Listings and Reports collated by Tina Bilbé, webified by Kevin Blackburn
A big, ‘Thank you!’ to everyone who organised events during the week. Here is the list so far, in no particular order. If your event is not listed please let us know so we can add it.
Rural Voices - A unique collaboration of Indian Dance and English storytelling set National Storytelling Week off in grand and colourful style at Lazonby on Friday 2nd Feb. In the first half, storyteller, Pascale Konyn told three separate tales of incarnations of the Hindu gods, Siva and Parvati. These stories, full of wonder and information as to how various gods gained their qualities, were interpreted in colourful and, to my eyes, exotic style, by the dancers of Kala Sangam, accompanied by Grammy award winning Tabla player Sukhvinder Singh and Mohan Singh, harmonium, with vocals by Geetha Upadhyaya who also choreographed the dances.
The storytelling was excellent and paced so that the audience was able to understand the dancers' interpretation. Storytelling by dance alone is not a tradition we are familiar with in Britain and the combination was both absorbing and instructive.
The second half began with Pascale telling the local Eden Valley story of Long Meg and Her Daughters, coupled with an anecdote about the Black Dog, this warmed the audience toward her retelling of the wonder tale The Black Bull of Norroway. This story was again accompanied by Indian style dance drama which was most effective in bringing the two traditions together. The climax, with the marriage of the feisty third daughter and the Prince/Black Bull, was excellently portrayed in dance and music.
This was storytelling at its formalised best, combined in an imaginative way with other traditional art forms to produce a complete and satisfying evenings entertainment.
Credit must go to John Clarke as Director for pulling it all together and to North Pennines Rural Touring for staging this first night of a National Tour.
The Eden Valley Storytelling Club was involved in events at Penrith Library - Storytime for children on the afternoon of Wednesday the 6th when various members of the club told stories.
On Saturday 9th Feb. The Storytelling Club, together with support from Eden Arts, brought internationally renowned storyteller, Pomme Clayton to Lazonby for her acclaimed one women Adults Only show, ‘Becoming Virgin’, stories of the convent and beyond. Many of Pomme's stories feature bold heroines and her performances combine poetic language, startling imagery, playful humour and atmospheric music to produce a superb evenings entertainment.
And if that wasn't enough, The South Lakeland Storytelling Club opened its doors at The Watermill Inn at Ings on Tuesday 5th Feb. at 7.30 and The Eden Valley Storytelling Club hosted a "Crack @ the Crown" session at The New Crown Inn Ainstable on Monday 10th Feb.
Sat.
2nd. Feb. 14.00 - 17.00 'Stories in the Street' outside Jazz HQ
Sussex Gardens, with Eastbourne Storytellers
Sun. 3rd. Feb. 19.45
- 21.45 'Nothing Doing' Club night at Brighton Storytellers, The Pub
With No Name
Wed. 6th. Feb. 20.30 'Folk at the Lamb' with a story
from the floor
Fri. 8th Feb. 'Stories in School' Lunchtime
storytelling club at Willingdon Community School, just for the
pupils.
Sat. 9th Feb. 19.30 'Storytelling Ceilidh' Community Wise,
Ocklynge Road, Old Town, Eastbourne. Bring a story to share.
This
is now the Third year we have run a 'Cardiff Storytelling Week'.
Being the Capital city we have many local professional tellers and I
have a data base of around 100 interested people. However getting
people out to events isn't that easy - e.g. my family were glued to
the to one evening awaiting the result of a pop star competition - we
also had terrible weather and on top of that every one I know is
either going through flu or is still recovering. I had many call to
say they were unwell. So numbers were very much down this year but
some good things have come out of it. A prominent article in 'The
Western Mail ' (The only truly national daily newspaper in Wales) was
seen by many . Michael Harvey followed up the Week with a
Storytelling project for some Cardiff school children presenting
their work to the National Assembly. This again had press coverage. A
group of professional tellers are now in discussion with funders and
promoters about the best way of making Storytelling more visible. At
the moment there is no one in a paid position to actively promote
storytelling in Wales. Most of the funding for professional tellers
comes from 'academi' a literature promotion scheme. They are now
willing to work with storytellers to help advance the work across
Wales through their regional development officers.
