(Above) Chris Hannibal entertains passersby on the streets of Charlotte. Hannibal began learning magic when he was 10 years old.

Hannibal’s sell is part of the time-honored tradition known as busking, or performing publicly for tips, one that is celebrated and demystified in the new documentary BUSK!  The film will premiere Sunday, May 19, at 4 p.m. at McGlohon Theater in Spirit Square.  The cost is $5 per person.  For more information, visit www.buskmovie.com.

“Community art should be based in the grassroots, and busking is the purest form of grassroots art,” said April Denée, the Charlotte writer-turned-filmmaker behind BUSK!  The documentary prominently features busking veteran Hannibal, who has turned street performing into a livelihood.

Born and raised in Charlotte, Hannibal learned magic when he was 10.  His grandfather showed him a few card tricks, and it stuck with him.

In 1992, Hannibal got a job at New Heritage USA, the theme park’s second iteration following the scandal that brought down Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s PTL ministry.  Hannibal was hired to do children’s programming and perform tricks around the streets of the theme park.  The revised attraction failed to gain popularity.  By the end of the year, Hannibal was out of work.

He started performing on the streets of Charlotte to pay the bills.  The following year, he started getting good gigs and performed magic professionally full-time.

Since then, Hannibal has made a career out of selling the experience of magic all over the world.  “Often I’ll get hired for tradeshows by a company that wants to stop traffic,” Hannibal said.  He consults with companies seeking unique ways to get potential customers to interact.

As many freelancers did, Hannibal had to grind to make ends meet in 2008 when the economy slowed and corporate purse strings tightened.

“Even though the shows didn’t come, the bills had to get paid,” Hannibal, who has always worked to provide for his family, said.  “I could stay Uptown as long as I needed to.”

Hannibal’s location of choice is still the EpiCentre, though diverse clientele sometimes works to his disadvantage in the form of heckling.

“When people say to me, ‘Get a real job,’ I answer, ‘This is my real job,’” Hannibal said.  “If they laugh then they’re interested.  I’ve sold big time shows that way.”

After 20 years of performing there is not much that surprises Hannibal, but saboteurs still get under his skin.  Last fall, a religiously-motivated protestor disrupted a crowd of people who gathered to watch Hannibal perform Uptown.  After he called Hannibal a sorcerer and his craft a scam, he wished sickness upon Hannibal’s children.

“While he was doing that, a bigger crowd drew to see the spectacle,” Hannibal said.  “I made more money in the long term… oh, the irony.”

For all the hardship street performance offers, Hannibal sees positive change happening in the world of busking in Charlotte.  In 2010, Denée started organizing artists and has worked to demystify the process for the public and performers.  This manifested in the Buskapalooza Street Performance Festival, dedicated to showcasing and celebrating busking in Uptown.  The next one is Friday, May 17, from 5 to 9 p.m.

“In one afternoon, busking went from a mild curiosity to a real passion for guerrilla art,” he recalled.  “We had a great time and have a ton of memories.”

Now through the end of September, the EpiCentre is making space available for buskers to display their craft.  Hannibal and his son, Braiden, will be part of these events every Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and every other Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

When asked whether or not he has ever considered moving, Hannibal admits it has crossed his mind.  He has had offers that would require moving to Hollywood, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., but he stays.

“When the lights go down, I have my family, my client base and I can be a regular person,” Hannibal said.  “This is our quiet place, our green city; we love Charlotte.”

The town’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resource Department is “bringing the beach” to south Mecklenburg through the fifth annual BeachFest Matthews event. The festival takes place Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, in and around Stumptown Park, 120 S. Trade St. Friday’s events run from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday’s festivities are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

BeachFest, sponsored by Novant Health, will feature activities one would find during a trip to the beach – sand volleyball, carnival rides, sand sculptures, boardwalk-style food, live beach music and more. Friday offers a $10 all-you-can-ride armband.

“(BeachFest) came to be a way to bring the beach to Matthews and it’s seen as a way, too, to usher in spring around here,” said Lee Anne Moore, Matthews special events manager. “We see how many elements of the beach and going to the beach we can bring.”

