NCTC Family Matinee Series presents ANASI, An African Folktale

This February, New Conservatory Theatre Center Family Matinee Series gets caught in the web of one tricky and adventurous spider with the premiere of Anansi, an African Folktale written and directed by NCTC Conservatory Director Stephanie Temple.

Get tangled in one spider's quest to earn the stories of the world from the Sky God. A master trickster, Anansi must outsmart a snake, outrun a leopard, capture a bad-tempered fairy and avoid hornet stings in a series of wild adventures meant to teach this selfish spider how to treat others. Anansi, an African Folktale is an hour of nonstop entertainment with West African songs and dances, captivating puppetry and vibrant costumes.

Anansi, an African Folktale plays Saturdays & Sundays at 2pm & 4pm, February 10-18, 2018 in NCTC's Theatre 3.

Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for adults, and are available at nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972.

Playwright and Director Stephanie Temple has been directing teens at NCTC since 2002 and teaching young people for almost twenty years. She specializes in devised theatre and enjoys working collaboratively with her students. Temple has a Bachelor of Arts from University of Southern California's School of Theatre and is currently finishing her Master's in Drama at San Francisco State University. She has taught acting, improvisation, dance and musical theatre at NCTC, CSU Stanislaus, Merced College, PCPA Theatrefest and currently runs the drama program at Live Oak School in Potrero Hill. As NCTC's Children's Playwright in Residence, Temple has adapted and developed plays such as Goldi Locks and the Three Aliens, Bollywood Sleeping Beauty, MUNI, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Odyssey, Peter Pan, and Rock 'n Roll Cinderella.

The Anansi, an African Folktale youth and teen cast includes William Graff (Anansi), Michael Henkle-Kawa (Sky God), Ariana Holmes (Nsia), Sophia Patterson (Aso), with an Ensemble composed of Bianca Bishop, Serenity Shakur, Kaia Stimpson, Jacob Thompson, Diego Villegas, Cliodhna Woods. Anansi, an African Folktale will feature costume design by Carola Anderson, lighting design by Maxx Kurzunski, and stage management by McKenzie Isaac and Grace Nelligan.

New Conservatory Theatre Center Family Matinee Series has presented original adaptations and classic stories for youth and families since 1981. After a hiatus, the Series resumed in 2004 under the leadership of Conservatory Director Stephanie Temple, who has written and directed over two dozen original adaptations, often working in collaboration with her teen ensemble members. The Family Matinee Series has the distinction of employing teenage performers and stage managers, many of whom have trained in NCTC's Conservatory Program, often providing them their first professional theatre jobs.

New Conservatory Theatre Center is San Francisco's premiere LGBTQIA and allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high quality productions, touring productions and shows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to nurturing emerging artists and playwrights to expand the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.