Prairie Folklore Theatre | Workshops / Workshops browse

Both Barry and Fox are available for workshops on creative writing in the history classroom, songwriting, storytelling, acting, theatre craft, and marketing.

Workshops are available for business leaders, sales professionals and sales managers, theater professionals, students, teachers, parents, naturalists, and the clergy. They are available as a one-hour or two-hour presentation, a day-long workshop, a week-long Artist-in-Residency, or a semester- or year-long course. All workshops are experiential; the only way to learn storytelling, songwriting, and theatre craft is by doing it! Fox's experience as a classroom teacher has helped him to put ideas and activities together in a coherent, step-by-step instructional format, while allowing participants plenty of opportunities for self-expression. Barry's extensive experience in all facets of sales and marketing has given him the skills to work effectively with a wide range of groups. All of the workshops listed here are flexible and can emphasize different content to fit the host's needs. Both Fox and Barry have taught at many levels, from preschool and high school to graduate courses and Elderhostel programs. This broad range of experience ensures that each program is tailored to meet the needs of the participants.

Following is a partial listing of workshops. Call 309-689-8000 or Contact Fox for custom-tailored programs:

Storytelling, His-story (and Her-story, too!)

An interdisciplinary and intergenerational approach to language arts and social studies. Learn to tell historical stories and collect family stories. Learn how to write good questions, prepare for and conduct oral history interviews to research local history, with an emphasis on average men, women, minorities, and people often left out of the history books. Learn library research skills, the difference between primary and secondary sources, and how to read between the lines. Learn how to turn "field notes" into dynamic stories, poems, and ballads. And learn to perform, share, or otherwise publish this work. Workshop participants will be guided through this process in a manner that allows them to inspire and instruct their audiences to gain a deeper understanding of themselves within the context of their cultural history.

Telling Family Stories

Each of us comes from a rich oral tradition of stories handed down from one generation to another. What? Not me, you say? Yes! They may be jokes heard at the dinner table or the funny thing that happened to Aunt Mabel. Maybe it is a sad story about a pet or a funny story about your first day of school. We all have a story to tell. This family-oriented, participatory workshop will help us find ways to recover and pass on this deep sense of who we are and where we come from. These stories will enrich your children and draw you closer as a family. Come to listen and come to tell.

The Stories Leaders Tell

The Art Of The Tale Well Told
A quick glance at all of the leading books on leadership will reveal the importance of storytelling in the business community. From the "The Seven Habits" series, "Who Moved My Cheese" and Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" to leadership books quoting Lincoln and Attila the Hun, the one thing these books have in common is their use of story and parable to convey important concepts. What most of these books lack is a concise and useful definition of what makes a good story work and how to develop and tell your own tales. We all have kernels of wisdom that we have gleaned from our successes and failures. We have all heard good stories well told by our colleagues. This workshop will help you to develop an ear for stories and strengthen your ability to find just the right tale for just the right moment. Bring along notes on the marketing campaign you are developing or the new managerial structure you are initiating and together we will develop the presentation and scripting to help you succeed!

Fables And Parables For Fun And Profit

Learning To Sell Our Story A Workshop on Sales and Marketing Strategies
Using the Art of a Good Story Well Told
Any business worth their salt knows the importance of brand image, corporate image, and public perceptions. Storytelling is the best tool for raising awareness and projecting a positive image of your product, service, or company. But storytelling is a double-edged sword; it also involves the art of listening, knowing what your client wants and needs so you can tailor your story to the specific situation at hand. In this participatory workshop you will develop the skills you need to craft and tell a good tale. You will also have time to refine listening skills, creating open channels of communication and nurturing positive relations within your company and within your client base.

Sing Along! Act it out! Everyone joins in!

Young children love to squirm! Invite them to fidget and wiggle in a manner that adds artistry to the tale while avoiding destructive behavior. In this participatory workshop you will learn the skills necessary to enrich your day care with the best that children's literature has to offer. Through theater games, voice exercises, sing-alongs, and mime you will develop your talents as a storyteller. Through lively discussion and audience participation you will learn how to teach your students the storyteller's art.

Prairie Tales

Explore the Natural History of this Diverse Ecosystem Through Storytelling, Songwriting, and Hands-On Science Plains Indian folklore and pioneer ballads blend in this celebration of one of America's most diverse and magnificent ecosystems. Through the adventures of a seed, journey through the four seasons with the plants and animals that call the prairie home. Trace the geological history of the oak savanna through the travels of "Rusty", a molecule of ferrous oxide. Learn of the struggles and successes to restore the prairie to America's heartland.

Explore the human and natural history of the tall grass prairie through this dynamic presentation of ecological folklore. Hear the legends of the original inhabitants of the American Savanna come to life through the stories of the ancient mound builders and the Plains Indians. Travel in prairie schooners and keelboats with the first settlers of this region. Listen to the natural and agricultural history of the prairie through the writings of Aldo Leapold and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Learn the ecological history of this diverse habitat from plate tectonics and glaciation to woolly mammoths and buffalo grass. The performance can focus on the human history and development of this region or the biodiversity and ecology of the prairie depending on the needs of the host. Prairie fires and pioneer politics will blend in this epic presentation of song and story, poetry and myth.

Learn the field ecology skills you need to help your students plant a butterfly garden and write haiku based on insect studies (entomology). Explore the complex relationships between bison populations and American Indian land management. Conduct field research, library research, and internet research on the wild animals that call the prairie home. Build a bluebird trail to help Cornell University conduct international songbird population studies.

Barry and Fox often work together to present a dynamic workshop with an energetic give and take, but either one is available for workshops with smaller numbers or smaller budgets. For more information about Fox's educational programs and keynote addresses, please check his web page at Fox Tales International.