A professional touring theatre company in continuous operation since 1981.
The company provides sets costumes, scripts and music in conjunction with professional consultation in theatre and musical theatre productions.

With rave reviews in New York City (Cabaret Scenes Magazine) and hailed as "one of the most celebrated teams" in the Lowcountry (Lowcountry Today), Charleston, SC sisters Gracie & Lacy captivate audiences with their "smooth-as-butter harmonies" (Viera Voice), power-house vocals, intricate tap dancing, and drop-dead-gorgeous costumes!They are best known for their preservation of The Great American Songbook and United States history of the 1920s-1960s.Gracie & Lacy's unique backstory inspires students that no matter their age or their resources, they can pursue their passion.At the ages of eight and ten, Gracie & Lacy strung a bed sheet curtain on a garden hose across their garage, and thus, "Broadway On The Driveway" was born.Soon off the driveway, the company grew to include a full orchestra, technical team, and casts of up to 90 performers.The annual productions reached thousands of patrons each year, packing the house at local performing arts centers in St. Louis, MO.Gracie & Lacy expanded Broadway on the Driveway's reach to include performing arts classes in theatre, vocal performance, and dance, serving hundreds of students over the course of 15 years.In addition, their programs have been featured in both public and private schools, universities, libraries, and museums.They host the annual "Great American Songbook Star Search" each year during Piccolo Spoleto Festival to recognize outstanding youth.With infectious humor and wit, Gracie & Lacy relate well to students of all ages and abilities.They emphasize the importance of character and teamwork, and connect students with areas where they can shine, building confidence and leadership skills.They make learning music, public speaking, dance, and history fun, through interactive games, stories, songs, and a trunk full of costumes, props, and more!Gracie & Lacy work with teachers to enhance objectives set forth by the South Carolina Teaching Standards in History / Social Studies, Music, and Theatre, and Dance.They specialize in the history of World War II, Prohibition Era, Charleston, SC History, Songwriting, Choreography, Dance and Music of The Great American Songbook.

Silver Trout concerts are diverse, interactive and full of music and laughter.
Music on 7 instruments, storytelling, puppetry and poetry demonstrate that there are "So Many Ways to Share a Story.
Performances include an original puppet fable, dramatic storytelling, and award-winning original songs. There is even a Spanish-speaking sloth! Concerts are adaptable for multiple grade levels from Pre-K through Middle School.
Workshops and multi-day residencies feature puppetry arts and songwriting.

Susana Abell is a highly respected, veteran performing and teaching artist whose career in puppetry arts has spanned three decades and three continents. Her work as a bi-lingual puppeteer and circus performer both in South America and throughout Europe prepared her for a successful seven year tenure as one of the most sought after teaching artists in New Jersey where her programs and residencies were directly sponsored by Carnegie Hall, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ Department of Education and the New Jersey Council on the Arts. Susana holds a Master of Arts in teaching and also has extensive experience as an arts administrator, serving seven years as Executive Director of an active arts council in rural North Carolina where her Arts-in-Education programming served to build community and support rural schools. She is currently co-director of Silver Trout Arts with her husband and fellow teaching/performing artist Timmy Abell. This highly successful collaboration has resulted in a full touring schedule of performances and arts integrated residencies over the past 12 years.

Marina Alexandra has established herself as a dynamic performer with a powerful stage presence. Finger Style Guitar Magazine described her as an “amazing player that commands the guitar with world-class technique and musicianship that is uncommon.” She has received awards in several guitar competitions including the Music Teachers National Association State and Regional Competitions and semifinalist in the 6th annual Edwin H. and Leigh W. Schadt National String Competition for classical guitar. Marina has a concert career spanning the last fifteen years, taking her to Piccolo Spoleto Festival, National Public Radio, Allentown Radio, and hundreds of venues including colleges, guitar festivals and museums throughout USA.She has released three albumsincluding; Timeless Enchantment (Baroque, Classical, Modern, and Latin-American music) , A Moment of Magic (modern music by Russian composer, Nikita Koshkin) and Americas from North to South (flute and guitar music). Her albums received high praises from such prestigious music magazines as Soundboard, Classical Guitar (UK) and American Record Guide.

