Out of the Woodwork Productions

Education and OOTW

Out of the Woodwork (OOTW) Productions is an all volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization with an historical focus that produces the Virginia Renaissance Faire annually.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our educational entertainment, what we fondly call edutainment. We have found that students who attend our seminars and performances retain what they've learned and pass it on to others. By telling the story in a live interactive fashion and guiding each student through the creation of a personal "character" in our focus time period, the student begins to think and experience life as a person from that time. Suddenly, history is "now" and real. Social Studies is your daily interactions with your neighbor, your employer, your Sovereign. This is the magic of Out of the Woodwork's educational mission. We believe that once a student feels the magic, it can ignite the flame of curiosity for other periods in history or even different present-day cultures.

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OOTW offers:

• Various activities suitable for adults and children at the Virginia Renaissance Faire or at home to learn about life during Elizabethan England. 
• • The Reading Club, open to elementary school students
  • The Staffordshire Quest, open to all ages
  • The Apprentice Quest, open to students of all ages
• Various activities at the Virginia Renaissance Faire that can be used to perform Scout badge related requirements.
• A Book List containing lists of references used by its volunteers for research.
• Community Demonstrations and School Shows that provide hands on activities to support educational curriculums.
• Activities and contests for the community that supplement areas of study from the school curriculum.
• • Writing Contest, open to elementary through high school students and adults
  • Art Contest, open to elementary through high school students and adults
• A living history focus at the Virginia Renaissance Faire that uses demonstrations, presentations and interactions at the Virginia Renaissance faire to enhance the knowledge of the historical world during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
• Performance opportunities at the Virginia Renaissance Faire for the community including home school, Middle and High School groups as well as adults.
• • The Be A Guest Performer program encourages groups to perform on stage as musicians, singers, or actors.
• Volunteer opportunities at the Virginia Renaissance Faire which may contribute to community service requirements.

Photographs appearing on the Out of the Woodwork website are by the following individuals. Contact OOTW directly for specific photograph credits. Photographs used with permission and may not be copied for commercial use by others.

OOTW thanks the following: Norman Carey, Connor Dale, Bron Duncan, Pamela Howard, John Kinney, David Kline, C.K. Murray, Roanoke Times, Bill Rutherford, Vyxen (Lynda), Emily Whittacre, Phillip Richmond and the many cast and patrons who submitted their personal photographs for display.

The OOTW and Virginia Renaissance Faire would also like to thank Jason Lamey for the OOTW logo design.

What's New

• Reading Club
• Art Contest
• Writing Contest
• Be a Guest Performer
• Be a Demonstrator