About Us

History

In a dark corner of a warehouse, dim light filtering down from bulbs swaying high in the rafters, it waited. Under a coat of dust, jewels glittered. A shape. Bigger than a breadbox, smaller than an elephant. A steamer trunk. Large and black, travel-worn, bound in brass. Forgotten, it lay patiently, thrumming gently… “I’m hungry…”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Wait! I know what happened next…there was a pirate raid…no, alien capture…or maybe some magic powers…hmmm…

From the very first Stories that Soar! assembly in the spring of 2002 it was clear that the Magic Box was special indeed. The audience actually rushed the stage in order to get a closer look at this talking, balloon-burping, bejeweled box!!! Now, bazillions of stories later, it continues to travel far and wide to feed its insatiable appetite for creativity.

Conceived by Sonia Teder-Moore and developed at the University of Arizona in partnership with Sharon O’Brien and Dr. Barbara McKean, Stories that Soar! began bringing ideas to life as a pilot program at Hughes Elementary School, located in central Tucson in the Sam Hughes historical district. A generous grant from philanthropist Esther Capin (aka: Fairy Godmother) in the fall of 2002 launched the program in 3 more schools in the Flowing Wells district of Tucson, funding critical research and program development.

Increasing demand for Stories that Soar! led to transferring the program out of the university setting in 2005. SharMoore Children’s Productions (SMCP), an independent not-for profit educational company was born! Co-founders Sharon O’Brien and Sonia Teder-Moore completed the development of SMCP through the award-winning McGuire Entrepreneurship Program at UA’s Eller School of Management. From 2005-2011, SharMoore operated as a nonprofit under the direction of a dedicated board of directors, a community advisory council and youth advisory boards. Now as the Arts program of Literacy Connects, the talented artistic ensemble of actors, musicians, singers, dancers and acrobats, continues to inspire children to write thousands of stories a year by bringing their original words and creative ideas to life through theatre.

What began as an effort in a single school to give students the opportunity to see their words and ideas “leap off the page and onto the stage” has grown into a wonderful and versatile community-based platform for celebrating literacy and the arts.

Without an Idea

Without a Plot     

Without some Action,

A story is…NOT!