Gilbert Allen, a longtime resident of upstate South Carolina, is the Bennette E. Geer Professor of Literature Emeritus at Furman University, where he taught from 1977 until 2015. He has discussed literature and read his own work at public schools, colleges, literary festivals, writing workshops, and libraries throughout the Southeast. He has appeared frequently on South Carolina Public Radio, and he is listed prominently in Walter Edgar’s The South Carolina Encyclopedia. He was the 2002-2003 recipient of the South Carolina Literary Arts Fellowship from the South Carolina Arts Commission, and his short stories were chosen for the South Carolina Fiction Project Prize on five occasions. In 2007 his sequence of poems “The Assistant” received the Robert Penn Warren Prize in Poetry from The Southern Review, and in 2013 his short story “Trash” received Special Mention in Pushcart Prize XXXVII. He was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors, the state’s literary hall of fame, in 2014. In that same year, Measure Press published his sixth collection of poetry, Catma. In 2016 his collection of short stories, The Final Days of Great American Shopping, was published by USC Press.

Well known for their trademark whimsical approach to storytelling and exquisite puppet design, Grey Seal Puppets offers a variety of puppet performances sure to tickle your fancy.Their repertoire includes a variety of productions from familiar fairy tales (The Emperor's New Clothes) to original stories (Bathtub Pirates).The company’s thirty-year history includes such honors as three Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA (International puppetry organization), the President’s Award from the Puppeteers of America, and the Award for Leadership in Theatre from the NC Theatre Conference.

Calysta Alsborg received a bachelor of arts degree in Arts Management from California State East Bay and has extensive professional stage acting, tech, and directing experience providing her with a well-rounded foundation to teach theatre classes within the South Carolina College-and Career-Ready Standards for Performing Arts Proficiency. Most recently, Calysta taught all elementary through high school level theater classes at Blue Ridge Christian Academy (BRCA) during which she developed a four-year progressive theatre curriculum, based on the Stanislavsky Method, for high school students along with an elementary school adaptation of the program.The classroom lessons provide a solid overall understanding of theatre terms, audience critique, stage direction and production elements while incorporating the use of classical literature, poetry, music, movement, dance and visual art.The exercises foster a specific comprehension of script analysis, script writing, the role of a dramaturg, acting motivation and acting technique. At BRCA Calysta directed main stage high/middle school productions of Euripides Medea and Moliere's one act play, The Flying Doctor adapted by her high school drama class to take place in the 1950’s.Calysta also directed a middle school performance of scenes from Shakespeare’s A Mid-Summer Nights Dream. Her 2nd grade drama class produced Sneaker Cat, based on the book Puss N Boots by Claude Barbin, and her 4th grade class presented Goldilocks and the Three Bears in movement to music from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.The 5th and 6th grade provided a pre-show performance to the high school performance of Medea, in movement of Jason and the Golden Fleece to music from Samuel Barber’s Medea.Calysta’s high school drama students also participated in an ACSI speech competition and earned Superior and Excellent awards for their monologues.When Calysta decided to take a break from her professional career to start a family she began what would become the foundations of her teaching career by volunteering as a teacher’s assistant, substitute teacher, playwright, and director at her children’s elementary school, San Jose Christian School.During this time Calysta began developing the exercises used in her lessons plans. She wrote and directed several elementary productions; The Surprise Birthday Party, Sneaker Cat, The Tree Trees, (based on the book, and The Legend of the Three Trees by Catherine McCafferty.)For middle schoolers, Calysta adapted and directed the readers theatre script, Footprints of a Pilgrim by Ruth Graham Bell into a full-staged production.In college Calysta spent four years working in technical theatre as a master electrician and assistant technical director for the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts. Calysta also interned as an electrician for a year with the Professional Intern Program at the Juilliard School. She began her career in theatre management as the General Manager for StageSource, an arts organization that links directors and producers with actors in Boston, MA.She then moved to San Jose, CA where she worked in development and special events for the Lort B company, San Jose Repertory Theatre and was the General Manager for Gary Palmer Dance Company.

