Teaching Artists/Specialists

Ben Nordstrom has appeared at STAGES St. Louis, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Sheldon Concert Hall, Spotlight T.E.E.N., New Jewish Theatre, and has a long association with the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. He received the 2006 Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his work as Ren in Footloose at STAGES St. Louis. In New York, he appeared in many shows Off–Broadway and regionally has been seen at Great Lakes Theater Festival, Alley Theatre (Houston, TX), Cleveland Playhouse, and Riverside Theatre (Vero Beach, FL).

Bobby Norfolk began his career as a National Park Service ranger at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis with a degree in history. After performing in comedy clubs and repertory theaters in the area, he found his true calling when he appeared in the St. Louis Storytelling Festival. It was at that time that he also began to perform in schools through Young Audiences of St. Louis. Bobby also stared in the three–time Emmy Award winning series GATOR TALES on CBS television in St. Louis. Today, Bobby performs internationally for audiences of all ages and is a contributing author to several children’s anthologies.

Sherry Norfolk is an acclaimed storyteller, who has performed throughout the United States. With a bachelors of science in elementary education and a master’s degree in library science, she performs and teaches storytelling through residencies with the Georgia Arts Council, Young Audiences of Atlanta and several other public arts agencies nationwide. Sherry is also the co–author of The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development, published by August House in 1999. Sherry’s 17 year career as a children’s librarian led her to storytelling as an effective means of motivating children to read. Her teaching experience has taught her the power of storytelling as a non–didactic way to teach universal values, elevate understanding and acceptance of others and promote environmental awareness.