Andy Offutt Irwin
Andy Offutt Irwin is an educator, theatre director, songwriter, comedian, keynote speaker, and nationally touring storyteller & writer.
Andy is a perennial favorite of the Teller-in-Residence Program at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee, (seventeen seasons, now) and he has been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival eleven times.
From 1991 to 2012 he was Artist in Residence at Oxford College of Emory University. He continues to create theatre projects for Emory’s Oxford Campus where he is now known officially as Artist in Just Passing Through.
Trophies: He is a recipient of seven Storytelling World Awards; two Just Plain Folks Awards; the Oracle Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network; and a Parents’ Choice Award. In 2017 Andy received a Special Congressional Recognition – “For outstanding and invaluable service to the community” from Rep. John Lewis.
Other Notable Arts Education Engagements Include…
LaGuardia School of Art, Music, and Performing Arts (the FAME! School)
New York, NY – Visiting Lecturer and Performer;
Library of Congress-Virburnum Foundation Conference on Family Literacy –
Keynote Speaker/Performer;
Georgia College – Playwright in Residence;
Georgia Tech – Visiting Performer/ Songwriter with the Georgia Tech Glee Club;
Amherst College, Men’s Double Quartet – Visiting Songwriter;
Conference on Children’s Literature, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, –
Keynote Speaker.
Everybody is impressed to know that from 1984 to 1989 Andy worked at Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center where, under the auspices of SAK Theatre he performed, wrote, and directed live comedy shows.
Andy lives in Covington, Georgia. He thinks he is funny.
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
Arts Disciplines: Music, Theatre/Drama, Creative Writing, Storytelling, Poetry/Spoken Word
Core Content Curriculum Areas:Music, Theatre/Drama, English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies/History
Specialized Content Areas: STEAM, ELL (English Language Learners), Literacy, Math, Character Education, Social Justice Education
Grade Levels: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Special Populations: ELL (English Language Learners), At-Risk Students, Dyslexic Students, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Students, Exceptional Learners (students with disabilities as well as those who are gifted and talented
Geographic Availability: Metro Atlanta, North Georgia, Middle Georgia, South Georgia
Preservice and Professional Development: Post-Secondary/Pre-Service Learning, Professional Development for K-12 Teachers, Professional Development for Teaching Artists
Program Types:
School-based Classroom Workshop(s), School-based Afterschool Program, School-based Assembly Program, School-based Residency Program, School-based Summer Program, Community-based Workshop(s), Community-based Assembly Program, Community-based Afterschool Program
Community-based Residency Program, Community-based Summer Program
Online Content for School Use, Online Content for Community Use, Online Content for Summer Program Use, Hybrid Online and In-Person Content for Schools, Hybrid Online and In-Person Content for Communities, Hybrid Online and In-Person Content for Summer Programs
Program Fees:
- $580 for 1 show, $865 for 2 shows (in a row), $1,410 for 3 show (in a row)
- 60¢ per mile round trip for gigs over 75 miles.
- Workshop Fee: $865
- Residency Fee: $865 per day up to two days, $700 per day greater than two days
Artistic Profile:
Storyteller, writer, songster, and teaching artist Andy Offutt Irwin has been compared to The Marx Brothers, Eudora Welty, and Bobby McFerrin. He can custom-design programs on virtually any subject.
“With Andy, you laugh, then you laugh harder, then you sigh, then you listen in awe. Breathing in life.”
~ Grammy® Winners, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer
Teaching Experience:
• Oxford College of Emory University – Artist in Residence in Theatre: 1991 – 2007, 2011–2012.
• LaGuardia High School of Art, Music, and Performing Arts, New York City – Visiting Teaching Artist
• The Peter Gruber International Baccalaureate Academy, St Thomas US Virgin Islands – Summer Teaching Artist
• Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center – including longterm emerging reader residencies at Atlanta Public Schools
Mary Lin, Garden Hills, And Centinal Elementary Schools
• Hundreds of school programs throughout the United States
Sample Programs:
- Offutt’s Environmental Epic Show
- Theme: Environment, Storytelling, Music
- Grade Levels: All ages
- Number of Students: 200 Student Maximum
- Program Length: 40 min.
- Description: Andy wades down the local creek all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, learning important lessons along the way about pollution, recycling, and the interdependence of all living things.
- Facility and Technical Requirements: Clear Space
- Fee Structure: $580 for one performance, $865 for two performances in a row, $1,410 for three performances in a row.
- Letter’s Numbers and Other Important Stuff
- Theme: Music, Storytelling, Language Arts
- Grade Levels: Pre-K- K
- Number of Students: 200 Student Maximum
- Program Length: 40 min.
- Description: Active counting, alphabet and spelling songs, along with tunes that teach life lessons. Original songs include, I have Ten Fingers, You are a Goofy Kid and, Socks Are Hard to See.
- Facility and Technical Requirements: Clear Space
- Fee Structure: $580 for one performance, $865 for two performances in a row, $1,410 for three performances in a row.
- Cards In the Spokes
- Theme: Music, Storytelling, History, Character Development
- Grade Levels: Middle and High School
- Number of Students: 200 Student Maximum
- Program Length: 40 min.
- Description: Through this story, you’ll be one of the boys roaming free. At Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, you’ll be with black and white children in the movie theatre – segregated, yet stuffed together – during a partly live touring matinee. Then hop on your bike with the boys as they pass back and forth across the racial boundaries of the times. The scenery is Southern, but the themes are universal, and the lessons speak straight to the heart.
- Facility and Technical Requirements: Clear Space
- Fee Structure: $580 for one performance, $865 for two performances in a row, $1,410 for three performances in a row.
Sample Lesson Plans/Study Guides:
- Cards in the Spokes Study Guide
- Letters, Numbers, Study Guide
- Offutt’s Environmental Epic Show! Study Guide
Program Photos and Audio:
- Listing ID: 5994