Live Performances
Noa Baum
So rarely are we captured by the basic humanity of our performers. Noa Baum, through the carefully crafted art of storytelling, managed to take me in completely.
DC Theatre Scene
Noa connects people through story. She is at home with a wide range of ages, audiences, and venues. A versatile performer, with four decades of experience, she crafts and delivers storytelling performances that entertain and inspire.
With warm authenticity and humor Noa offers a wide repertoire of stories that draw on the wisdom of many traditions and her own rich Jewish heritage. Her stories highlight our similarities, celebrate our differences, and encourage curiosity and empathy. In a world where peace is a challenge in the schoolyard and beyond, Noa’s work builds bridges of understanding and compassion.
Adult Concerts
With drama and daring Noa combines the power of imagination and words to heal and delight.
These programs feature personal narratives, folktales, historical and literary adaptations, and her trademark braided stories - connecting traditional and personal stories in unexpected ways.
All programs are custom designed. Here is a small sample:
-
Bridges of Compassion: Cross Cultural Stories that Connect Us
-
What If: Stories of Peace & Justice
-
Culture Shock: Identity, Connection and the Immigrant Experience
-
Marvelous Maidens, Incredible Crones: Stories of Women Wise and Bold
-
Fly Me to The Moon: Improbable Love Stories
-
A Taste of Eden: Stories from the Jewish Tradition
"Noa had the audience captivated with her first words and they remained so with each story she told. A superb program!”
Ruth Robbins, Program Coordinator, The Smithsonian Associates, Washington, DC
One Woman Shows
Noa’s signature spoken-word shows feature multi-faceted stories infused with humor, depth, and drama.
A Land Twice Promised: Palestinian and Israeli Women's Stories
Israeli storyteller Noa Baum began a heartfelt dialogue with a Palestinian woman while living in the United States. She weaves together their memories, and their mothers' stories, to create a moving testimony that illuminates the complex and contradictory history and emotions surrounding Jerusalem, for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
“The stunning result of Baum's work is not a competition of narratives, but a consolidation of them. Or to use a musical metaphor, her alternating of Jewish and Arab stories created a point/counterpoint that feels more like a richly dissonant piece of music than a political debate.”
Daniel Schifrin, The Jewish Week, New York
Impossible to Translate but I’ll Try: True-Life Israeli Stories
Storytelling World Award winner!
Growing up in Jerusalem is more than the Bible and War. Noa takes us on a poignant and humorous journey through her life. Experience a completely different side of Israel with stories of childhood adventures, outrageous matchmaking and all the love in between.
"Engagingly and humorously carries the audience through waves of memories. A unique, loving perspective on a country most often associated with violence and vengeance... humanizes Israel in a refreshing, engrossing way."
The Georgetowner
Hidden in My Pocket:
Complicated Blessings and Other Childhood Treasures
At the crossroads of Jerusalem and Baba Yaga’s hut, a journey into timeless tangles of mothers, daughters, and hidden secrets. Noa interweaves her childhood memories with an ancient Russian folktale as she explores ancestral trauma of the Holocaust and the healing power of story.
“Noa's ear for detail and dialect is unsurpassed, but it's the specificity of her writing, and the intimacy of her delivery, which makes her storytelling an experience to be treasured, savored, and above all, not to be missed!”
Ari Roth, Artistic Director, Theater J, Washington, DC
Festivals
Request detailed descriptions of all programs
Noa is a versatile performer equally at home with adult and family audiences, on stage or in workshop settings. Deeply rooted in her Jewish heritage, her stories are funny and poignant, blending personal and traditional stories. Noa brings her unique perspective of an Israeli immigrant and peace activist to build bridges and heal across divides of identity. She can be included in workshops on storytelling skills, healing applications, and peace building.
"An extraordinary, accomplished, and engaging storyteller. But there’s more! During her highly interactive workshop on Storytelling as a Tool for Change, Noa didn’t use a white board or powerpoint to deliver her message. Instead, it was us — learning how to use our own personal stories to open dialogue and build bridges of understanding. The workshop was totally experiential and fostered true, two-way communication."
Jimmy Neil Smith, Founder, National Storytelling Festival and
International Storytelling Center, TN
School Assemblies and Family Concerts
Noa’s uplifting programs combine story, song, and audience participation to help develop social-emotional skills, encourage empathy, and promote tolerance.
She demonstrates how stories highlight universal values and ethical responsibility. Noa invites us to listen deeply, imagine, and make personal connections to consider our choices in making the world a kinder place.
All programs are custom designed to specific age groups from pre-K to 12th grade and intergenerational venues, such as libraries, museums, community centers, faith congregations and more.
Here is a small sample of current offerings:
-
Embracing Compassion: Stories that Connect Us
-
Timeless Treasures: Lessons from World Cultures
-
Peace in My Fingers
-
Spooks in the Dark
-
The Sabbath Dress – Stories from the Jewish Tradition
-
Ancient Glories: Stories from Greek Mythology
-
Pharaoh’s Secrets: Stories from Ancient Egypt
-
Story Bridges: Exploring Identity and Connection
“Noa Baum came to tell her stories of peace and acceptance during our Peace Week activities.
Her stories entertained all age groups, matched our theme of peace-making and inspired our students. Noa Baum's stage presence is excellent and her love for storytelling comes through. We look forward to having Noa Baum tell stories to our children again and again in the future.”
Mary Hart, Fifth Grade Teacher, Farmland Elementary, MD
"I absolutely LOVED it!!!! I had tingles up my spine the whole time. There are no words to describe how much I love your storytelling!"
Madison Rubenstein, age 12, MN
"A spell-binding storyteller….held our children and adults enthralled with delightful stories and audience participation!"
Judy Malamud, Librarian, Rockville, MD
"I appreciated the diverse nature of the stories you told both at the performance and on your CD and how well you brought in elements of the cultures that the stories sprang from… you made the stories come alive with your dramatic telling of them, you are truly an exceptional performer."
Katherine Arp, Waverly Elementary, Frederick, MD
"Noa Baum is fantastic! She brings her stories alive so that this petite woman actually resembles a lion, a turtle – any character she takes on, when performing - without costume! I cannot say enough about Noa – the teachers, staff and most importantly the students were captivated by her storytelling."
Pamela Shewmaker, Oakland Terrace Elementary PTA, Silver Spring, MD