Mahoganee, a South Carolina Native & East Coast based artist blends a Style of Southern Soul, Funk, Jazz, Blues & Hip-Hop (deemed Funky Organik Soul) is a renowned vocalist, recording artist, songwriter and youth educator-mentor with national credits to her name. With over 20 years of experience in her field, she evolves as a consummate personality. Mahoganee is sought to perform at numerous and reputable corporate, private, civic and community events with audiences of dignitaries and 21st century iCons. She has amassed a growing fan base and continually earns respect from her “age-peers” and her “age-seasoned ” audiences. Both groups of supporters appreciate the sultry, earthy, authentic, vocal range spanning more than four octaves, and her commanding acapella stage presence. She has performed for audiences of 20,000 + with music heard in over 24 countries. Her music can be heard on numerous local and national FM/AM radio and internet radio stations.

Trent Arterberry’s unique brand of physical theatre combines mime, storytelling, puppetry and audience participation. “A proven crowd-pleaser” (The Boston Globe), Arterberry has performed everywhere from New York’s Radio City Music Hall to the QE2 luxury liner. He has given thousands of performances at schools across the US and Canada, and currently offers three different educational programs for elementary, middle and secondary school audiences.
Also an active artist-in-residence, Arterberry has directed performances with upper elementary, middle and high-school students, including plays by Shakespeare, Dickens as well as contemporary and original works.
"Arterberry grabs children from his first entrance with an arsenal of body movements and self-generated sound effects ... In short episodes as a racing-car driver, a pilot, a robot, a digital dude, and a puppet named Mr. Bigg, he fascinates his young audience and involves them in trying some of his moves." —NOW Magazine, Toronto
"Arterberry's genius is two-fold — storytelling that doesn't patronize and the agility to make it vastly entertaining." —Monday Magazine, Victoria

SC

Kathryn Ballou Ph.D. came to South Carolina from New York City where she was the founding artistic director of the Neighborhood Group Theatre (TNGT). Kathryn studied acting with Sanford Meisner and in another life appeared in a variety of films, commercials and stage productions. In 1984 TNGT was New York City’s only resident theatre company producing new plays and was nominated for an Obie as the best new production company in NYC. Kat likes to say she earned her Ph.D. during those years of struggle and fun on the city’s Theatre Row, but the actual Ph.D. and Masters came much later at Clemson University in 2000.In 1980 at Florida Atlantic University Kat received a BS in the biological bases of behavior and in 1982 graduated from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre.Kathryn was blessed to be taught and directed by Sir Ian McKellen and the late great Sanford Meisner.While at Clemson University Kathryn joined Chi Sigma Iota, Kappa Delta Pi and Teacher's Who's Who in America.Working with Clemson Dr. Ballou created a program called Drama-for-Life where students use theater as rehearsal for life.Using the performing arts to enrich the experience of life, is a mission that drives much of Kathryn's work.Dr. Kat taught drama at Greenville County’s Fine Arts Center (ARMES) for 26 years.During her tenure teaching Kathryn wrote and/or directed almost a hundred productions, and a few toured the world.'Shakespeare: Just Da Good Stuff' was performed at many Greenville County Schools and received rave reviews at the FRINGE Festival in Edinburgh Scotland and at Clemson’s Shakespeare Festival.'The Tempest: Shakespeare for Kids' was spectacularly performed at the Grand Bahama’s Children’s Home, Carnival’s ship the Fascination and was filmed by PBS, featuring a 7th grade Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black).'Shakespeare Boy Genius', a look at Shakespeare’s youth and his lost years, was well received at the International Thespian Festival in Gainesville Florida. 'So, You Think You Can Act' a piece where the audience solves a murder which occurred on stage, was much applauded at the International Thespian Festival in Alabama. 'Our Time: A reaction to 911', was performed Spring 2002 for NYC students who from their school windows had watched the Trade Towers fall. Together New York City’s and South Carolina’s children shared art, broke bread, cried and laughed. 'Voices from the Holocaust' is a film based on testimonies from the children the Holocaust, victimized but not killed. Their painful stories were not told until the children who suffered were old and dying.These survivors’ words were given to young drama students with profound results. Most recently excerpts from 'Shakespeare: More Good Stuff' were performed in a workshop at the Folger Theatre.Retired, but ready to play Dr. Kat lives on a ranch in Pickens with her husband of 42 years.When not at the theatre Kathryn is working on her book entitled, 'Searching for Character, Finding Self', and shopping her newest play, 'When Stars Collide'.

