Barry Stewart Mann is an actor, storyteller and teaching artist based in Atlanta. He was born in suburban New Jersey, and grew up there and in South Florida. Barry holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University, and an M.F.A. in Theatre from the University of San Diego. Barry has performed at theatres across the country; told stories in schools, libraries, camps, museums, and festivals both in the US and internationally. He is an avid traveler, having visited 45 of the 50 states and more than 50 nations on 4 continents. Barry speaks several languages, has a keen interest in history and world cultures, and brings a ‘citizen of the world’ sensibility to his life and work.

Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube

Arts Disciplines: Storytelling, Theatre/Drama, Puppetry

Languages Spoken: Spanish (conversant), French (conversant), bits of German & Hebrew

Core Content Curriculum Areas:Theatre/Drama, English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies/History

Specialized Content Areas: Arts Integration, STEAM, ELL (English Language Learners), Literacy, Math, World Cultures, Social Justice Education, Mindfulness Strategies, Conflict Resolution and Community Building

Grade Levels: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, College and Graduate Level

Special Populations:ELL (English Language Learners), At-Risk Students, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Students, “BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students”, “LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex) students”, Exceptional Learners (students with disabilities as well as those who are gifted and talented

Additional Populations: Arts & Early Learning, Seniors/Arts & Aging, Arts & Persons with Disabilities, Arts & Corrections/Arts in Prisons, Arts in Rural Communities

Pre-Service Learning and Professional Development:Post-Secondary/Pre-Service Learning, Professional Development for K-12 Teachers, Professional Development for Teaching Artists

Geographic Availability: Metro Atlanta, North Georgia, Middle Georgia, South Georgia

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:
Fees are based on the Atlanta metro area; reasonable travel fees apply beyond, and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

• Solo assembly programs for schools or libraries:
  • $240 single program
  • $430 double on same day, same site or area
  • $540 triple on same day, same site or area
  • $680 quadruple, same day, same site or area
• Duo assembly program for schools or libraries (involving two performers -Viajando por poesía, First Contact, Shakespearean Love, and Passion, Power & Poetry):
  • $425 single program
  • $650 double on same day, same site or area
  • $1,050 triple on same day, same site or area
  • $1,300 quadruple on same day, same site or area
• Workshops:
  • Individually $75, minimum of 3
  • Full day $400 (up to 6 sessions)
• Residencies:
  • $1750 per wek

Artistic Profile:

Barry is an actor and storyteller based in Atlanta. He holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University, and an M.F.A. in Theatre from the University of San Diego. He also attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York, where he trained with Sanford Meisner. Barry has appeared at theatres across the country, from San Diego’s Old Globe, Arkansas Rep, and the South Florida Shakespeare Festival, to off-Broadway stages in New York City. In Georgia, he has performed with Theatrical Outfit, Horizon Theatre, Theatre Emory, Jewish Theatre of the South, ART Station, and Théâtre du Rêve. Favorite roles include Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Ned in “The Normal Heart,” Antonio in “The Tempest,” and half the characters in “Greater Tuna.” Barry has been a storyteller since 1991, telling tales to audiences of all ages in schools, festivals, camps, libraries, elder-hostels, and other venues. He was named “National Storyteller of the Year” in 1999, contributed regularly to the public radio program “Recess!” through the early 2000’s, was featured at the 2nd Festival Internacional de Cuentacuentos in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2014, and has been doing storytelling tours to foreign capitals with DreamOn Productions of Buenos Aires. On screen, Barry appeared on “One Life to Live,” A&E’s “Short Stories,” “The Dr. Ruth Show,” and a long-playing Viper Car Alarm Commercial. Barry is a member of Actors Equity Association, the National Storytelling Network, and the Georgia Storytelling Network (formerly the Southern Order of Storytellers). Barry values the traditions of the classical theatre, classical mythology, and folklore from cultures around the world, but also delights in exploring new forms, new plays, and new ways of telling stories.

