Bobby Norfolk https://www.bobbynorfolk.com/
Bobby’s extensive career includes three Emmy awards, several Parent’s Choice Gold & Silver Awards, and the esteemed Circle of Excellence award for his illustrious storytelling career. His shows are geared for all ages and promotes character education, cultural diversity and literacy themes. Audiences enjoy his engaging animation, high energy style and lively sounds effects which help to enhance his performances. An internationally known story performer, teaching artist and author, he offers a variety of performances, workshops and keynotes. Bobby was recently honored with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa by the faculty of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Congratulations Dr. Norfolk!
All programs available virtually.
Contact Jan Dolan at jdolan9928@aol.com to schedule Bobby Norfolk.
Artist Work Samples
Sample Programs Offered
Program Type: Arts Curriculum, Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
In this theatrical reenactment, Bobby breathes life into this amazing story of a slave turned hero, along with other tales of ordinary people taking extraordinary risks in the name of freedom.March 26th,1849, Henry Brown was conveyed from Richmond, VA to Philadelphia, PA in a wooden box built by a white abolitionist, three feet long and two feet-six inches deep for 27 hours! He later became an orator, under the name; Henry “Box” Brown, attempting to earn enough money to purchase his wife and children back from being sold to another slave master. Stories of the Underground Railroad are performed in theater style, including the exploits of Harriet Tubman, and the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Curriculum, Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
Bobby’s portrayal of York, the “body servant” of William Clark, talks of the adventures of the only African-American on Lewis & Clark’s military team The Corps of Discovery. From his early beginnings in Virginia, Louisville, KY, St. Louis, MO, then up the wide Missouri River into the Northern states, Oregon, and back to St. Louis, we learn of York’s experiences in uncharted territory- gaining the respect of the white enlisted men and the awe of many of The Plains Indians as “The Big Medicine.” Arrayed in period costume, Bobby tells the true story of how this man helped change the course of U.S. History only to be remanded back to servitude after the expedition.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Curriculum, Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
All aboard! Jump on the “A” train to celebrate the African-American art, music, and poetry exploding out of Harlem in the early 20th century.
During this artistic journey, we will make stops for poetry, prose, vignettes and toe-tapping music! Bobby uses musical classics such as Nat King Cole’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right”, and W. C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” to bring Langston Hughes’s humorous and often outrageous “Simple” tales to life. Hughes was nicknamed “The Poet Laureate of Harlem.” He was among the first to give voice to the African-American experience, cementing his most famous fictional character Jesse B. Simple as one of literature’s greatest treasures. Other poetry samplings may include:
The Party By Paul Laurence DunbarBooker T. & W. E. B. by Dudley Randall
A Negro Love Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar
The Creation by James Weldon Johnson
Birds Word by The Last Poets
The Cold Within by James Patrick Kinney
Dreams Deferred by Langston Hughes
I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes
Experience the Harlem Renaissance through the creative genius and brilliant imaginations of these cultural giants whose literary and musical gifts inspired future generations, and continue to influence the world today.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