The event kicks off April 26 at 6 p.m. with live music, courtesy of The Fantastic Shakers, followed by an 8 p.m. concert from Ken Knox and The Company. There also will be carnival rides, art vendors and inflatable bounce houses for kids.

On April 27, the town will host the annual Sandy Feet 5K and Fun Run to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Matthews. The 5K starts at 8 a.m., followed by the fun run at 8:15 a.m. BeachFest resumes at 10 a.m. with the beach volleyball tournament and D.J. Darryl Elkins, who’ll be spinning the beach tunes.

Festivities continue throughout the day with a corn hole tournament set for 3 p.m. and concerts from Band of Gold, The Extraordinaires and The Tams.

“The festival centers around really good beach music, how many good beach bands we can get in here each year,” Moore said.

BeachFest also means shagging. The sand box in front of the stage in Stumptown Park will transform into a dance floor and citizens will get a chance to show off their moves, Moore said.

“I’ve wanted to bring dance to the festival in the past couple of years,” she said. “We want to bring folks to do demos around the stage and really involve dance in the festival. There are so many people from here that remember the shag but there’s also so many not from this area and don’t know how (to shag).”

New for 2013 are classic cruisers that will be on display for all to enjoy. One of the classic images of a beach trip, Moore said, is “cruising the strip,” so it only seemed natural for the festival to incorporate these cruisers.

“It gives folks something else to walk through and see,” she said. “I would love to see that grow into a cruise-in that goes along with BeachFest.”

For more information on BeachFest, or to sign up for the Sandy Feet 5K and Fun Run, the sand volleyball or corn hole tournaments, go to www.beachfestmatthews.com.

One man’s trash is an artist’s treasure in Joyce Makar’s opinion. The Ballantyne artist repurposes used furniture into art.

“This is like playing for me,” said Makar, who transforms tired furniture into vibrant collages of color and texture.  “If I could do this as a job, I would,” she added.

With every showing, Makar draws closer to realizing her dream of becoming a full-time artist.  She exhibits regularly at the NoDa All Arts Market (www.nodarioty.org) and sells directly from her website.  Visit www.furnicharm.com to see a full photo gallery of her artwork.

Makar is looking for studio space; her pieces have nearly overtaken her spacious Ballantyne home.  Along her foyer are antique windows she has reborn into brightly colored glass mosaics.  In the middle of her dining room are two highchairs featuring the beginnings of a tangerine and turquoise motif, one of her top-selling designs.

Throughout her home are funky reupholstered chairs, creatively stenciled tables, a chest-of-drawers decoupage’d in comic books and a desk covered with pages of old sheet music.  Her workshop is packed with her latest pieces, along with scraps of fabric, buttons, bottle caps, old LP records and many other seemingly mundane objects that await new life as a part of her next project.

“It’s so rewarding to start with an old piece of furniture and give it new life,” Makar said.

Unique and hard-to-find pieces are Makar’s delight.  Her prized possession is an old cherry wood secretary, stenciled to vibrancy and covered in pastel-printed scrapbook paper.  In contrast, even simple children’s chairs with an interesting cut-out can spark a distinctive design idea.  “Every piece has a story to tell,” she said.

Furnicharm began in earnest only two years ago, but Makar has created art since she was a child growing up in New Jersey.

“I had a notebook that I would take to school when I was 10,” she recalled.  “I was just playing around, but when people saw my sketches I got a lot of positive attention.”  As a teenager she took to painting murals and was afforded the opportunity to take college-level classes in commercial art.

Makar married and moved to south Charlotte in 1991 to raise her growing family.  “I remember (U.S.) 521 when it was only a two-lane road,” she recalled.  She has loved watching the Ballantyne area develop.  Even after 22 years, her neighborhood still surprises her.

“When we come home from vacation, we say, ‘It’s just so pretty here,’” she said.

Craftiness runs in Makar’s family: her mother sewed, her husband engineers fine jewelry and her daughter is a graphic designer.  The initial artistic inspiration came from her nephew.  “He painted a chair in art class, and I just loved it,” she said.

