Trent Arterberry

Discipline: Theatre
Homebase: Sooke
Regions Available: Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley &, Howe Sound, Vancouver Island Lower, Vancouver Island Mid, Vancouver Island North, Interior, North, Remote, Kootenays
Languages: English
Grant Eligibility: Eligible for 70% AIE

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 around the world from NYC's Radio City Music Hall to the Hong Kong International Children's Festival. He has given thousands of performances at schools across the US and Canada. Arterberry is also active in the AIC program. Over the past decade, Trent has conducted over twenty artist-in-residence programs for elementary, middle, and secondary students on Vancouver Island. Trent's residencies involve working with a group of students for two to six weeks to create and stage a show performed in a school or community setting. Variously sourcing material from Shakespeare, Dickens, contemporary Canadian, American, and British playwrights, student writing, and children's books, Trent works to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful atmosphere that encourages students to bring out their best. Trent has used themes such as environmentalism, historical figures, great women inventors, homophobia, and twisted fairy tales and to engage students in using their voices, bodies, and imaginations to create enriching and entertaining shows. Students develop literary skills, physical and vocal abilities and the self-esteem that results from a well-played performance.

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Performance(s)

Think Bigg

School Year: 24-25
Discipline: Theatre
Offered Languages: English
Grade Suitability: K - 6
Duration: 45 mins
Capacity: 400
Tech Requirements: Two rectangular tables; one chair; electrical outlet
Available Formats: In Person

Amazing and amusing, "Think Bigg" combines mime, storytelling, puppetry and lots of audience participation. After demonstrating mime techniques, Arterberry fills the stage with a collection of intriguing characters like Roboman, who contorts his body in seemingly impossible ways, and Mr. Bigg, a three-foot-tall dancer who grooves to a medley of tunes from Motown to Bruno Mars. After learning about facial expression, gesture and body language, several volunteers perform a lively onstage finale called “So You Think You Can Mime.” Students will practice their newly acquired skills after the show and beyond. Teachers can access Trent's multi-part, "How To Be A Mime" video series to extend the learning experience into the classroom. We recommend that a school with more than 400 students schedule two showings. Price of a second show at the same school is 50% of the one-show price.

Classroom Residency(ies)

Contact Me: 250-642-2788, Email, Web

Stephen King's Wilde Ride

School Year: 24-25

Trent facilitated the creation of an original play by secondary students and directed the production in which Stephen King travels through time to interview celebrities including Oscar Wilde, Marilyn Monroe and Sigmund Freud. This is a sample residency as all residencies are unique and designed for the needs of the individual school.

Stories in Motion

School Year: 24-25

Trent worked with forty senior secondary students to create and perform a show based on stories and poems for a neighbouring elementary school. This is a sample residency, as every residency is unique and tailored to the needs of the school.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey

School Year: 24-25

Trent worked with a group of middle-school students to perform and record “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey,” an award-winning play with LGBTQ2+ themes. A highlight of the project was having the author, James Celeste Lescene, do a Zoom workshop from New York with our students on Vancouver Island. This is a sample residency, as all residencies are unique and tailored to the needs of the individual school.

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Testimonials & Reviews

"Trent helps students understand differing modes of communication with story and movement. Totally engaging, appropriate fun with so much laughter. Ten out of ten!" Tim Murphy, Principal, Craigflower Elementary, Victoria

"Trent is great at engaging the audience with his stories and also incorporating students into his performance. It provides an inspiration for students to have the courage to explore and share their passions." Alan Joo, Principal, Coghlan Fundamental Elementary, Aldergrove

"Again, we're incredibly impressed with Trent’s teaching. Our daughter thrives under Trent's guidance, attention and attunement. He has helped her develop her confidence, movement, diction, comic timing, and acting ability. Playing Leonardo da Vinci was a fantastic opportunity, as she was able to embody themes of genius, enthusiasm, inspiration, mentorship and artistic freedom. Participating in the play enhanced her social skills and development. A wonderful experience for her and for us!" Parent, Frog Song Farm School, Cobble Hill

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