Teaching Artist
I have nearly twenty years of experience writing stories and plays for children.
Children's Theatre Company
Master Teaching Artist (2000 - 2019)
With composer/lyricist Marya Hart, we re-imagined 36 familiar stories into 15-minute musicals that help kids and grown ups have important conversations about mental health and neurodivergence.
Supported annually by the Minnesota State Arts Board and/or Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, we've done more than 500 performances that have reached over 55,000 Minnesotans.
Script packages have allowed other theatre companies and schools to stage their own shows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and Guam.
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In 2022, our organization received an anonymous one million dollar donation that specifically named Fidgety Fairy Tales.
Complete list of Fidgety Fairy Tales - The Mental Health Musicals 2008 Little Red Riding Hood (ADHD) Sleeping Handsome (Depression) Rapunzel (anxiety) 2010 The Frog Prince (collaborative problem solving) Hansel and Gretel (post traumatic stress) The Prince and the Pea (autism) 2011 CinderEdward (bipolar disorder) Boyd, Who Cried Wolf (Tourette syndrome) Godlilocks and the Three Bears (obsessive compulsive disorder) 2012 Snow White (schizophrenia) Jack and the Beanstalk (brain injury) The Little Mermaid (eating disorder) 2013 Beauty and the Beast (autism) Rumplestiltskin (addiction) Pied Piper (reactive attachment disorder) 2014 The Emperor's New Clothes (brain injury) The Little Match Girl (autism) The Snow Queen (depression) 2015 Bluebeard (mental health stigma) Robin Hood and His Band of Anxious Men (anxiety) Demeter and Persephone (grief) 2016 The Sensational Hercules (sensory processing disorder) Brave Tailor Little (ableism) The Princess Who Never Laughed (depression) 2017 Three Little Pigs (anxiety) Humpty Dumpty (trauma) Ugly Duckling (bullying) 2018 Three Billy Goats Gruff (ADHD) Little Miss Muffet (meltdowns) Pinocchio (unhealthy coping mechanisms) 2019 The Ants and the Grasshopper (ADHD) Mary Had a Little Lamb (anxiety) Puss in Boots (autism) 2020 Chicken Little (managing catastrophizing thoughts) The Tortoise and the Hare (depression) Old Mother Hubbard (trauma) 2020 - 2022 Covid-era Video Adaptations Chicken Little The Tortoise and the Hare Old Mother Hubbard Little Red Riding Hood
Star Power and Friends
Collaborating with mental health professionals, a group of Somali Certified Family Peer Specialists, and a cast of Somali teens, I created and wrote a series of short videos about a team of Somali superheroes addressing mental health topics relevant to the Somali community in Minnesota.
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I also wrote arts-based activities, coloring pages, and other supporting materials to support usage in the classroom.
Complete list of Star Power and Friends episodes Episode 1 - Jumpkick Loves to Move Episode 2 - Monarch is an Expert Episode 3 - Mindracer Becomes a Role Model Episode 4 - Sunshine Has Lots of Energy Episode 5 - Big Hug Shows He Cares