As soon as she could, Makar drove to Blowing Rock and bought 15 pieces of furniture. She transformed her garage into a workshop and spent the next six months creating her trademark style: contemporary and colorful, trendy and tasteful.

“I design as I go and let it take its course,” she said.  “If I don’t like it, I paint over it.”

Though her approach is unconventional, she maintains the time-honored tradition of solid craftsmanship.  Each finished piece is rock-solid, even if it “needs some TLC” in the form of wood filler, glue or sand to make it steady.

She lightly sands each surface to let the primer set perfectly before painting.  Finished work is always sprayed or painted with a clear coat or wax, giving a smooth and polished appearance.

“With pieces that I reupholster, I’ll take it down to the bones and replace old foam or cushions,” said Makar, who wisely coats the fabric with Scotchguard.  “I don’t make anything I wouldn’t put in my own home,” she said.

Makar enjoys creating artwork on commission and strives to surpass her clients’ expectations.  The smart ones say “Surprise me” and let her deliver.

Amy Sanders (above, foreground) is one of a number of artists who have grown their talents recently thanks to Clayworks.

“I remember watching my grandmother sew and wearing the dresses my mom made for me,” she said.  Sanders works in stoneware by throwing clay on a pottery wheel or starting with a flat slab.  Once the piece is formed, she recreates the prints and patterns of that nostalgic fabric using handmade stamps.  She then glazes and fires it to vibrancy.

Like many, Sanders honed her skill at Clayworks, a nonprofit ceramic studio and education center that offers everything from beginning pottery classes to studio space for artists. Clayworks also provides community outreach, teaching ceramics to underserved children.

Located in what used to be The Purple Pickett at 4506 Monroe Road, Clayworks is the fourth largest ceramic studio in the country.  The 15,000-square-foot space features 25 pottery wheels, 10 kilns (with another on the way) and more than a dozen instructors educating 100 students at any given time.  Clayworks uses nine tons of clay each year.

Though the facility is huge, the community it gathers is close-knit.  Artists and students of all ages gather informally and formally for camps, classes, lectures and workshops.

“People come to us from all walks of life,” said Adrienne Dellinger, executive director of Clayworks.  The gamut runs from physicians and bankers, to emerging artists and stay-at-home moms.  “Some are looking for something to do; some have collected pottery all their lives. For others this might be on their bucket list,” she said.

Dellinger explained the appeal: “Clay is tactile, and you can make anything you want.”

Many prospective potters start out at Clayworks’s “Muddy Fun Saturday,” an inexpensive opportunity to get behind the wheel and “throw” a pot.  The commitment is $10 per person and two hours of time, but pre-registration is required.

“There’s a lot of laughter when people try it for the first time,” Dellinger said.  “Some take right to it, but even those that don’t still gain an appreciation.”  A ceramic artist herself, Dellinger added, “It’s harder than it looks.”  The next “Muddy Fun Saturday” will be April 13.

Dellinger has seen many students grow from hobby potters into full-time ceramic artists.  For these more serious students, Clayworks offers intermediate and advanced classes taught by professional artists like Sanders.

Each Clayworks instructor brings expertise in a certain style: figurative, functional or abstract.  Sanders is especially skilled in hand-building (working with flat slabs or coils) while others offer mastery of the wheel and specific techniques like inlaying and glazing.

For Sanders, teaching helps her grow artistically.  “I can get more experimental in classes,” she said.  “We tend to share information and give back.”

Sanders started school as a biology major but fell in love with ceramics her sophomore year.  After graduating from Centre College, an art school in Danville, Ky., she moved to Charlotte 13 years ago and heard about Clayworks from a friend.

“Amy literally showed up at our doorstep,” Dellinger recalled.  “She told me her background and that she had recently graduated from art school and was looking for a place to work.”  Dellinger hired her on the spot to be a studio assistant.

Sanders has enjoyed a successful career thus far.  She was resident artist at the McColl Center for Visual Art and has exhibited at the Mint Museum.  Today, Sanders balances her artistic career with family life and teaching.

“To learn from artists in a supportive setting like this is unlike anything else,” Dellinger said.

