Educators: Please click here to read about my experience with storytelling and how it impacts our youth today.

Folklore-bringing folktales to life

Joan gives interactive performances of adapted folk tales on topics ranging from Magic!, Aesop, Jack Tales, Small Animals to Dragons and shows that highlight multiculturalism such Chinese New Year, Japanese Sea of Gold, Latin American Celebration, African Safari, Native American Tales, and Caravan Tales of the Middle East. Programs are available on many themes, aimed at varied age groups ranging from pre-school - high school. Discounts for BTB performances, E-mail JGL1@aol.com. Click Here to check out an example of one of my programs on bullying and Click Here to see a summary of some of the programs.

Time Travelers

Joan also offers Colonial Tales, the life, times, and stories of a colonial indentured servant; A Time to Heal, remembrances of a Civil War nurse, the Whaler's Wife, a look at life onboard a 19th sailing vessel from a woman and her family-themes of science, conservation, and multiculturalism, and Westward Ho! , the trip of Narcissa Whitman on the Oregon trail. These are one-woman shows performed in period costume. Variations of the shows are available for K-3, 4-6, and Junior and Senior High, and general audiences on museum. library, and community stages, with special adaptations for corporate audiences.

Writing Programs

A freelance writer with hundreds of articles to her credit, Joan's first book for children, Massachusetts, a history book has just been published by Scholastic. She is designated as a Writer in Virginia, as a Poet and is available to talk to students on the writing process for K, 1-3, 4-6, Junior, High and Senior High.

Programs include:

• Poetry (for Junior and Senior High): Express your deepest self-in brief
• Get a Good Start (for K and Gr. 1-3): Uses a story and focuses on beginning, middle, end.
• Tale of the Tail: Teaching writing using folklore presentation to model a story and teach how to write a pourquoi tale.
• History (for Gr. 4-6, Junior High, and High School): A Real Story; Learn about how to research, write and revise.
• Drawing on her book Writing Techniques for Hotel Managers, Joan Leotta also teaches: The Art of Saying What You Mean

Cultural Interpretation for Museums

Art, History, Natural History, Science Museums
Custom story presentations to enhance audience enjoyment of exhibits ranging from ancient Greek urns to Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating party and Baseball. A member of IMTAL, my radio theatre script helps children learn about World War II on the homefront. Programs on Gingerbread Houses. Russian Saints, Tibetan Animals, and the Ukraine's Tales of the Golden Table have entertained audiences in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Washington , DC, New York, and Richmond. Whaler's Wife, Sharks!, Sea Turtles, are especially good for nautical and natural history museums where my shows included, and other topics. Most programs are custom for a particular show are thoroughly researched and include factual material. Docent Training programs in general presentation and storytelling also available. E-mail for details and rates: JGL1@aol.com.

Library Programming

Engaging minds and hearts through story can have few better venues than the library, the treasure chest of stores that helped develop my own love of books. I have performed in libraries in many locations and have a variety of holiday programs, summer theme programs, and more.

Interactive programs for children from ages preschool through elementary in library setting:

• It's Magic
• Jack Tales
• Aesop
• Dragons
• Custom Program of Folklore from a specific country, or tales on a theme

Training for librarians:

• Planning and Giving Storytelling Programs
• Starting a Children's Book Reviewing Group
• Starting a Children's Storytelling Club

Teaching Storytelling, Creative Dramatics, Creativity

Part of my performance philosophy is to empower others. I want children and adults to be able to use my performances as a stimulus to their own creativity. I also teach storytelling to adults and children, teach creative dramatics to children, and creativity to parents and corporate managers. Click Here to check out an example of an outline for beginning storytellers. Some of my programs are listed below:

Single Seminars:

• One Hour presentation on storytelling-for children
• Beginner's storytelling seminar for adults, geared to pre-school teachers, or librarians or elementary teachers-each seminar is three hours long
• Using Story in the ESL Classroom
• Using Story in the Social Studies Classroom
• Making the Link between oral and written language through Story
• Creativity Seminar for Parents
• Creativity Seminar for Teachers

Three-five Day Residencies:

• Storytelling for Pre-school teachers. Includes performances and work with your school's staff, teaching them, helping them choose, prepare and give a story, evaluate and strengthen.
• Storytelling and writing-writing presentations in elementary school introduced by oral presentation. Length of residency depends on number of children to be served. Includes teaching students, working with students, creating a class play on a social studies topic-e.g. Greek Myth, Brazilian tale, etc.

Click Here to discover more about storytelling.

Corporate Presentations

My degree in economics and years of working as finance analyst, program analyst, and association executive have given me a feel for what is needed in the corporate world. Over the past few years I have written on a variety of HR topics for many publications, including Selling Power and Federal Computer Week and Quinlan Publication's HR Report.

Presentations include:

• The Whaler's Wife : Dealing with a Multi-Cultural Workforce (suitable for large meetings. Costumed presentation ½ hour show and ½ hour on principals with handouts.
• Say What You Mean, a writing seminar for mid-level executives.
• Custom Presentation-to your company's needs-writing, work on presentation skills, story of your company, and more.