The Park Theatre

Eshu Bumpus and Motoko, two nationally renowned storytellers and teaching artists, will perform traditional tales from Africa and Asia. They will then guide young learners in a creative writing residency. The students will develop their multicultural literacy, narrative writing skills, and social-emotional awareness by writing original folktales. Participants will gain knowledge of the narrative structure of folktales and apply it to their own writing of imagined experiences by using well-defined characters, clear event sequences, meaningful dialogue, and descriptive details. They will demonstrate understanding of the cultural role of folktales as a vehicle for understanding human nature and behaviors, and for teaching morals and lessons. By writing original folktales, students will also express their own feelings and thoughts safely through fictional characters and explore ideas and values that help them become responsible citizens of our community.