StoryUP! is a line of storytelling and workshops for children of all ages. For kids from preschooler to teen, a story has the power to unite, amuse, and incite passion. Our interactive storytelling engages students to spark their own imagination, while our workshops give kids a chance to experience the power of creating their own story. Informed by the legendary Dorothy Heathcote’s process drama, improvisational theater techniques, and the People’s Theater of Augusto Boal, peer of Paolo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed), as well as the storytelling philosophy of educator Vivian Gussin Paley, our workshops give students the chance to play out their own story and put it to paper. Writing and drama are just two of the elements we use to bring our stories to life: workshop variations include music, art, science and other elaborations on themes.
Why StoryUP!?
We engage students in an active experience where they will stand up and be supported as they engage in dramatic and written expression. StoryUP! calls on young people to tell a story, act a story, write a story and in turn be empowered by their own voice. StoryUP! hopes to reach students who may not otherwise have the experience of writing and drama enrichment and spread the spark of empowerment to all children and young people.
“Martha Cooney is a master storyteller, engaging audiences from the time she starts speaking until her story concludes. My students were captivated by her storytelling, and her ability to move seamlessly from brilliant storyteller to poignant teacher of the craft is truly rare.”
-Steve Clark, 6th grade Literacy teacher, The DePaul Catholic School, Philadelphia
