This story began over twenty years ago, when I experienced shadow theater for the first time while attending a play in New York City. As dark shadows appeared against the lit screen, the interplay between light and dark that commenced was magical. As I delved further into the world of shadow theater, I began to realize that this medium offered possibilities for me as an educator.

This ancient art form, with probable origins in Asia, has traveled to every part of the world, adapting and changing. In this spirit of adaptation, I created an interactive shadow theater experience for the classroom. What I soon discovered is that shadow puppetry could reach a range of learning styles, captivating students as they learned (through play!) the fundamentals of storytelling and collaboration. I took this experience into New York schools, and for the past ten years into classrooms across the country as a Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and National Consultant with Focus 5, Inc.