We ran five
events during the Week aimed mostly at adult audiences. These were
all profit share performances . This I hope will be the last year we
run in this way. I would like to see a week such as this being
financially supported in the future. Without this I feel our work is
being undervalued.
I advertised the Week as :
.... a
celebration of storytelling in association with Cardiff Storytelling
Circle
The Society for Storytelling and Beyond the Border
International Storytelling Festival St Donats Castle 5th - 7th July
2002
I feel the Week has been very successful despite the small
audiences.
Sunday 3rd Feb. 7.30 - 9.30 PM Chapter Arts Centre,
Upstairs Bar
‘Three Wise Monkeys’ Music , stories and a bit of Magic. Not for the faint hearted. Featuring the talents of Gerry the Flute, Charana John Evans and Richard Berry
Wednesday 6th February 7.00 - 9.00 Insole Court, Llandaff
Llantrisant Storyteller Viv Small heads south with some Classic Tales. Reading and telling some of your old favourites. This is an evening for all ages. If you have a favourite Book , Story or poem that you would like to share with others do bring it along.
Sat 9th Feb. at 2pm in St Catwgs Church, Gelligaer. Viv Small will be performing Tales of the Celtic Saints
Saturday
9th Feb. 7.30 to 10 PM Chapter Arts Centre, Upstairs Bar
"
Believe me - I'm a Storyteller " Marvellous tales from some of
Cardiff's professional storytellers. Every Story 100% True.
Guaranteed !!
Sunday 10th Feb. 7.30 to 10 PM. Chapter Arts Centre, Upstairs Bar
’Before the Flood’ the Epic Stories of Gilgamesh and Innana Two of the oldest stories ever recorded. Told by Richard Berry and Elinor Kapp Not suitable for children.
Lowestoft Storytelling Circle in association with Family Learning presented a week of events:
Saturday
2nd February 10am-4pm in Lowestoft Library, a free event for parents
with, storytelling workshops, reading workshops and a basic
puppet-making workshop.
Monday 4th February 2.30-4.00pm in
Lowestoft Library, a free event. Storytelling for adults with Andy
Jennings and members of the Gypswyck Storytellers.
Monday
4 Feb. 2.30-4.00 at Beccles Library. Stories from Lowestoft
Storytelling Circle members
Tues. 5th February 1.00-2.30pm in
Lowestoft Children's Library, a free event, Storytelling for 0-5 year
olds and their parents. Stories to entertain and amuse, and make you
think, and feel, and dare to dream.
Weds 6th February 1.00-2.30pm
in Beccles Library, a free event - Anyone welcome to come along to
tell a story or to listen to tellers
Theresa 7th February
10.30-12.00 in Lowestoft - Children's Library a free event -
Storytelling for 0-5 year olds and their parents.
Fir 8th
February in 2.30-4.00pm in Lowestoft Library, a free event -
Storytelling for adults with Andy Jennings and members of the
Gypswyck Storytellers.
Tuesday 5th February 10am-5pm in Ipswich Museum, had a variety of activities on the Theme of the Anglo Saxons with storytelling by Gypswyck storytellers. Four storytelling sessions took place during the course of the day, each for about an hour, shared between three tellers. We were all in period costume and told tales from Saxon and Norse history and myth. The event was very well attended, and we gained large audiences of mixed ages. We have been asked to provide a similar service for future Open Days on other themes. We also managed to get a few brief plugs on local radio.
Saturday 9th February 10.30am-3.30pm in Cambridge Central Library. Stories for Children with Cambridge Storytellers
Our
storytelling in the public library attracted about one hundred people
to listen to six tellers, and the children's librarian was delighted
- especially as many who came had not been seen in the library
before. As a venue it was less than ideal - too much distracting
noises and movement, but I am sure we will tell there again, and
reach new audiences for oral stories.
