Lincoln Oratory Festival
Feb. 4 and 5, 2020
In honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, students from 3rd through 8th grade classrooms across the metro D.C. area perform a selection of his most historic speeches on the Ford's Theatre stage.
“Thank you for the great experience of … get[ting us] on stage to get our jitters out and boost our confidence. You also boosted my speaking skills by not being afraid to be in front of a big crowd.”
Distance Learning Oratory Opportunity
Lincoln Online Oratory Project
For classes around the country and the world
Any class can participate. The first 10 classes to apply will get three free virtual visits with a Teaching Artist. Share and comment on one another’s speeches via YouTube.
Meet Our Teaching Artists
Ashley Buster
Ashley grew up just outside of Washington, D.C., in Silver Spring, MD. She earned a BA in Broadcasting Telecommunications and Mass Media and Theater from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and is currently earning her MA in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Loyola University Maryland. After living in New York and singing for Royal Caribbean International, Ashley moved back to the D.C. area to continue her acting career here and has been seen at NextStop Theater, at Signature Theatre and in “Freedom’s Song” at Ford’s Theatre.
W. Ellington Felton
W. Ellington Felton is an Actor/Singer/Poet/Father, a native Washingtonian and product of DCPS School Without Walls. He studied Acting at Carnegie Mellon University Theatre Conservatory and returned to D.C. as a selected Company Member of Arena Stage's "Living Stage.” Using his theatrical training and improvisational skills developed as a full-time musician, Felton is able to introduce various facets of the arts through what he calls "EDUTAINMENT.” He is an artist committed to social change in the classroom and on the various stages he performs worldwide. He is the son of Hilton Felton Jr., musical director of the Ford's Theatre production of "Five Guys Named Moe.”
Heidi Fortune
Heidi Fortune is a professional actor and teaching artist. Heidi holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts and a MA in Arts Administration from Winthrop University. Heidi has worked as a teaching artist for over a decade, most recently at Boys & Girls Clubs in South Carolina. At Boys & Girls Clubs, Heidi worked with hundreds of children to produce more than 30 plays and 50 original student films. The program she created won many grants and awards, including a highly competitive National Endowment for the Arts grant and a national award from Comcast, Disney, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
James Johnson (J.J)
Johnson is a teaching artist and professional actor raised in Front Royal, VA, and holds a BFA in Theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. Johnson has worked with Theater J, Arena Stage, Ford's Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Imagination Stage and the Kennedy Center, among others.
Michele Vicino-Coleman
As a Teaching Artist, Michele frequently works with Imagination Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company and Round House. Previously, Michele was an Elementary School Teacher with MCPS, and the Theatre and Choral Arts teacher at Archbishop Carroll High School in Northeast D.C., where she established a new theatre program. In addition to her TA work, Michele is a singer, actor, director and music director for school programs, local theatres and Levine Music. She holds an MA in Theatre Education from The Catholic University of America.
Cecilia Cackley
Cecilia Cackley is a Mexican-American playwright and puppeteer based in Washington, D.C. She is the artistic director of Wit's End Puppets and co-creator of their shows "Cabinets of Kismet," "Saudade" and "Malevolent Creatures." Her bilingual children's plays have been presented by GALA Hispanic Theatre and toured to D.C. schools. Cecilia is an affiliated teaching artist with Imagination Stage, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and Ford's Theatre. Internationally, she has performed or taught workshops in France, Canada, Armenia, Guatemala and El Salvador. She is a proud company member of GALA Hispanic Theatre and Young Playwright's Theater. This is Cecilia’s second year with Ford’s Education Department.
Khaleshia Thorpe-Price
Khaleshia Thorpe-Price has worked as an arts educator since 2000. She has facilitated residencies and workshops for children and adults for Wolf Trap, Arena Stage, Young Playwrights’ Theater, Young Audiences of Maryland, Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare Theatre Company and M-NCPP. As an arts manager, she has coordinated workshops and residencies for thousands of students and educators in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. This is Khaleshia’s second year working with Ford’s Education Department.