Thad is an entertainer, musician, teaching artist and songwriter.He enjoys giving energetic performances and workshops, sharing his humorous songs and historical ballads, demonstrating how to play a variety of instruments, and writing songs.He is inspired by musical styles ranging from traditional, folk, mountain ballads, old-time and country blues to the roaring 20’s.He plays ukulele, harmonica, guitar, washboard, bucket bass, jaw harp, limber jack and homemade folk instruments for audiences of all ages!His career and involvement as a teaching artist has focused on music and songwriting.He presents over 300 curriculum-related programs a year with individual classrooms for preschool through high school, integrating music with language arts, writing, science, geography and history.These short single classroom arts infusion sessions, provide participatory and engaging arts experiences for the general classroom, as well as music and science classrooms, with a variety of themed programs that he has developed, such as The Pumpkin Life Cycle, The Amazing Monarch Migration, Down in the Swamp, The Science of Sound, Riding the Rails, All Aboard Harmonica workshops, The Frog Life Cycle, The Little Red Reading Wagon, Exploring the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Longitude and Latitude with a Geo-Musical Attitude, and Ukulele Fun.Residencies explore a variety of topics including science, social studies, history and language arts. Since 1988, he has conducted over 300 week-long songwriting residencies mostly in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, and Nebraska. The workshops provide progressive skill development with core groups for an in-depth understanding of the creative process. His interdisciplinary program combines language arts, lyric writing, composition, and performance.Students collaborate, brainstorm, research, write and revise as they create songs about local history, heritage and culture. Residencies have yielded songs, performances, publications, artwork and audio/video recordings. Successive residencies in the same school/community yield collections of work, sometimes exploring a single topic over a period of time, such as the dust bowl years or exploring the many facets of the culture of a community through its history, employment and significant events.He is also involved in making and playing homemade instruments and facilitating classroom “Bucket Bands” to explore music, performance and songwriting. The students and he often create end-of-residency skits, sets and performances to showcase and document what they’ve created.He continues to seek professional development opportunities through extensive teaching artist training with The Kennedy Center through KU Lied Center Art.teach and Nebraska Lied Center at Lincoln, Wichita Arts Partners, WolfTrap Early Learning Institute, Accessible Arts and is currently involved with several local arts organizations focusing on artist business development.He has also worked with many arts organizations statewide and local in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North Carolina and South Carolina, WolfTrap Early Learning, Wichita Arts Partners, Kennedy Center, KU Lied Center Art.teach and Salina Arts Infusion a program of Salina Arts and Humanities.Sharing his love of music and the creative process with students and teachers during artist in education sessions has been one of the highlights of his career.

As an artist, Gina derives so much joy from various forms of sculpture, and any work that provokes thought and imagination.She works primarily with lightweight materials, such as paper in all its forms, and recycled materials whenever possible.She loves creating odd characters and creepy creatures, anything with personality.Puppetry opens up a world of fascinating options.
In her classes, students take inspiration from world culture puppetry arts, and create original characters. They make connections to academic content, tell their own stories, and perform with much less inhibition as they can choose to hide behind the puppets and scenery. In her classes "weird" is okay, original thought is celebrated, and "messing up" artistically is not a fear.Process is emphasized over product.Students learn technique, build skills, retain content.
Each workshop is tailored for each group of teachers and students. Teachers provide the academic focus - standards, content, and objectives, and these inform the puppet and theater styles that are integrated. A workshop may include design, creation of age-appropriate characters, theater games, story-telling, or performance on any scale, from classroom skits in small groups, to school wide productions, through individual and team work. Please see examples on her website.

Becky started Becky's Box of Puppets in 1980.From 1980-82 she performed at the Charleston Museum.Shortly after that she auditioned for the South Carolina Arts Commission Artist Roster and was approved.She has performed in schools, festivals, libraries and television.As an approved artist she has conducted residencies mainly with elementary grades.Kindergarten is her love!Although primarily self-taught, as a member of Puppeteers of America, she has traveled to many out of state festivals to learn more about her craft.She participated in a 3 week course at Washington State University and has studied with a famous director ofan acclaimed puppet company from, what was then, Czechoslovakia.She loves bringing her hand-crafted puppets into schools to create a magical experience with studentsthat is enriching while reinforcing lessons of the day.She feels very blessed to share her passion with the children of South Carolina.