Ramsey
Saturday
9th February in Ramsey Library. Stories with Ramsey
Storytellers
Saturday 2nd to Saturday 9th February in March
Library. In the year of the Queen's Jubilee, we are gathering
together Personal Stories about Life in the Town over the past 50
years. A display and a box in which people can put their memories
will be in the library all week.
Friday 8th February at the Fold Arts Centre. 'Brave Men and Clever Women' - Carl Merry & Jan Williams
Saturday 2nd February 4.30-3.30pm at the Minories. 'Cry of the Curlew' Stories of the sea celebrating the work of James Dodds with Jan Williams storyteller and Lola Barnes flute player.
Charlie Wilson, following the success last year, again secured a major funding from the oil company BP for his performances during National Storytelling Week. They financed his visits to every Junior and Primary schools on Canvey Island. They also supplied all the pupils with special Storytelling Week bookmarks. Over ten days he was able to share stories with over two thousand children and their teachers. Schools from other areas that he couldn’t fit into the week, booked pre or post National Storytelling Week performances.
Friday 8 Feb. 7:30pm at THE ELMS, Stone, near Berkeley
"WARM WINTER TALES" with the Midnight Storytellers plus special guest teller from New Zealand, Tania Faulkner-McKensie
This
was a fundraiser for Stone School PTA
Sunday 10 Feb. 4pm at Ruskin
Mill, Nailsworth
Storytelling week was
rather overshadowed for me by a dreaded OFSTED inspection. I would
have liked to have really pushed the boat out this year. Anyhow, I
simply put up a notice in the Staff Room offering to tell a story in
every class in the school and everyone took me up on the offer. The
result was 9 classes times three short stories each and a monologue
equals 36! Phew! No wonder my voice was rough by the end of the week.
Had some super pictures and writing from our pupils who all have
complex learning difficulties and have been asked to repeat the
process asap. So all together a Good Storytelling Week.
WILTSHIRE
Saturday February 2nd 7.30 Village Hall, Winterslow, Nr. Salisbury Mikerotheatre presented ‘Shades of Meaning’ A set of ghost stories where the here and now intersects with the then and there
Sat
2nd February, 2.30 - 4.00pm at Haxby Library.
GHOSTLY TALES FOR A
WINTER AFTERNOON with local children's author and storyteller Penny
Dolan. For accompanied children 6 - 12 years. Organised by the York
Children's Book Group.
‘HEADWAY’ affiliated to the brain injury association, celebrated ‘National Storytelling Week’
Saturday 2nd Feb. 2.00pm, St John’s Library Bromyard Road
A storytelling event
with Peggy Wilkinson and Hyman Rapstoff accompanied by Keith Hyett on
the guitar. Admission was free but donations to the Mayors Charities
were invited.
Monday 4th Feb., 7.30pm, Fownes Hotel City Walls
Road. A storytelling event with Peggy Wilkinson and Hyman Rapstoff
accompanied by Hannah Webb on the clarinet. In aid of the Mayors
Charities
Wednesday 6th February 2.30pm, Hammicks Bookshop, The
Shambles
‘Beware the sons of Adam’ a storytelling event
with Peggy Wilkinson and Hyman Rapstoff, accompanied by folk singer
Ken Forrest
Wednesday 6th February, 7.30pm, Guildhall Mayors
Parlour High Street
Before an invited audience, a storytelling
event with Peggy Wilkinson and Hyman Rapstoff accompanied by Hannah
Webb on the clarinet
Thursday 7th February, 7.00pm, Capuchins
Coffee Bar Sidbury
‘Yukon
Mayhems stories from warmer climes’ with Hyman Rapstoff
Friday
8th February at 7.30pm Court Room Guildhall High Street
Headway
Mummers production of ‘Hansel and Gretal’
all children
welcome, narration by Hyman Rapstoff and featuring guest soprano,
Margaret Peters and Hannah Webb on clarinet
Saturday 9th February
3.00pm, Hammicks Bookshop
‘Knowing when to stop - 326 BC’
a storytelling event with Peggy Wilkinson and Hyman Rapstoff
I suspect few people
are aware of the Persula Foundation, and even fewer know what an
immense contribution this charitable organisation makes to British
storytelling. I, together with Rebeqa Lovett, Sally Tonge and Fran
O'Boyle, have been working for some time with the Persula on their
National Storytelling Tour. This tour visits libraries, schools,
homes and clubs for the visually impaired, disabled, children with
special needs, and the elderly all over the UK. This coming week will
see my 300th performance for this remarkable organisation - an
astonishing statistic I can barely believe!
