Pirate Captain Marcus uses a parachute as his ship, and it gets caught on an iceberg

For every character presentation, I wear a costume, use sets and props.  I lead the children through story telling, craft projects, and games that work as part of the theme of the party or classroom.  Each presentation has educational values and subjects. I write an educational workbook for the children.  For nine years John Chirico, Head Elementary Counselor for the Providence School Department, and I created 18 “BUGS” shows (Better Understanding through Guidance in Schools).  Each of the shows had a workbook.

The Roger Williams Story  In 2017, I wrote a storytelling piece about the 1772 Burning of the Gaspee.  I was shocked at how little I knew or understood about Roger Williams.  Ranger John McNiff at the Roger Williams National Memorial suggested that I read John Barry’s book, Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State and the Birth of Liberty.   I wrote John about my wanting to know more about Roger Williams.  John has mentored me for the past five years.  When he was asked to serve on a the panel sponsored by the Partnership of the Historic Bostons titled  Radicals, Rebels, and Rejects, he was too busy to serve. He asked me to serve in his place.  Here is the video of that panel.  Since then, I have started designing presentations for adults, families, and children to increase the appreciation and understanding of Roger Williams.  This panel shows my ideas about Roger Williams, and how great and original he was.  https://historicbostons.org/events/radicals-rebels-and-rejects-1

Captain Marcus Pirate Show    How a Bad Pirate learns to be good.    I will tell pirate stories, play pirate games, and do face painting to create a pirate look or any face.  My original stories include:  The Treasure at the Top of the Mountain,   The Pirates who Got Stuck in the Iceberg, The Adventures of Captain Bartholomew Roberts, and The Pirates who Saved the Day.  For the craft, the children will make “Treasures”.  These are sandcasted Plaster of Paris pieces.

Captain Marcus World Pirate Show–Backed by a map of the world, Captain Marcus explains the world of pirates.   What countries did they like to sail to?  What roles did the pirate crew have to do ?  Explanation of a compass: What Directions are Directions?   Captain Kidd Travels the World!   Were pirates ever considered “good”, the meaning of a “privateer”.

Stories from Farmer Brown’s Garden;  Written for the R.I. Spring and Garden Show, I introduce the audience to gardens, bees, pollination, and flower stories!!  Plant, Plant the Seeds,  Let’s Meet Johnny Appleseed, The Bell Flowers that saved the Kingdom,  Birthday Flowers,  The Birds that turned into Flowers.  Craft:  Flower making

The Cowardly Lion has a Party:   This is a program with the OZ tales, and how Frank Baum came to write them, It is a terrific story of literary success and flights of th eimagunation. from several books that Baum wrote about the Glinda and The Lion.  I include OZ sequences, and we make green castles.

King Cole’s I tell tales and stories of medieval life in a Castle. What is in a Castle? The Mean King and Queen Learn a lesson,

Farmer Brown: Nursery Rhymes and related play activities and games.

Train Engineer:—let’s travel–Trains, maps, geography and the making of American railroads.

Burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee:  Captain Lindsay tells the tale while he guides the Hannah near the Warwick shore.

Presentations last from 60-90 minutes.

Fran Slade, my wife, and I worked together telling stories, face painting, and arts workshops for sixteen years.  She passed away in January of 2021.  I have left her photos up, and I hope you do not mind.

MORE PAGES HERE:

• Burning of the Gaspee and Roger Williams Project Newspaper Article

• GASPEE WAS THE MATCH OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

• Gaspee/Roger Williams Storytelling Presentation

• Midsummer Night’s Dream Donkey Mask