Kristy Bishop is a fiber artist specializing in weaving and natural dyes in Charleston.She has been involved in education ever since she was the North Charleston Artist in Residence in the 2012-2013 school year. By using techniques and topics of fiber art her curriculum augments what students are currently learning in math, science, and social studies.Using natural dyes, classes explore the scientific theory, critical thinking, all while creating hand dyed artwork.Students will utilize multiplication, fractions, and concrete math concepts through weaving.For social studies, courses discuss indigo's impact on South Carolina, its importance to the world, and the lowcountry's connection to West Africa.Through this dye, students create batik resists using African Adire symbols that they choose to represent themselves or families.This is a reflective project that also connects to another culture.All of these topics can be tailored to any grade level so that every student can experience an art form that has been used by humans throughout our history.

Clarence is a master artist working in the ARTS ACCESS SOUTH CAROLINA programs serving people with disabilities.He has been active on the South Carolina Arts Commissions Artist Roster since 1981.His residencies have included gifted, general population and talented students as well as special needs.He is a member of the Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators. Richard C. Owen publishes his children's books.He also has nonfiction, and books of satire available on Amazon.com . His poetry has been published in numerous publications and anthologies.He won the International Golden poet award and has been listed in About the Author.His painting and/or other art works have been featured in national magazines and on Public Television.
EDUCATION
Schiller College, Strasbourg, (set design and direction) France 1978
University of South Carolina, Columbia, B. A. in Art 1977
Fine Art or illustration for NASA, Panasonic, U.S. Army Corps. Of Engineers, War Veterans Home(Percent for the Arts), Anderson, S.C., C & S Bank, Dictaphone, Federal Landbank, NCR, Southern Bank Corp., Westinghouse, Numerous Private Collections

Kat wrote and co-produced an ETV video series designed to teach 3rd grade S.C history in an entertaining way for students.The series has been popular with teachers and students, and it won "most watched episode" in 2011 for Episode 5.She is a certified general music teacher, which she taught for 5 years in the Lexington Two school district. After becoming a mother, she taught "creative arts" in an after-school program during her son's infancy and toddler years.She, then, was hired by Richland School District One, [Columbia, SC] to teach drama at Brennen Elementary School, where she taught for 17 years.During her tenure at Brennen Elementary, she wrote multiple plays based on ELA and history topics.One of her plays on S.C. history later became the series DETECTIVE BONZ AND THE S.C. HISTORY MYSTERY, produced by SCETV.She began teaching in 1982, retired formally in 2013, but continues to work for SCETV, designing arts lesson for their new website for teachers, LEARNING WHY.org , and occasionally teaches as a substitute in local elementary schools.She does this because she enjoys being with young children, and it also it helps her stay current with how children think and learn.

As a professional classical harpist, I have for over 30 years of experience, and am still active as HARPIST.I prefer performing programs of music/lecture in Civic Auditoriums and in all schools.As world traveler cruise line harpist, my audiences and themes for programs address vast choices, and my stories based on true experiences have delighted all: Royalty, Celebrities, Ship Officers, Entertainers, Church-goers, brides/grooms, Resort-goers, and above all, School Kids, throughout SC have been in presence.Out of my love for the unending mystique of the harp world, I returned to formal lessons and studied with great teachers from NY to Florida, and completed a MM degree, and K12 certification in Music.Past years with the SCAC proudly took me to many classrooms throughout SC.I hope to continue that tradition to this present generation.Favorite audience stories include onboard QE2, NY-bound, 9/11/01; onboard QM2, NY-bound during storm at sea with a seriously ill hospital patient onboard, playing for Tony Bennett, Donald Trump, Aerosmith, Marvin Hamlisch and others.

Shane Bryant has been a potter since 1993.He was the founder of the William Felton School of Crafts in 2004.He has taught classes through Furman University’s continuing education department, as well as the Spartanburg Museum of Art, where he was the pottery studio manager.Shane served asboard member for Upstate Visual Arts, and Greenville’s First Fridays.Shane has been listed with the SC Arts Commission’sArtist Roster since 2000, and has been an artist in residence for many schools over the years.He has been a teaching artist for MAC’s Smart Arts program since 2004, and was awarded the Smart Arts Teaching Artist of the Year award for 2017.