Sanders’ work and that of many others will be on display at the annual Spring Sale and Open House on Friday, April 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Friday evening, artists will be on-hand to talk about their work and offer demonstrations.  The event is free; pottery prices start at $5.  More information is available at www.clayworksinc.org.

Works of art from women across the region will be shown at the upcoming exhibit.

Marshall, a Waxhaw potter, is one of about 15 women who’ll contribute their work to “Beyond the Curve: Celebrating Women’s Vision.” The show opens Friday, March 22, with a special reception at 6:30 p.m. The gala will feature wine and cheese and live music, courtesy of local jazz artist Tenya Coleman. The exhibit runs through April 26.

The CCAC has hosted Beyond the Curve in the spring since 2010. The center’s Executive Director Lee Baumgarten said the exhibit was formed to give local female artists a chance to shine.

“It’s a way to bring awareness to local female artists and their creativity in their work,” Baumgarten said. “There’s not that many shows focused just on women’s vision, so that’s the main reason we started it and it’s been really successful ever since.”

The show features art of all mediums – oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, photography, mosaics, jewelry and other 3-D art, such as ceramics and pottery. Each artist can enter up to three pieces in the show.

Although the exhibit isn’t juried, Baumgarten said it’s become considerably competitive due to its popularity. The show draws artists from the Charlotte region, Union County and even some areas in South Carolina. While Beyond the Curve features a few repeat artists, Baumgarten said the CCAC likes to give new faces a place to show their work, as well.

“We have a ton of repeat artists for other shows,” he said. “For this show, we try to give new people an opportunity to come and participate. Most artists in this show haven’t shown here before.

“We try to keep it broad, elevating the awareness and celebrating the creativity of female artists,” he added.

Marshall, who’s participated in Beyond the Curve before, has been a potter for more than 40 years, entering her artwork in numerous shows and teaching art classes at Queens University in Charlotte. Marshall draws inspiration from international cultures for her pottery, including raku ware – a Japanese form of pottery fired in an outside kiln – and ikebana vases.

In the past few years, visits to Santa Fe, N.M. also have influenced her artwork. Bearing a southwestern flavor, her most recent work uses colors that capture the essence of New Mexico’s mountains and sunsets.

“Most of the pieces (in the show) are influenced by my travels to the Santa Fe area,” Marshall said. “They capture the reds in the sky and the beautiful landscape of the area.”

She’s also specialized in earth ware and recently decided to try her hand at the ikebana vases.

“Those are something new,” Marshall said. “I always want to try something different, to never quit growing. If I feel I’ve achieved everything, I become stagnant … (my goal) is to always be changing.”

Marshall also appreciates the theme of the show and the fact that it gives exposure to women while encouraging them to embrace their creativity.

“Thinking outside the box, ‘on the curve’ of things, indicates what this (show’s) title is,” she said. “I like the idea of women in the arts thinking outside the box.”

Baumgarten said the gallery is typically open in the evening on weekdays, starting around 5 p.m., and in the afternoon and evening on weekends, although show hours vary according to artist and volunteer availability.

For more information on the show or the Civic & Cultural Arts Center of Pineville, call 704-889-2434 or go to www.ccacpineville.org. The gallery is located at 316 Main St.

Characters in “The Birth” tell the story of Jesus Christ’s birth through a different set of eyes than what people may be used to seeing.

Buechner’s writing forms the foundation of “The Birth,” a unique retelling of the Christmas Story.  The performance is a compiled narrative that blends poignant song, expressive movement and powerful spoken word.  “The Birth” features scriptural readings and personal reflections from less obvious characters in the nativity story.

The spoken word portion of “The Birth” is highlighted by musicians who play originals and arrangements acoustically.  Musician Sarah DeShields, who joined the cast last year, wrote “Mary’s Song.”  “I thought about what Mary would have been going through,” said DeShields, who was pregnant with her own child at the time of the production.

“The Birth” is not an event-by-event account of the night Jesus Christ was born, but a window to the souls of real people who wrestled with the everyday struggle of life and belief.  Audience members see themselves through the eyes of the Innkeeper (who denied shelter to Mary and Joseph), the Wise Man (who lied to King Herod about the Christ child’s whereabouts) and the Shepherd (who experiences a spiritual epiphany).

