Magical Moonshine Theatre
ISS
Inspiring Student Stories
What is ISS?
ISS is a program designed by educators and Magical Moonshine Theatre to help inspire writing in elementary aged students. It is a program designed to work in conjunction with current curriculum and state mandated educational goals, providing support for teachers in inspiring writing without adding to their current workloads. The program’s purpose is to encourage creative writing in elementary aged students and provide inspiration, especially for those who may find writing challenging or initially unappealing.
How does ISS work?
While there is flexibility for participating schools, the core
program consists of Magical Moonshine Theatre co-directors
meeting with students in their classrooms in a
performance/workshop setting to introduce the program and the
principles of exciting story writing. Then, over a period of
weeks students work with their teachers and on their own to write
and then refine their stories. The stories are then read and a
number of them are selected based on various criteria to be
produced into a Magical Moonshine Theatre production. The program
culminates for the year with a performance by Magical Moonshine
of the student works at the participating schools. The exciting
possibility of having one’s own writing being produced as a
puppet play serves as inspiration for student writers.
Want to learn more? Clicking on the following links will take you to details of the program.
Detailed description of the program (including descriptions of in-class meetings and what is covered)
Letter to teachers considering participation
How to think about stories for ISS (a guide for teachers)
About Michael & Valerie Nelson and the Magical Moonshine Theatre -
(Jump to Magical Moonshine Theatre Website and offerings)
Valerie & Michael Nelson have over 50 years combined experience in California elementary schools as teachers and performing artists. In addition to working with elementary aged students they have also offered enrichment training for elementary school teachers through various institutions.
Magical Moonshine Theatre:
Given the highest "Exemplary" rating
by the Californa Arts Council Theatre Panel.
Known and respected throughout Northern Hemisphere: Invited
headliner performers at festivals too numerous to list,
nationally and in 15 countries internationally in Europe, Asia,
and Latin America;
From 1983 to 2004 MMTheatre headlined the U.S. National Puppetry
Festival (held every two years) 6 times, an honor shared with
only 3 other companies and exceeded by none;
One of only two foreign puppet troupes invited to perform at the
Japan National Culture Festival, 1992;
Performances selected by U.S. State Department to present to
represent U.S. culture abroad;
Recipient of numerous awards and honors, including two UNI Awards
(the coveted Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry,
founded by Jim Henson -example of others also receiving the
award: Disney's Lion King Broadway production);
Selected every year for 15 years for the California Arts Council
Touring Roster, a juried funding program to promote the best
touring artists in the state; Awarded the highest ranking by the
jury: “Exemplary;”
Selected for over a dozen additional performers rosters in
California alone, many being funded rosters;
Performances coast to coast in the U.S. including such diverse
venues as the Annenburg Center (Philadelphia), the Center for
Puppetry Arts (Atlanta), Las Vegas, the Hollywood Bowl; New
Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; Kansas City Hispanic
Festival, Caesar‘s Tahoe;
Producer of 4 recordings: 3 volumes of traditional folktales and
a music CD of traditional Spanish folk music for children;
Magical Moonshine Theatre Director, Michael Nelson
Studied puppetry with Muppet creator, Jim Henson, International
Institute of Puppetry, France (selected personally by Henson as
the one puppeteer to represent the U.S.);
Past president of UNIMA-USA, the U.S. Center for the oldest
international theatre organization in the world (Unione
Internacionale de la Marionette);
Past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers Guild
Author of numerous articles on puppet theatre for professional
puppetry magazines;
Workshop leader/teacher for puppet & arts professionals, U.S.
and abroad, plus puppet theatre arts at the college level and for
children, CAC Artist in Residence;
Four time panelist, California Arts Council Theatre Panel;
In twenty five years Magical Moonshine Theatre has presented over
4000 performances in the U.S. and abroad.