Damon Young is a teaching artist and performer specializing in collaborative theatre arts and shadow puppet performance. As puppetry strengthens cooperation, creativity and empathy, it’s a perfect vehicle through which participants in Damon’s programs can celebrate the hands-on magic of storytelling and learning. Teachers and children are active creators in these educational programs, working with Damon to create interactive and unique community performance that synthesizes puppetry, music, voice and music. Dive in, play, create—be a part of the magic!

Arts Disciplines: Theatre/Drama, Puppetry, Storytelling, Music

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

Specialized Content Areas: Arts Integration, STEAM, World Cultures, Literacy

 Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8

Pre-Service Learning and Professional Development: Professional Development for Teaching Artists

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

Program Fees:

• Performances:
  • $350 (plus travel expenses for performances outside of metro Atlanta)
• Workshops:
  • $350 (plus travel expenses for workshops outside of metro Atlanta)
• Residencies:
  • $1,500 for a 5-day residency

Artistic Profile:

Damon studied Theater, Psychology and Music at Georgia State University.  He wrote and performed theater programs for students of Atlanta schools as part of the college outreach program.  Since then he has worked and trained at the Center for Puppetry Arts for 12 years and has had extensive workshop training at National and Regional Puppetry Festivals and events. Damon’s experience in theater, music, and puppetry spans the last 20 years including touring the USA and Canada. He directed and performed a large scale shadow theater piece based on the Mayan Popol Vu at the Center for Puppetry Arts as part of Experimental Puppetry Theater.  In 2013, he founded Mr. Damon’s Shadow Puppet Theater which has extensively toured performances and workshops at Georgia schools and libraries on topics including Leonaro DaVinci, light science, US History, world mythologies, and the Hero’s Journey.  As an artist, Damon is always learning and growing, taking inspiration from the children and communities he collaborates with to help kids express their experiences through images, movement, sound, and story.

As Lead Teaching Artist, supervisor, and trainer with the Center for Puppetry Arts education department for 12 years, Damon regularly leads workshops for students and artists, and creates puppet designs and learning activity curriculum. As a Fulton County Teaching Museum touring artist he has created innovative new educational puppet theater residencies on American History and Greek Mythology.  He has been a regular enrichment residency artist for the Decatur City schools after-school programs for 11 years leading literature and science-based residencies in which the kids create and collaborate to build a performance together. Damon’s professional teacher training and development includes Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, the Puppetry in Education and Therapy hands-on retreat 2012 in Orlando, and Professional Days for Teaching Artists and Therapists with the National Puppetry Festival in 2009, 2011, and 2015.

Damon Young is a teaching artist and performer specializing in collaborative theater arts and shadow puppet performance. Damon partners with teachers and kids to design fun educational theatrical experiences. Puppetry strengthens cooperation, creativity, and empathy, as well as being a medium of storytelling and learning.  Kids in Damon’s programs collaborate to create a hands-on community performance with music, voice, movement, and puppetry.

Teaching Experience:

Damon’s professional teacher training and development includes Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, the Puppetry in Education and Therapy hands-on retreat 2012 in Orlando, and Professional Days for Teaching Artists and Therapists with the National Puppetry Festival in 2009, 2011, and 2015.  As a Lead Teaching Artist, supervisor, and trainer with the Center for Puppetry Arts education department for 12 years, Damon regularly leads workshops for students and artists, and creates puppet designs and learning activity curriculm. As a Fulton County Teaching Museum touring artist he has created innovative new educational puppet theater residencies on American History and Greek Mythology. He has been a regular enrichment residency artist for the Decatur City schools after-school programs for 11 years, leading literature and science-based residencies in which the kids create and collaborate to build a performance together. Puppetry gives students a visceral experience of learning, cooperation, and creation. Students in Damon’s programs are immersed in a hands-on experience of community learning, teaching, and storytelling, as well as the subject matter. Puppetry strengthens empathy, relatedness, community, and ability to learn, as well as being a medium of teaching and exchange of information. Damon partners with teachers, students, and communities to design immersive, interactive, and memorable learning experiences.

Sample Programs:

• Shadow Puppets & Science : Revolutionary War / Greek Mythology Residency
  • Grade 4: Five 1-hour sessions per class. $1,500 and up depending on number of classes.
  • Standards met: Science S4P1,S4P2, SOCIAL STUDIES SS4H4 , ELA & VISUAL ART
  • This in-school residency begins with a kick-off performance spot- lighting the science behind shadow puppetry. Next, student groups, with support from their ELA or Social Studies teacher, create narratives based on the Revolutionary War or Greek Mythology (grade level team’s choice). Mr Young then works with students to plan, create and perform their narratives through the magic of shadow puppetry. Students perform their narratives using puppets, props, and stage settings they have created, while exploring properties of light, shadow, and scale.
• Hanuman the Hero – Exploring the Puppetry of Asian cultures
  • All ages: 1-hour, interactive performance.   $350 + travel.
  • Standards met: SOCIAL STUDIES, ELA & VISUAL ART
  • Prehistoric cave paintings come to life, Rajasthani string puppets dance, and Hanuman the Monkey saves the day in this entertaining demonstration of Asian puppetry traditions with mythical storytelling, authentic musical instruments, and audience participation.
• Newspaper Puppet Creations
  • Grades 4-7: Multi-session residency for up to 20 students.  $350 and up.
  • Standards met: SOCIAL STUDIES, ELA & VISUAL ART
  • Puppets are moving sculptures carefully crafted to be brought to life.  Students will build a working, jointed Bunraku (Japanese rod) style puppet from recycled newspaper and masking tape.  Based on the human figure and human proportions, puppets can be transformed into just about any character.  Engineering and design play crucial roles in shaping a puppet character’s personality and movement.

Sample Lesson Plans/Study Guides:

Available Upon Request

• Listing ID: 6005