Cathy Kaemmerlen
Cathy Kaemmerlen, author, actress, historical interpreter, playwright, and storyteller, is known for her variety of characters, one-woman shows, and for bringing history to life for over 8,000 school and community performances. A performer and “creator of shows” since she can remember, she tours around 20 current shows which she wrote. She has a B.A. in English and Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina and an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin. Most recently she was commissioned by the Plains Chautauqua Society to produce “A Journey with Rosalynn Carter.” She premiered the children’s version, “Rosie and the Butterfly,” in summer 2016. Cathy’s mission is to help students realize that history is made up of the stories of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary times and have excelled. The lowest test scores are often social studies scores because history is taught as a memorization course. Cathy wants students to make connections and see how one historical event affects the next.
Arts Disciplines: Theatre/Drama, Storytelling
Core Content Curriculum Areas: English/Language Arts, Social Studies/History
Specialized Content Areas: Arts Integration, STEAM
Grade Levels: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Geographic Availability: Metro Atlanta, North Georgia, Middle Georgia, South Georgia
Program Fees:
- $300 for single program in metro Atlanta
- $450 for two back-to-back programs
- $700 for up to 4 back-to-back programs
- For areas outside of metro Atlanta, prices start at $600, including travel.
Artistic Profile:
Cathy Kaemmerlen, author, actress, historical interpreter, playwright, and storyteller, is known for her variety of characters, one-woman shows, and for bringing history to life for over 8,000 school and community performances. A performer and “creator of shows” since she can remember, she tours some 20 current shows which she wrote, through the Georgia and South Carolina Touring Arts Rosters, Fulton County Teaching Museums, G.E.T. Programs in the Schools, and through her own production company, Tattlingtales Productions. She has a B.A. in English and Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina and an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Wisconsin. For her first career she was a modern dance teacher, choreographer, and performer, and movement specialist with the National Endowment of the Arts. She is the author of four books and many plays, including one commissioned by the DeKalb Historical Society. Most recently she was commissioned by the Plains Chautauqua Society to write and appear in the one-woman show, “A Journey with Rosalynn Carter,” and premiered the children’s version, “Rosie and the Butterfly,” in summer 2016.
Teaching Experience:
After a career in dance/movement education, teaching and doing residencies from coast to coast, Cathy has found her niche and second career in creating one-woman and duo shows as both a storyteller and as an actress/historical interpreter. For 25 years, she has been adding to her roster, beginning with an adaptation of “Turn Homeward, Hannalee,” by Patricia Beatty, about the plight of women mill workers in Roswell pre-Sherman’s March to the Sea, to the latest, “Maria Montessori” as a solo show and “The Adventures of Hernando DeSoto” and “Miss Ruby Bridges Goes to School” with two of her actors with her school performance company: Tattlingtales Productions. Cathy loves the research, the writing, the performing, and the directing of historical figures and historical timelines, from the explorers to the pilgrims, through the Revolutionary, Civil War, and World Wars, to the Civil Rights era. All of her programs are tied in with the social studies curriculum and are geared to specific grades. She has heard countless times from teachers and students how her shows bring history and historical figures to life. For Cathy, there is no greater thrill than returning to a school and to have the older students recall her program with excitement. Her mission is to make students realize that history is made up of her-story or his-story, compiled with the stories of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary times and have excelled. Social studies is the most neglected subject, often with the lowest test scores. It is because history is taught as a memorization course and usually from war to war. Cathy wants students to make connections and to see how one historical event affects the next. She believes that we make our own histories.
Sample Programs:
- Pearl Harbor Children: For 5th and 8th grades. 55 minutes. Stories of before, during, and after December 7, 1941, through the eyes of three different primary sources: Sarah Walters, whose father repaired battleships in Hawaii; Yuriko Ito, a Nissei born in Hawaii to Japanese parents who were interned during the war; and Miyaka Fuchida, daughter of Mitsuo Fuchida, squadron commander/planner of the surprise attack. For 150-200 students. Various settings work: auditorium, cafeteria, media center, multipurpose room. $300 for single performance in metro Atlanta.
- Sacajawea Speaks: For 1st and 4th grades. 50 minutes. Teaching stories Sacajawea taught her son, Pomp, during their 18-month journey with Lewis and Clark, using student volunteers and audience participation. Lessons stressed: respect and the act of giving back. Smaller numbers of under 150 work best as the children are seated on the floor. With a PowerPoint backdrop. Works in various performance settings. $300 for single performance in metro Atlanta.
- Eleanor Roosevelt: Godmother to the World: Previously in 3rd grade social studies curriculum but moving to 5th grade next school year. Meet Eleanor Roosevelt. Hear about her childhood, early and late political years, and her ambassadorship to the United Nations from a first-person account. 55 minutes with student actors playing parts. Suitable for various performance settings. 150-200 students maximum. $300 for single performance in metro Atlanta area.
Sample Lesson Plans/Study Guides:
- Listing ID: 6000