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Sooooo much happening – August is when kids’ authors & illustrators are on the move – across Australia – speaking at schools, events and spreading the LOVE of books.

Monkey Baa Theatre is putting on a week of I AM JACK at Darling Quarter Theatre – nearly full houses, but this year I can’t do the post play Q & A as I’ll be speaking at schools. I love doing those Q & A’s with Tim McGarry.

There’s the Benefit for ROOM TO READ – reaching more than 9 millions kids in Asia and Africa. They won’t be all at the Benefit Sat 23 August – ha – but all funds go to building schools and literacy programmes and books.

Launch of my 4th and final BEING JACK – the 15 year journey creating the I AM JACK series.

Treat yourself and see the many amazing authors and illustrators in your schools and bookshops, libraries and events!

CELEBRATE BOOKS & READING!

MonkeyBaa Theatre – www.monkeybaa.com.au

Room to Read – www.roomtoread.org

BOOKINGS for 5 p.m. Sat 23 August. All funds go to Room to Read: monkeybaa.com.au/show/jack-room-read-fundraiser/

The post BOOK WEEK~ Monkey Baa Theatre’s I Am Jack~ Launch of BEING JACK at ROOM to READ BENEFIT appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Mozart wears ear muffs and slippers. Ha?

Mozart plays the piano backwards. Ha?

Mozart wrote his first musical score at 4. Ha?

Mozart’s a GENIUS and composed Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Did he?

The brilliant directors of Monkey Baa Theatre – Eva di Cesare and Tim McGarry (of ‘I Am Jack’ fame) with the gifted pianist Simon Tedeschi wrote the BABIES PROM.

The audience was babies to littlies under 5 years old and it was gorgeous as they were transfixed by the show, the music and the hilarity of it.

Of course they all twinkled with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star created by Mozart.

Simon Tedeschi who played Mozart was hilarious.

Fabulous – take your kids and they’ll start the wonderful journey of classical music.

The post Babies twinkle at Mozart’s Babies Prom with brilliant Simon Tedeschi and Monkey Baa Directors appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Montessori is one of those beautiful philosophies that centre on the child.

Morris Gleitzman. Oliver Phommavanh, Aleesah Darlison and many more.

Ist May – I’ll be there Thursday sharing all my books from Gracie and Josh (Ford St) to my I AM JACK series to young adult books – Butterflies and That’s Why i Wrote This Song.

Friday the fabulous Tim McGarry and I will be in conversation about the theatrical adaptation of I AM JACK  which will be performed for BOOK WEEK – 18-22nd August at Darling Quarter Theatre:-

www.monkeybaa.com.au

The kids and teachers and parents are beautiful in a rustic style school in Sydney’s South.

The Children’s Bookshop Beecroft is the bookseller.

Come along: Montessori Literature Festival Bookings – email: Deborah Browne Festival Director at – [email protected]

ph: 9526 3000

The post Everyone Welcome to Sydney’s Montessori Literature festival ~ 30 April to 2nd May! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

My last author talks are in Los Angeles and it has been fabulous – great kids, with insightful questions; great teachers and special thankyou to the beautiful welcome by the Principal of Tulita Elementary School Redondo California.

Hi to IKE who has great humour.

Malik who’s a great I AM JACK fan – loved sharing JACK with you at Playa Vista Elementary School, Playa Vista California.

Meanwhile Monkey Baa Theatre is continuing its hugely successful tour of the play I AM JACK across the USA.

Great performances by Tim McGarry!!

I’ll be home in 2 days – what abuzz!  Thankyou to the consultants from my publisher Kane Miller Books for hosting me.

The post Farewell to the USA – a special hi to Malik & IKE!!! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

I AM JACK touring USA

I’m going home soon after a whirlwind trip with I AM JACK with thousands of kids and teachers seeing I AM JACK, media and adventures.

Loved that SCBWI authors and illustrators saw the play too. Special hi to Des Moines and of course Suzanne Morgan Williams who flew into las Vegas to see it – and we had fun too. Check out the  BANANAS.

I love Aussie kids, but love American kids too.

They’re so funny at times and gorgeous and real.

Questions and comments by the audiences moved me about being bullied and how Tim McGarry who plays JACK and 11 characters reached them.

