Literacy Council of Northern Virginia

PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES

The Great Zucchini, Washington's funniest and most magical preschool & kindergarten entertainer, performs a colorful magic show where every child is a star and guaranteed to laugh! Experience the excitement of the children when they get to learn a magic trick at the end of show!

For over 12 years, The Great Zucchini has been entertaining young children as a magician and preschool teacher. He performs his hands-on, interactive magic shows to more that 250 groups a year. He has even performed at the White House. His experience, coupled with his gentle nature and wacky facial expressions, makes kids immediately feel comfortable and ready to laugh.

The Good Life Theater, combining puppetry and other dramatic arts, has thrilled audiences at The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Maui Arts and Culture Center, The Museum of Women in the Arts, and hundreds of schools, libraries, parks and family celebrations.

Husband and wife team, Jeanne Wall and Joe Pipik, each have more than 30 years of performing experience . They are both master artists with Wolf Trap’s Early Learning Institute.

Cathy & Marcy are trailblazers in children's and family music. They play dozens of instruments from banjos to mandolins to rockin' electric guitar, steel drum, and ukulele. They sing, yodel, chicken cluck in harmony, twirl a mean lariat rope, scat sing, and inspire effortless participation from every audience. Most importantly, they love what they do and have been rewarded for their excellence with 2 Grammy awards, 11 consecutive Grammy nominations, and literally hundreds of awards The Parents' Choice Foundation, American Library Association, John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Washington Area Music Association, and many others.

Over 5,000 shows in performing arts centers, schools, folk festivals, community centers, libraries, and children's festivals have given Cathy & Marcy the superb skills to deliver a show that is fun, wacky, energetic, and participatory and that also brings meaning to their song, "It's Better When We Sing It Together."

Glenna Ohlms is a retired teacher who loves to tell stories to children of all ages. Preschoolers at the Nokesville Neighborhood Library know her as "Miss Glenna" because she does story time there on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. throughout the school year. She has also presented numerous storytelling assemblies, family night programs and teacher workshops in Prince William County. A member of VASA (Virginia Storytelling Alliance) and VITG (Voices In the Glen) she maintains contact with other storytellers and is always looking for new stories to share. Glenna's programs are always very interactive and often include songs, instruments from around the world, "scissor and string stories" and puppets, as well as traditional, original and multicultural tales. I am grateful to my wonderful husband, Dan, who has long been my loyal audience!

Margaret Chatham brings you a bag of favorite story books so old, they may be new to you! Along with stories of Brer Rabbit or Anansi or the Fat Cat or things that go "bump" in the night, her bag includes folksongs to join in singing and stories told with a set of Russian nesting dolls.

Margaret Chatham first told stories as a children's librarian in Hawaii. Locally, she has entertained at the Washington Folk Festival, the National Museum of American History, the Potomac Celtic Festival, the US Marine Museum, & in the rhino cage at the National Zoo, as well as in many schools, libraries and parks. In 2003, she received with her husband the National Storytelling Network's Oracle Award for service and leadership in the MidAtlantic Region. When not telling stories & sharing her love of books, she studies native plants & works as a Potomac Gorge Weed Warrior, collects dolls from around the world, and plays French horn in the Falls Church Concert Band.

The HB Woodlawn High School actors are a talented and enthusiastic group of young people ranging in grades from 8th through 12th. HB Woodlawn High School in Arlington is known for its theatre program, which produces seven to eight shows per school year and offers a variety of acting classes to its students. The program has won several awards for its plays over the years, most of which were directed by high school students. Though HB Woodlawn is well-known for the strength of its academic classes, the students in the theater group like to think of their school as a fine arts school and with very good reason.

The Rainbow Entertainment Company Inter-Active Children's Theatre (IACT^TM) provides the most unique and exciting experience in children's theatre ever! Children who wish to step out of the audience and onto the stage are encouraged to do so in a wide variety of fairie tales, folk tales, legends and lore. Once in costume, they find themselves contributing significantly to the production and gain a new perspective on the theatrical experience. Today, The Rainbow Company provides more performances and dramatic arts enrichment programs throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C than ever before. Most recently The Rainbow Company was invited to perform three shows daily at the first ever annual Frostival produced by Celebrate Fairfax. Check out the footage on our website: www.reciact.com. The Rainbow Company has been a member of the Arts Council of Fairfax County CAP's since 1996. The Rainbow Company: bringing literature to life since 1991.