During National
Storytelling Week we performed to in excess of 250 people in numerous
small groups in Bath, Winchelsea, Ipswich, Shrewsbury, and
Wolverhampton. For some audiences it was a return visit, but for the
majority, it was their first-ever experience of a visiting
storyteller, and the response, as is usually the case, was
enthusiastic! My thanks and deep respect to all at the Persula
Foundation for their continued support.
LONDON
Lewisham
& Greenwich storytelling clubs celebrated National Storytelling
Week, with performances from some of Britain’s best loved
storytellers, and put the spotlight on the local storytelling
scene.
Wednesday 6 February 7.00 Age ExchangeTheatre, 11,
Blackheath Village: ‘London Stories’, some of the many
stories from the streets of our own city. Performed by
Storytelling-in-Hope.
Thursday 7 February 7.15 The Albany,
Douglas Way, Deptford: What is Storytelling anyway? Lewisham
Storytelling Circle took a fun look at why we keep on telling those
same old stories.
Friday 8 February 7.00 National Maritime Museum,
Romney Road, Greenwich: ‘The Odyssey’ Performed by Hugh
Lupton and Daniel Morden. The classic nightmare journey home, from
the mouths of two of the nation’s finest storytellers.
Saturday
9 February 7.30 The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford : Jan Blake &
TUUP, ‘Man,Woman, Life, Love’, tales from Africa, the
Caribbean and beyond from two brilliant tellers in a rare joint
performance
Everyone was so enthusiastic that one week was not
enough so there was also a story and voice workshop over 5 Tuesdays,
12 February – 19 March 8.00 at St Mary’s Community Centre,
180 Eltham High St. ‘Gift of the Gab’ was led by Helen East
and Katinka Haycraft.
And on Sunday 17 February 7.30 at
Storytelling in Hope, Bob Hope Theatre Bar: ‘The Seven Days of
Creation and Beyond’ told by Pamela Marre
In Palmers Green
During
National Storytelling Week, Malvern Storytelling Club had a very
special evening with master storyteller Ben Haggarty giving the first
performance of a new telling of the legend of Midir and Eadoin. Ben
is internationally known not only for his storytelling skills but
also for his courses and workshops for professional and
semi-professional storytellers. For this performance he was joined by
harpist Sianed Jones who has composed music especially to accompany
the telling.
The evening also featured ‘Hillstories’ - a
collection of tales from around the Malvern Hills told by local
storytellers with guitar pieces composed and played by Gloucester
guitarist Keith Hyett.
The event took place at the Foley Arms
Hotel ballroom in Great Malvern on Wednesday 6 February starting at
8.00 thanks to support from the National Lottery Awards for All.
This
was the last event organised by the club for a while, as they are
seeking a new home following the conversion of the club room at the
Nags Head into an '‘overflow’ bar for this increasingly
popular pub.
The club has greatly appreciated the free use of the
room for nearly six years, and is now looking for a similar home in
the Malvern area. It is hoped that the club can be relaunched
at a new venue by early summer
Weds 6th Feb. 8.00 at the Gasworks Studio, 27 Narroways Rd, St Werburghs Wordweavers Story Session, a whole evening of stories and the chance for people to share something of their own if they fancied. Plus a storytelling game or two to get started.
During National Storytelling Week I did some stories in between dances at Mumpers ceilidh club, finishing up with 'The Woman Who Married A Bear', a story which builds up to a dance.
