Students experience a variety of theater forms: mime, mask theater, circus arts, and storytelling. Performances vary in length, characters, and subject depending on the age of the audience. GEMS: THE WORLD’S WISDOM STORIES (elementary only): Doug Berky uses classic styles of storytelling from many cultures including large masks, mime, and puppetry to introduce students to literature from other cultures including Greece, India, Native America and tales from Europe and South America. Doug has three versions of this production for the different age groups including a preschool version to help introduce young students to masks and stories. NO SHOW: A performance has been scheduled, but the actor fails to show. Or does he? What will happen when a lone spectator finds himself unwittingly on stage? Doug transforms into several characters ranging from a gorilla to a ballerina as he explores the props and masks on stage. Students experience a variety of theatre forms: mime, mask theater, circus arts, and storytelling.

Artist Background

“When I am introducing elementary students to theatre arts, foremost on my mind is to create a safe environment in which each student will be comfortable exploring and playing together with ideas as a group. I strive to create a relationship with the students that fosters trust and openness. I make use of many tools such as circus skills, music, mime, masks and puppets to add imagery and variety and to keep the student audience engaged.” Doug Berky’s performances are an intricately woven fabric of several classic theatre forms: mime, mask theatre, circus arts, and storytelling. His training includes a B.A. in Drama from Furman University, study at the Dell’Arte School of Mime and Comedy and an apprenticeship with mime artist, Tony Montanaro. Before beginning his solo career in 1983, Doug toured as a performer and mask maker with Two Penny Circus, Montanaro Mime Theatre and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. He has appeared on the award-winning children’s TV series, See-Saw, and four TV specials for Swedish National Television. Doug has been a featured performer and teacher at the Eugene O’Neill Symposium, Commedia School in Denmark, Roanoke College among others.

Search Criteria

• Program Type: Performance
• Discipline: Literary, Storytelling, Theatre, Visual Arts
• Grade Level: Elementary
• Cultural Context: Asian, European, Middle Eastern, Native American
• Accepts bookings in Johnston County