamin Franklin, known as America’s Renaissance man, meaning he was interested and influenced so many things starting with his discovery of electricity, the printing press, the glass harmonica, the Franklin stove and moving on to his witty sayings in POOR RICHARD’S ALMANACK and his publication of THE PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE.  We can’t forget his contributions to America’s independence from Britain.  The French said he was the genius who freed America.  A self-made man who worked for the common good, dedicated to self-improvement, he hoped he lived a life fit to be imitated.  First graders will invent with Franklin, laugh at his witty sayings, explore his life, and enjoy meeting firsthand this true American hero with actor Alex Oakley.

• SS1H1a,b
• SS1 G1 d
• SS 1CG1

FOR GRADES K-5:

A SENSE OF WONDER WITH RACHEL CARSON
with Cathy Kaemmerlen

Meet first ecologist, Rachel Carson, as she talks about her book, A SENSE OF WONDER, published posthumously.  After her work to ban the pesticide DDT or control its widespread usage, she decided her main mission was to instill in children a sense of wonder so that they would never be bored and always think of the wonders Mother Nature has to show us. Learn how to handfeed a chickadee.  Learn about nature’s greatest acrobat: the click bug beetle. Learn about the transportation systems plants have. Take the Earth Day pledge.