Read Across America 2013

Greetings Everyone!
I have once again had the pleasure of performing at Due West Elementary for Ms. Stigall and her students to celebrate Read Across America and Dr. Seuss' birthday.  The shows all went great and there were lots of activities planned throughout the day, including eating some green eggs and ham, dressing as your favorite Dr. Seuss character, and of course, a magical reading program! 

Below are some pics from the event including lots and lots of Cat in the Hat helpers from the local middle school as well as The Cat in the Hat herself.  After five or so years of performing at this school, I have yet to actually see the media specialist in normal clothes and without Cat make up on.  I would not recognize her if I saw her on the street unless she introduced herself.  How strange and awesome is that!?!

Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at The Center for Puppetry Arts

Greetings Everyone,
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend "The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe" at The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta on Thursday evening after a full day of school programs in Forsyth County.  To say I was impressed would be an understatement.  The final day of this awesome play is Saturday, March 3rd.  If they ever put it on again, I would encourage you to run, not walk, to get a ticket and see it.  It is unlike any puppet show that I have ever seen as it uses both actors along with the puppets for a truly unique experience.  Not only that, but the set itself was hauntingly beautiful and as soon as you walked in the room, it felt like you were inside of a Poe story - great atmosphere!  Just as excellent as the play was the music and sound effects, which were performed live by a very talented musician who used a combination of electronic equipment and homemade instruments.

Add to all of this a freezing winter night with wind gusts of 20 mph and you had the perfect setting to hear and see a unique twist on some of Poe's most famous stories.  Two thumbs way up!

Enjoy a picture of the set below.

TWO BRAND NEW SHOWS FOR THE 2013-2014 SCHOOL YEAR!!!

Greetings Everyone!
I am proud to announce the addition of not one, but two brand new shows for middle and high schools for this upcoming school year.  With that being said, these programs are also available from March-May of THIS school year at a special rate for folks who would like to see an early version of either program!  Several schools from October/November have seen previews at the end of their "Authors of Mystery and Horror" programs of the first program below.  A special "thank you" to everyone who allowed me to "practice" in front of their students and teachers that were in attendance - it was the best practice I could get!

Show #1

 "Nevermore:  The Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" is a truly unique experience.  This program is not just a summary of Poe's works followed by some awesome magic.  Students and teachers will experience dramatic tellings of Poe's stories and poems from memory!  Some of the stories and poems that are performed at this time are "The Raven", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "Annabel Lee" and "A Dream Within a Dream."  "The Cask of Amontillado" will soon follow.  Between the stories and poems will be some strange and mysterious magic routines that are sure to astound and tie in with the themes of each piece of literature. 
 

Show #2

Due to popular demand and per the request of several media specialists at the middle school level, I am most excited to introduce "Once Upon a Time:  Grimm's Fairy Tales."  This program highlights the differences between the modern day adaptations of several popular fairy tales with their original counterparts.  Students will be delightedly shocked at some of the "new" twists that they experience when going back to the beginning - when the Brothers Grimm were writing down these stories so long ago.  Some of the featured fairy tales are, "Cinderella", "Snow White", "Beauty and the Beast", "Rumpelstiltskin", and "The Frog Prince."  Others that will be mentioned are "Sleeping Beauty" and "Rapunzel."  As always, between each story will be some amazingly mysterious and enchanting magic - because these are fairy tales after all!

A Nice, Big, Fancy Cage!!!

Greetings Everyone!
For all of you elementary and public library folk who have had me year after year after year, you probably know that I always talk about my snakes and their "nice, big, fancy cages" that they have at my house.  Students know that, while they may have to travel and perform from a pillow case on the road, the snakes have a nice, warm, safe home to go back to once their shows are done each day.  Well, I am proud to say that below is one of the most awesome snake cages that I have ever seen - and it is also Rocky Balboa's new home.  Of course, Rocky's real name is Stryker - Rocky is just the stage name.

For you middle/high folks, you will notice the Edgar Allan Poe "Fall of the House of Usher"/Lord of the Rings theme which inspired the creation of this cage.  It is actually in the corner of the room which houses the "Mural of Awesomeness" in a previous post - all about Poe, Potter, and Lord of the Rings!

Enjoy the pictures below!

Some Brand New Toby Pics to Start Off the New Year!!!

Greetings Everyone!
I just thought I would post one more little blog with some new baby photos!  Toby is doing great and fitting right in with his big brother and sister.  I hope everyone enjoys the photos!

Introducing Tobias Kane Crews!

Greetings Everyone!
It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you all the newest edition to our family - Tobias Kane Crews.  He was born on Tuesday, November 27th and weighed in at 5lbs, 12oz with a height of 19.5 inches.  He shall henceforth be known as Toby...at least until my daughter gives him a nickname like she did her younger brother Grady - now known as Buddy.

Toby was born 5 weeks ahead of schedule (and caused the rescheduling of a week of school programs), and he had to have a little help breathing the first night but by the next morning he was breathing on his own and he came home Thursday afternoon!

But enough about that - here are some pics! 

Great Visit to North Georgia Schools!

Greetings Everyone!
I have had the pleasure of spending two days up in the Dalton, GA area performing at two of their elementary schools.  I had a blast at both schools and have a few highlights to share here on the blog! 

Highlight #1  On the first day of the trip, I was able to have a special meet and greet during lunch with two students selected from each class.  We all ate in the media center and I think everyone had a great time - the kids asked some awesome questions and we had some fun discussions on magic, magicians, and books.  I also met one student who was a fellow magician - and he even showed me a card trick - and then he let me borrow the deck of cards for some impromptu card magic for everyone!  Fun times!  Below is a picture of the event!

Highlight #2  This photo of one of the teachers who is showing everyone her muscle.  Normally I have to show the volunteers what to do, but it was like she was reading my mind and knew exactly what to do ahead of time!  She even busted out a John Cena "You Can't See Me!" at the end.  Awesome volunteer!

Highlight #3  When I walked into the school on the second day of my visit I had a huge sign in the gym waiting for me, along with a smaller sign around the official "Autographing Station" where I signed posters for all the students who got one of my books.  I was also treated to a homemade meal by the media specialist which was scrumptious - and it even included homemade dessert!

Highlight #4  As I was getting ready to set up in front of the aforementioned sign, it was brought to my attention that a certain magical educator had made the front page of the local paper from the shows the day before.  I was given a copy of said newspaper and to say that I was excited is an understatement!  I can't wait for the article to be published that they are working on for a future addition!  Here's a brief glimpse of it! 

Highlight #5  Great audiences!  All eight shows had great groups of students and teachers in attendance.  Every show was fun and the folks who came up to volunteer all did amazing jobs.  Here's a brief clip of audience reactions and some of the student/teacher volunteers!  Enjoy!

This is a great shot of some super excited and surprised reactions!  They just saw the grand finale to the oldest magic trick in the world.  What is the oldest magic trick in the world?  Book the program for your school and find out!