Teaching Experience:

Barry Stewart Mann has been teaching about drama and storytelling for almost as long as he has been an actor and storyteller. Over the years, he has been a roster teaching and performing artist with the Alliance Theatre, Georgia Wolf Trap, ArtsNOW, the Atlanta Partnership for Arts in Learning, the Teaching Museum, Young Audiences, FABArts (Columbus, GA), ArtsAccess at Utah State University, the California Playwrights Project, the San Diego Institute for Arts Education, the Old Globe Theatre, and, of course, for more than two decades, the Georgia Council for the Arts. He has been a regular presenter at the Woodruff Arts Center’s annual Educator Conference. He teaches at all grade levels, using such approaches as Improvisation, Process Drama, Readers Theater, Digital Storytelling, Playwriting, Puppetry, Pantomime, and Playmaking. At the university level, Barry teaches courses in Storytelling and Drama in Lesley University’s Master of Education program in Creative Arts in Learning. He has also taught, lectured, or performed at Emory University, Georgia State University, the University of Florida, Utah State University, Idaho State University, William Paterson University, and Grossmont College. Barry has traveled to more than 50 nations on 4 continents, speaks French, Spanish and bits of other tongues, and is on the roster of the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Specialist Program, with specialization in folklore and arts integration. He has been a bilingual storyteller and scholar with the Prime Time Family Reading Program through the Georgia Public Library System since 2008. Barry strives to use the arts of drama and storytelling to inspire students’ imagination, enhance literacy, and support learning across the curriculum.

Sample Programs:

• Peace Pipes and Talking Leaves:  Cherokee Leaders and Lore – An assembly program for up to 300 students that explores of lore and customs of the Cherokee people, including creation myths, the Seven Clans, the Green Corn Ceremony, and the stickball game, as shared by Sequoyah and two other historical Cherokee figures.  The program is appropriate for grades K-5, and specifically addresses 2nd Grade SS Standards.  Program fee is $220 for a single presentation in the metro Atlanta area. Travel fees apply for other parts of Georgia.
• The Great Depression Experience  – A 3-day classroom residency hat uses primary sources, improvisation, journal-writing, and oral interpretation to help students understand the Great Depression by imagining and experiencing the lives of a Depression-Era family.  Workshops suit up to 30 students, and address 5th Grade Social Studies Standards.  Workshop cost is $75 per session, or $225 per class residency, with a minimum of 3 classes per day. Travel fees apply outside of metro Atlanta.
• Dinner at the Periodic Table – A classroom workshop for up to 30 students that creatively encounters the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements by engaging students with metaphorical thinking, characterization, and improvisation to embody the elements and bring their properties, reactions, and relationships to life.  Program addresses 8th Grade Science Standards.  Workshop cost is $75 per class, with a minimum of 3 classes per day. Travel fees apply outside of metro Atlanta. Program can be presented in one or two-day formats.
• A World of Stories – varied, engaging, and customizable program of stories from around the world, set in geographical and cultural context, and presented in lively retellings. Miscreants, mischief, misunderstandings and morality make for marvelous stories from around the globe, including such delightful tales such as “Juan Bobo and the Pig” (Puerto Rico), “Why Possum’s Tail is Bare” (Cherokee), “The Fingers and the Thumb” (Hausa-Nigeria), or “The Family of Fools” (Japan). Barry selects stories for each program based on grade level, themes, and curriculum connections, and can also include some bilingual cuentos or personal travel tales, or tailor a program to specific topics or traditions.
• My Mouth Is Exploding! – A rollicking, fun-filled, sound-spangled program exploring the wonderful world of phonics. Farmer Phineas McPhonic introduces the types of fresh phonemes he farms – sounds that pop, sounds that hiss, and sounds that hum – and leads audiences through rhyme, alliteration and onomatopoeia with lively retellings of popular picture books including “One Duck Stuck” and “Giraffes Can’t Dance.” He illuminates the fascinating multicultural roots of English phonics, and invites his puppet friend Arty Q. Later, a real Big Mouth, to share the special power of vowels. The program is full of stories, songs, puppets, colorful visuals, and audience participation. Perfect phonic fun for emerging speakers and readers!
  
• The Highest Office: The Campaign History of a Small-Town President – A Living History performance program, originally commissioned by and presented at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, that traces the rise of Georgia native and 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, through multiple characters and historical images. From a run for State Senate in Southwest Georgia, to the Governor’s House in Atlanta, to the 1976 Democratic nomination and Presidential election, Carter’s campaigns are dominated by such themes as race, civil rights, regionalism, integrity, and the value of family. Authentic images and memorabilia from the period fill the program, and Barry uses costumes, dialects and sharp characterizations to bring to life such figures as Lester Maddox, Hamilton Jordan, George Wallace, Gerald Ford, and, of course, President Carter himself.

Sample Lesson Plans/Study Guides:

• “Peace Pipes and Talking Leaves: Cherokee Leaders and Lore”
• “Dinner at the Periodic Table“
• “The Great Depression Experience”
• “A World of Stories”
• “My Mouth is Exploding!”
• “The Highest Office: The Campaign History of a Small-Town President”

Program Videos: 

• “Peace Pipes and Talking Leaves”
• “First Contact: European Explorers Come to North America”

• Listing ID: 5998