“Buechner’s work does what religious literature should do,” said Nathan Rouse, the creator and director of “The Birth,” who also performs in the show.

Buechner is an American writer and theologian.  Though not raised in a specific faith tradition, he found Christianity in his 30s and surprised many by becoming a Presbyterian minister.  He has authored more than 30 books of varying genres and has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

“I read the first person prose and heard monologues,” Rouse said of reading Buechner’s work in 2004.  Two years later, the first production of “The Birth” was staged under the auspices of Starving Artist Productions.  The company has produced “The Birth” seven years running, as well as non-religious themed plays, short films and web series.

More about Starving Artist Productions, including ongoing and upcoming projects can be found online at www.astarvingartistproduction.com.

“Everything I do is about strong theater and strong artistry,” said Rouse, who produced the premiere of “Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell,” by two Charlotte playwrights earlier this year.  “I like to think I am a person of faith who produces quality art.”

For “The Birth,” the theater is arranged “blackbox style.”  The set is bare and features no backdrops or props.  There are no trees, mangers, costumes, animals or swaddled dolls.  The performers are the only visuals, emphasized by movement and dramatic lighting.

“The production style invites a reflective audience, including those who aren’t religious.”  Despite the subject matter and his personal beliefs, Rouse does not produce “The Birth” for an evangelical purpose.  “It’s important to be on neutral ground,” he added.

“There is nothing about this show that knocks you upside the head or is confrontational,” said actor James K. Flynn.  “You can see it year after year,” he added.  Indeed many do.

For the past several years, Charlotte residents have included seeing “The Birth” as part of their holiday tradition.  The show offers a 60-minute respite from the stress of Christmas busyness at a time when modern Christians may struggle to remember the true meaning of the season of Advent, the period of spiritual preparation for Christ’s coming.

The actors are no different.  Rodney Kennerly, who plays percussion in “The Birth,” found himself dreading the long hours of rehearsal at first.  “But I find that I don’t have to sit down and prepare for the show,” he said.  “It prepares me.”

“The Birth” runs Thursday through Sunday evenings, Dec. 13 through 23 at Duke Energy Theatre located in Spirit Square, 345 N. College St.  Performances are held at 7 p.m. each night and 8:30 p.m. on select evenings.  A cast talkback will follow the Opening Night performance.  Tickets are $16 per person ($30 on Celebration Night.)  For more information, visit www.thebirth.net.

The Charlotte Folk Society is inviting the community out to a potluck dinner and jam session this weekend.
The event is Saturday, Dec. 15, from 4 to 10 p.m. at Dilworth United Methodist Church, 605 East Blvd. From 4 to 5 p.m. there’s a song circle led by Salem Macknee and Tom Kelleher, and a Celtic session led by fiddler Ed Gebauer. There’s also an old-time jam session with the Flat Possum Hoppers.
That’s followed by dinner from 5 to 6 p.m. Singer/songwriter Natalie Royal will perform seasonal songs from 6 to 6:30 p.m., followed by another song circle and jam session.
People are asked to bring a covered dish that can serve eight people, or donate $5 toward expenses.
Charlotte Folk Society events occur throughout the year at the Great Aunt Stella Center. Find more information on the group at its website, www.folksociety.org.

Holiday concert to be held Saturday at St. Mary’s

Carolina Pro Musica’s annual holiday concert is Saturday, Dec. 15, at St. Mary’s chapel at 1129 E. 3rd St.
There will be two performances, one at 7 p.m. and the other at 8:30 p.m. The concert will feature 18th century music, seasonal readings and carols for all to sing, and performers will appear in 18th century attire.
Tickets to the concert are $15 and are available at www.carolinapromusica.org.

