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Anansi the Spider to Wile E. Coyote: Trickster Tales from Around the World  |  Rob Cleveland

People of all ages love to watch the escapades of tricksters. In modern times, we watch Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and and even Bart Simpson. Students will learn that these contemporary characters have roots in antiquity. The trickster is a universal archetype, found in every culture: Anansi among the African people, Coyote in the American Southwest, Raven in the Pacific Northwest, Rabbit in the American South, the leprechaun in Ireland, Fox in South America, and many others. Master storyteller Rob Cleveland takes audiences on a festive romp with these timeless rascals.

Rob Cleveland

Rob Cleveland is a jack of many trades and a master of many as well. He is a master storyteller, a comedian, an actor, and a teacher. Currently, he is working on developing and distributing new animated stories and illustrated children books with a number of authors. His Story Cove book “How Tiger Got His Stripes” recently won Rob his first book award when it received a World Storytelling Honor Award for Young Listeners.

In addition, Rob is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. His talent in storytelling landed him at E+C72mory University where he leads workshops for law students, teaching them how to tell a good story. On some Sundays, you will find him showing Sunday school teachers how to incorporate storytelling techniques and disciplines into their work. As an actor, Rob has appeared in over fifty professional stage productions around the country. Most recently, he is performing in his eighth season as an associate artist with Georgia Shakespeare. On film, he has been seen in “That Darn Cat” and “Drumline.” Rob was also part of the creative team that developed the show called “Tush” for WTBS, a show that featured the writing team of Bonnie and Terry Turner.

As a stand-up comedian, Rob has headlined all over the country in many different comedy clubs, including Dangerfield’s in NYC and The Improv in NYC and Los Angeles. Rob earned B.S. degree in Biology and Education at Emory University and spent several years as a special education teacher. He spent several years as the coordinator of Atlanta Citizen Advocacy, an organization that finds advocates for persons with developmental disabilities.

He currently resides in Atlanta Georgia with his wife of 17 years, Mary Lynn Owen and their 14 year-old twins, Andrew and Eloisa.

Keynote/Workshop Appearances (partial listing)

2009 Southern Early Childhood Association-Keynote/Workshops
2009 Indiana Early Childhood Association-Keynote
2009 Kentucky Association Early Childhood Education Association-Keynote/Workshops
2009 WFSU Early Childhood Conference(Florida)-Keynote/Workshops
2009 Region IV Headstart Conference-Workshops
2010 Early Reading First Symposium (Atlanta)-Workshops

Young Audiences Roster Artist Rob Cleveland

Grade Level:

Pre K, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Program Type:

Assembly

Audience Limit:

300

Duration:

45 minutes

Cost:

Single Assembly: $380
Back-to-Back: $630
Three Back-to-Back: $815
Four Back-to-Back: $1005

Young Audiences Woodruff Arts Center
1280 Peachtree Street NE • Atlanta, GA 30309 • (p) 404-733-4250 • (f) 404-733-5236