Shows Andy Does for Families or Adults
Along with lots and lots of stories and songs that he performs at festivals and whatnot, Andy also has four full-length one-person shows:
BOOK EVERY SATURDAY FOR A FUNERAL
Marguerite, an 80-something-year old widow, is tired of the bridge-club-garden-club scene, so she and her friends go to medical school and open a hospital in rural Georgia, “Southern White Old Lady Hospital.” Marguerite is a self-proclaimed recovering racist who is in love with life. As she says, “when all your Saturdays are booked for funerals you have to pay attention and love everybody you can.”
CHRISTMAS AT SOUTHERN WHITE OLD LADY HOSPITAL
Based on the 2006 Just Plain Folks Awards’, Best Storytelling Album of the same name, join Marguerite as she struggles with holding on to a Christmas spirit even as the holiday begins with the first catalog arriving in her mailbox in August.
GENERATIONAL REVENGE
We all know that grandparents and grandchildren gain solidarity through their battle with a common enemy, the parent/adult child who’s caught between the two. Marguerite learns a thing or two from her granddaughter, Drucilla, after the college sophomore returns from a spring break trip to New Orleans to do Katrina relief. A show about family and growth and change, Drucilla’s experiences remind Marguerite that sometimes, stern parenting can backfire.
KID ENTRAPMENT
It begins in infancy. The same mom who praises the burping infant is shocked and disgusted by the burping ten-year-old. Let the neuroses begin. Andy’s newest show debuted at the International Storytelling Center, Jonesborough, Tennessee, June 30th, 2010 and was a huge hit at the National Storytelling Festival in October.
“Andy Offutt Irwin…has a comedic sense of storytelling. He weaves his spot-on impressions and sound effects into his stories about everyday life.” ~Chillicothe Gazette, Chillicothe, Ohio
Workshops
HUMOR, WIT, STORYTELLING, AND COGNITIVE CONNECTIONS FOR DEEP AND ENDURING LEARNING: Link to DescriptionExplores the use of storytelling and humor in learning and how laughter increases the mind’s ability to process and retain information. Includes understanding the usefulness of humor in all stories and education.
CREATIVE EXAGGERATION
Link to Description
Applying the rules of improv to creative writing and storytelling. “What if…”; “And then…”
An interactive workshop.
USING HUMOR IN STORYTELLING:
Link to Description
Every story has a humorous side. This workshop delves into the usefulness of humor in storytelling, with even the most serious of topics whether telling for entertainment or education. Be prepared to laugh and take comedy seriously.
LYRICS, MUSIC, AND FICTIONAL TRUTHS
A workshop exploring how to write lyrics and poetry and when to incorporate them into story. A class for advanced storytellers who would like to learn to use music or poetry in their storytelling.
“Andy is Mr. Rogers on steroids.” ~ Barbara McBride-Smith
Shows Andy Does Especially for Kids
Imagine an educator and entertainer who is a true expert on kid-dom. Andy is a teaching artist offering programs centered on literacy, arts, and the environment. He can design a show around most any theme or objective, or one that’s just plain fun!
Examples of shows Andy offers:
OFFUTT’S ENVIRONMENTAL EPIC ADVENTURE 
MY OWN SONG
LETTERS, NUMBERS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
THE LOW DOWN DIRTY EMERGENT READER BLUES
NOUNS, VERBS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
More info and video here, and booking information for the Greater Atlanta Area:Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center
And be assured, Andy can tailor his stories to prepare a show for any age to fit your needs. Just ask, sit back, and be amazed!
“I’ve seen Andy Offutt Irwin work with students from rural Georgia and inner city New York-
both were eating out of the palm of his hand!
He has that extraordinarily remarkable ability to make people laugh
and lose themselves in the moment of his performance.
He was a huge hit at LaGuardia!
Not a week goes by that some student doesn’t walk up to me and say, “When’s that guy from Georgia coming back?”
Andy Offutt Irwin and young people: A magical combination…”
~Jerry Ulrich , Director of Choral Studies,
LaGuardia High School of Music, Art, and the Performing Arts
(The ”Fame” school) - New York City