Children’s Theatre featured on TV show

The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte will be featured in an episode of the ABC television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
The theater helped design, build and install two children’s bedrooms in a home in Lincolnton. The television show follows the construction of homes for families in need across the country, often making special rooms or changing aspects of a home to fit the special needs of a member of that home’s family.
The episode featuring the Children’s Theatre is Monday, Dec. 17, at 8 pm. on ABC.
“Nearly every staffer at Children’s Theatre had an opportunity to participate in some way, be it painting, picking up supplies, loading the truck or just providing encouragement and support,” according to a news release from the group.
Find more information on the Children’s Theatre on its website, www.ctcharlotte.org.

The red and white puppies will go to kids throughout the Charlotte region who are being treated at area hospitals this holiday season.

The center, based in south Charlotte, annually delivers the puppies one by one to children being treated at the hospital. Each puppy comes with a tag bearing the name of someone who donated at one of the center’s recent blood drives.

“This is another way for our donors to be able to make a little more of an impact than just saving three lives,” Jennifer Krupa, with CBCC, said, referencing how donating a pint of  goes to save three lives. “Having done my first puppy drop this year, it’s really neat to see how well received it is at the hospital. It’s amazing to see how the kids respond to it and how the hospital staff responds to it.”

The stuffed animals serve as a means for staff at the local blood center to show they care about the people they serve, but are something much more to children at the hospital. Many of the children being treated will spend their holidays at the hospital. And though hospital staff does what it can to make things easier for the children and the families members that often have to find housing nearby to be near their kids, not much can compare to a big, fluffy puppy to hug and hold during treatments and throughout the night.

The center will give out close to 1,000 stuffed animals, Krupa said, to a number of hospitals in the region. People still can take part in the program by donating blood at any center drive through Dec. 31. Donations are especially needed right now.

“December is one of those months, around Thanksgiving and the holidays, where donations drop off a lot because people are shopping or traveling,” she said. “So, the program helps us stay consistent.”

The center holds a number of blood drives each month in south Charlotte and around the region. Find a local blood drive by checking out the South Charlotte Weekly calendar on pages 34 and 35. Find more information on the center at its website, www.cbcc.us.

“Red,” an exhibition of “celebrations and lifeblood in mosaic and mixed media,” opens Friday, Dec. 7, at Ciel Gallery.
The exhibit features art that incorporates the color red, though other works will be available to purchase as holiday gifts. All sales must be paid in cash.
There’s a special opening night reception Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibit runs until Jan. 26
The gallery is located at 128 E. Park Ave. Find more information on the gallery at its website, www.cielcharlotte.com.

Singing Christmas Tree is Saturday

The 58th annual performance of The Singing Christmas Tree is this weekend at Ovens Auditorium.
The concert, performed by the more than 80 members of the Carolina Voices MainStage Choir, is Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3 p.m. The performance includes a 32-foot Christmas tree and appearances from country singer Caroline Keller, the Grey Seal Puppets, the Eddie Mabry Dancers and more. Tickets start at $20.
Also, on Saturday, the Grey Seal Puppets will take part in The Singing Christmas Tree For Kids. The event is at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and is aimed at children ages 3 to 10. Tickets start at $10.
Find more information on the show at the group’s website, www.carolinavoices.org. Ovens Auditorium is located at 2700 E. Independence Blvd.

Children’s Choir’s ‘Christmas Gloria!’ this weekend

The Charlotte Children’s Choir will perform this weekend and next in south Charlotte.
The first show, Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., is “Christmas Gloria!” The performance includes Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” as well as a number of popular Christmas carols. The show is at Myers Park Baptist Church, 1900 Queens Road. Tickets are $15 at the door.
The following weekend, on Dec. 15, the choir will perform “Christmas is a Feeling: A Children’s Holiday Celebration” at Sharon Presbyterian Church, 5201 Sharon Road. Tickets are $10 at the door.
The choir is a nonprofit supported through membership and donations. Find more information on the group at its website, www.charlottechildrenschoir.org.

Author to visit Park Road Books on Saturday

Andrew Hartley, author of the “Darwen Arkwright” series of young adult literature, will sign copies of his latest book this weekend at Park Road Books.
Hartley will sign copies of “Darwen Arkwright and the Insidious Bleck” on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 11 a.m. He’s also author of “Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact.” The novels follow along with a 11-year-old boy who can enter an alternative world through mirrors.
Park Road Books is located at 4139 Park Road, in the Park Road Shopping Center.