Ended up with catching up with my USA publishers of the I Am Jack series – Kane Miller Books

- Love Kira Lynn Publisher and Lynn Kelley the Marketing Manager-  and some of the consultants I met there – Pat Vecio who took me on a wild and woolly ride into Orange County – so made it with heaps of detours and I got to speak to kids from one month old to 15 with parents and grandparents

- and thankyou to Mia for a lunch of taco fish???  New cuisine for me.

Monkey Baa Theatre and Tim McGarry continue their USA tour through snow and sleet – they’ll be home mid March and I’ll be home soon.

What an amazing trip.

The post Rocking across the USA with anti bullying! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Susanne Gervay’s I AM JACK with Tim McGarry, Monkey Baa Theatre, Seymour Centre

Love, love, love Courage to Care.

They embrace ‘I AM JACK’ and the evening at the Darling Quarter Lend Lease theatre with I AM JACK was a fantastic night.

Tim McGarry was brilliant as usual performing JACK.

The post author and actor talk was compered by author Moya Simons. It was emotional as Moya and I started our writing careers together.

The brain child of Andrew Havas, Courage to Care brings the message of NO to bullying, social inclusion, harmony and justice to all people irrespective of colour, race, religion.

Courage to Care engages Holocaust survivors with children, and tours to schools across NSW, Victoria and will be reaching 100′s of school in Queensland in a partnership with the Catholic schools this year.

Visit Courage to Care website – www.couragetocare.com.au – and support a peaceful world.

Jason Stevens – an NRL footballer champion who made me cry  from FAT BOY to HERO!

THANKYOU for your support of I AM JACK the movie – advocating for young people and adults to say NO to BULLYING

Opening with the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby who was inspiring – bullying starts in the schoolyard.

THANKYOU to:-

Cranbrook (boys) – Michael Parker , Principal of Senior School

Randwick Primary School (co ed) – Helen Te Rata – Deputy principal

SCEGGS (girls) Darlinghurst – Jenny Ullum – Principal

for your inspirational speeches about the significance of I AM JACK the feature film and how we need to reach young people to create a culture of a safe world.

THANKYOU to the US Consul General Niels Marquardt for his words that linked Australia and the USA in working against bullying from the individual like JACK to world bullying.

THANKYOU to:-

THANKYOU to Stepan Kerkyasharian AO President of the anti discrimination Board who spoke eloquently about the Armenian genocide and the need to say NO to Bullying. I AM Jack begins the journey.

THANKYOU to the brilliant MONKEY BAA directors:-

Tim McGarry, Eva di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge.

Tim McGarry in his one man show of I AM JACK at the LendLease Darling Quarter Theatre had the audience laughing & crying.

THANKYOU to;-

Deborra-lee Furness for her commitment to I AM JACK – who’s a star of the movie.

THANKYOU to:-

LIFE EDUCATION Australia who has always supported I AM JACK and continues to support it

THANKYOU to-

Nadia Tass the Director for believing in I AM JACK

THANKYOU to:

The amazing young people who told their stories of bullying – Katie you made me cry

…. and so many more.

Most of all THANKYOU to the brilliant producer team of Stephan Wellink (producer) and David Whealy (Executive Director) who are driving this production.

JACK will change lives.Let’s change the world!!!!

I left Sydney at 4 am in the dark to get to Barrington Public School on the North Coast.  Nearly fell asleep at the wheel. Not good.  However I did make it, otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging now. Ha!

Nestled in the foothills on Barrington Tops, is the quaint village of Gloucestor. I stopped off at the bakery with the locals and enjoyed a cappuccino and sweet bun with the local tradies.

A little further through fields of cattle and rolling hills is the tiny village of Barrington .

I had the delight of speaking to the kids of Barrington Public School. Quite of a few of the kids had seen Monkey Baa Theatre’s production of ‘I AM JACK’ at the Newcastle Civic Theatre. They thought the actor Tim McGarry was fabulous. That’s true.  He does 11 characters in a one man show. He’s brilliant.

Thankyou to the welcoming librarian Leanne Simes and the school.

Then I spoke to beautiful kids from kindergarten to year 12 at Gloucester Public School. We had such a good time. I loved the kids and that beautiful school.