Then I did a workshop
and a performance at the Bridge Centre in Langley Mill, ‘Telling
Tales, Wagging Tongues’ stories and songs for adults. The
workshop was intended for one of their 'senior citizen's' groups with
whom I did some work last year but, for various reasons, only a few
of them could attend. To be honest I felt a bit let down, but we made
one convert so it was worth it. He came to the performance the next
day along with a couple of dozen others aged about 12 to 60 none of
whom previously knew anything about storytelling.
Then on Friday
and Saturday I did a joint concert and workshop with Amy Douglas,
‘Stories for Grown-ups’. The performance went better than I
had dared hope. A lovely venue, a good, responsive audience and Amy
and I worked well together. We alternated stories and it gelled. The
workshop was more difficult because we only had 3 takers who all
needed/wanted entirely different things but I think we pleased most
of the people most of the time. Anyway it laid some good groundwork
for the revamped Flying Donkeys Storytelling Club which will be up
and running in April.
In the spirit of getting as much publicity
for the week as possible I did two local radio spots - on the Folk
programme and on the main morning show and yet again response showed
that radio is a really good way of getting the message to people.
I did four tellings in two schools for free during the week. Neither of the schools had had storytellers before, and they were keen to explore doing some more work in the future- so a small start. I haven't publicised it in the local press because the schools didn't give their permission (local problem with the press at the moment). They will be looking at doing more in the future. Sorry not to have done more - but its a start!!
Radio Berkshire picked up on National Storytelling Week this year. They interviewed Tina Bilbé on Saturday 2nd and myself on Monday morning, they also tried their hand at telling ghost stories. I met a stranger a few days later, who recognised my name and said he enjoyed the interview.
To celebrate National Storytelling Week Mythstories was happy to present Cat O'Nine Tails (storytellers Sally Tonge and Fran O'Boyle) on their Magic Carpet Ride Over The Long Mynd in three performances on
Tuesday 5th February at Clive Primary School (morning), Myddle CE Primary School (afternoon) and in Wem Library at 4.00pm. The event at Wem library was open to all and free of charge. The performance were for children aged 6 - 10 and their families.
2nd February 2.00pm until 4.00pm The Leicestershire Guild of Storytellers "10 Minute Tales" in the Guildhall. An afternoon of storytelling entertainment while the public sat for tea and coffee.
7th February Gill Jobson told stories at Craven Lodge Special School
15th February Raymond Greenoaken was at The Guildhall in Leicester with tales of "Leicester in The Dark".
The University of Leicester held a storytelling course of 6 evening sessions running from 16th January until 20th February organised by Andy Barrett.
The Kenton Branch of the National Women's Register held an evening of storytelling during National Storytelling Week.
Wednesday 6th February - Seeds of Wisdom and Grains of Truth at the Millstone Hotel, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. Tales from the bar, the corner seat and the floor with Chris Bostock. 8.00pm
Thursday 7th February: Cracking On. A storysharing session hosted by Pat Renton, 13, Mayorswell Close, Durham. 7.30 PM
Friday 8th February:A Sure Start and a Happy End! at the Millennium Centre Washington. A celebration of stories requested by parents and carers for them and 120 children under 5, with Chris Bostock. 1.30 PM
Plus ‘A Bit Crack’ met as usual on the first Friday of the month at The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Saturday 9th February: Tales of Beauty and Transformation at The Laing Art Gallery, linking in with their current exhibition "Life is Beautiful" 10.00am - 4.00pm
Saturday 16th February: To celebrate National Storytelling Week with tales to thrill, chill, cheer and charm: A Bit Crack - North East Storytellers in conjunction with The Centre for The Children's Book presented ‘Hears About Tales’ at the Gulbenkian Studio Theatre. A listening feast of Traveller's, Tyneside and Twilight lore told by Malcolm Green and Chris Bostock with guest appearances from local musicians including Alisdair Anderson.
11.00am -12.30pm: ‘Stories of Adventure and Change from around the World.’ For listeners under 7 and their friends
2.00pm - 3:30pm: ‘Water 'bout more tales: Folk Tales from the Tyne and the brine’. For listener's under 12 and their friends
6:30-8:30pm: ‘Good Day? Good Night!: Stories of bright days and dark nights’. For listeners of all ages
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