Ballet coming to SouthPark Mall

The Charlotte City Ballet will perform next weekend at SouthPark Mall.
There are two performances on Dec. 15, a Saturday – one at 11 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m. outside Tiffany’s at the mall’s Circle Court. Performances are free and open to the public.
Find more information on the group at its website, www.charlottecityballet.org. The mall is located at 4400 Sharon Road.

Marshall, of Ballantyne, created Captain Courage when she taught public speaking and character lessons about confidence and courage to elementary school children. In fact, she was Captain Courage, dressing up as the character to get her point across to young classes and keep them engaged.

Today, the captain is played by Mr. Magico, who is principal of the fictional Blythe Elementary School – the setting of Marshall’s first book. In “The Fear-Squishing Shoes,” Magico is tasked with helping new girl Katie feel comfortable around her new classmates.

“The Katie character represents every child who has ever felt nervous or scared about something, which is, most likely, every child,” Marshall explained. “The ‘take away’ lesson is that anyone can speak with confidence and feel self-assured in any situation, with some simple strategies I’ve developed to use when necessary.”

But, as her daughter also is named Katie, Marshall didn’t want her son, Jack, to feel left out.

“I asked my illustrator, Michelle Morse, to also include a class pet named Jack in each scene – hidden in every illustration. Finding Jack (the turtle) in the illustrations adds another element of fun to the book for readers, and appeases my son, as well.”

That, of course, led to some sibling rivalry.

“They had heard many versions of the story for years,” Marshall said. “So, when I finally got the package from the publisher with the actual book, they were incredibly excited to see ‘Mom’s story’ with illustrations. After reading the book and scrutinizing the illustrations, my son joked with my sixth-grade daughter, saying ‘Katie, you’re wearing a tutu in the book!’ and my daughter responded by saying, ‘Well, Jack, you’re a turtle in the book and wearing a shell!’”

Getting “Mom’s story” into print was “a longer and more arduous process than I anticipated,” Marshall said. She stuck with it thanks in part to some advice she got from a pretty good children’s writer.

“I started corresponding with Dr. Seuss when I was very young and continued being pen pals with him throughout college until he passed away,” Marshall said. In one letter, Dr. Seuss – and the Cat in the Hat – wrote, “If I were given the opportunity to spend an evening with one person who is not a cat, I most certainly would choose Stacey Marshall!” adding, “Dear Stacey, my cat has very good taste!”

Perhaps one day Marshall will have her own anthology full of children’s tales, much like her beloved inspiration. Due to the popularity of her first work, two more books are on the way staring Marshall’s alter ego.

“Michelle (the illustrator) and I were and still are in constant communication,” Marshall said of creating her main character. “We’re always bouncing ideas off one another. I remember when she asked me how old I wanted Captain Courage to be and, in general, how I envisioned him to look, I told her I pictured him as Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones!”

Though Indiana Jones tended to shy away from the flowing cape and bedazzled spectacles employed by the Captain, the resemblance is striking. The two also have that whole hero act down pat, though Captain Courage’s next mission is still under wraps.

Marshall wouldn’t reveal all her secrets, but she does have a bit of advice for those looking to write their own masterpiece.

“Whenever aspiring authors ask me what it takes to get a book published, I always think of one word: perseverance,” Marshall said. “I did not get a contract from my first submission.  In fact, I received many rejections initially.  But I simply reminded myself that JK Rowling got numerous rejection letters before publishing her first Harry Potter book, and I read that John Grisham’s first novel was rejected 25 times!  I figured the only way to get acceptance was to keep submitting it.

“When I finally did receive a publishing contract, it took two more years until my book was finally released by my publisher.  And much to my surprise and delight, it ended up on Amazon’s Bestseller List and on Amazon’s Hot New Release List!”

So, for those hesitating to take a leap into their dreams, think of what Captain Courage would say: Put on your special fear-squishing shoes, and after that, you “can do whatever you want to do with complete confidence.”

Marshall will do a book reading and sign copies of her novel on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m. at Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road.