TODAY TONIGHT Channel 7 TV – took us on a fabulous day with the charming James Thomas TT reporter.

We had the best head massage ever from BLOW DRY BAR at the top of Kings Cross

A glorious sparkling day overlooking our harbour

Crab and salmon cooked to perfection from MANTA at Finger Wharf

Champagne, champagne and champagne

Shopping at Tiffany’s, DIOR, Bvulgari ….. with funny, fast, fantastic over 50s gals embracing life

Julie Schoneveld from Marketingeye travelling the world, bringing Tourism Thailand to Sydney – LOVE Thailand

Annette Guerry – committed to COURAGE TO CARE – promoting peace through Holocaust survivors

Me – just back from the IBBY Congress LONDON where I spoke about ‘Ships in the Field’ my beautiful new picture about everyone having the right to home.

AND totally excited that I AM JACK is published  in the US by Kane Miller

AND MonkeyBaa Theatre’s adaptation of JACK which  will tour the USA from Florida to Alaska

AND and guess who’s going with the brilliant actor Tim McGarry and the wonderful production manager Sam Johnson on the tour of the USA with I Am Jack?

- ME.

Watch our for the feature film coming- I AM JACK – (includes all my JACK books) and in the Billy Elliot genre. Can’t wait!

It’s hard to get to 50 and beyond but if you can get there, work out divorce, caring for families, work and suddenly find you’re free to pursue your dreams – what a trip!

Monkey Baa Theatre’s I AM JACK is back:-Starring the brilliant TIM MCGARRY

ONLY 10 shows – so it’s first in – love you to come along

Booking:-

2013 School Season :11–15 March 

At Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre 

Terrace 3/1-25 Harbour Street 

Sydney NSW 2000

 Tel: (02) 8624 9341 Fax: (02) 8209 4977

email: [email protected] 

www.monkeybaa.com.au

Monkey Baa Theatre has its own theatre in the heart of Darling Harbour, Sydney!!!!!

It was goregous, arriving with the lights sparkling, the harbour dotted with boats, street performers juggling balls, families, young people, old people, everyone enjoying a glorious autumn day in Darling Harbour.

Lend lease Darling Quarter Theatre is such a commitment to Sydney and Australia – offering a beautiful theatre venue to our kids and families to see the best in youth theatre by Monkey Baa Theatre – www.monkeybaa.com.au

As a preview, I was in the family and friends performance to the 1st show ever performed at this theatre – ‘Tim Winton’s ‘The Bugalugs Bum Thief’ .

The kids were rolling in the aisles as the 3 boys went on a mad romp to find their stolen bums. The rollicking songs, the choreography tapping through stage and into the audience, kids and parents were in stitches.

It’s wonderful to see the best in theatrical direction, performance, stage craft …. used in theatre for young people.

Go and see it. Take your kids, your parents, grandparents get along there – it’s a romp.

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation keeps children safe from violence and is successful against school bullying.

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation endorses ‘I Am Jack’ as significant in creating safe schools – NO TO SCHOOL BULLYING!

The brilliant Monkey Baa Theatre will be performing “I AM  JACK’ 7 p.m. 4th November at the Seymour – tickets $30 with all proceeds going to The Alannah & Madeline Foundation.

I’ll be there – please say hello to me – and to the actors. Tim McGarry the iconic JACK is mingling.

Bookings: – [email protected]

Love from Susanne

Spoke to the kids and teachers at St Charles Primary School Ryde.

The librarian was welcoming. The kids were fantastic and really engaged in I AM JACK.

Say NO to bullying.

Hope St Charles kids and teachers can make it to Monkey Baa Theatre’s adaptation of I AM JACK at the Seymour Centre 26th October to 4th November. Tim McGarry who plays JACK is amazing.

Duncan Ball’s Emily Eyefinger will be showing from July 2011 – I can’t wait to see it. 

MonkeyBaa theatre have taken Jackie French’s ‘Hitler’s Daughter’  to the USA where it will tour across the US. It is fantastic!!!!! 

www.monkeybaa.com.au

Susanne gervay's I Am Jack by Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People, performed at Seymour Centre 26th October to 4th November 2011