Bios 2013
Storytellers, Hosts and Musicians
Jan Blake
Jan Blake was born in Manchester of Jamaican parentage. She has an international reputation for dynamic, witty, exciting storytelling. Specialising in stories from Africa and the Caribbean, Jan is currently one of Europe's leading female storytellers. She has featured at all the major storytelling festivals in England, and runs storytelling workshops, teaches, and performs throughout Europe. Jan has worked as artist-in- residence at various theatres throughout Britain, and in doing so, has developed close links with theatres, such as The Southbank Centre, The Royal National Theatre, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The National Concert Hall of Ireland, The Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Battersea Arts Centre, and The Unicorn Theatre for Children. She is committed to passing on skills that can help storytellers develop their expertise. Jan works with a range of audiences, in a range of venues – from schools to the corporate boardrooms – performing, teaching, and training. She designs storytelling and visual arts programmes for delivery in schools and the community, and is a storytelling consultant at the National Theatre. Jan is currently involved in a four-year global Educational Storytelling project, The Storytellers' Olympiad, with The Company of Common Sense.
Chris Brookes
Chris Brookes tells stories with his voice, his keyboard or with his microphone. With a microphone, he is an award-winning independent radio producer whose documentaries have been broadcast around the world. With his keyboard he is a published author and playwright. With his voice, he tells traditional Newfoundland stories and recitations and (regrettably) sometimes sings a little. He seems to be obsessed with narrative, which makes him keep telling stories in one form or another with hopes of one day getting them right.
Allan Byrne
Allan Byrne has been playing music around Newfoundland for many years. Allan’s live performance showcases a smattering of all the music he has heard, delivered amidst his own unique, tasteful, and tempered guitar playing. The result is an eclectic set that weaves from Bob Dylan to Archie Fisher. Born into a family of music makers, his roots lie in resettled Placentia Bay and his repertoire is heavily influenced by the folk music he grew up with. Allan, along with his brother Matthew, give a fresh voice to traditional unaccompanied ballads.
Aaron Collis and Emilia Bartellas
Aaron Collis (button accordion) and Emilia Bartellas (fiddle) have quickly gained a reputation as two of Newfoundland’s finest young musicians, performing dance tunes from the province’s rich musical tradition in a tight, dynamic playing style. As members of local trad band, The Dardanelles, Aaron and Emilia have performed Newfoundland music on stages across Canada, the US, and as far afield as Scotland and Australia.
Charis Cotter
Charis Cotter is a children's writer, actor and storyteller who lives in Western Bay, Newfoundland. Many of her books and stories have ghosts walking in and out of them. She has toured Canada from coast to coast with her lively school presentations, accompanied by her alter egos: Queen Elizabeth II and the Scottish Silky Ghost. In 2013 she published a The Ghosts of Baccalieu, a book of drawings and traditional ghost stories she created with the students of Tricon Elementary in Bay de Verde. Her novel, The Swallow: A Ghost Story, will be published in 2014 by Tundra Books. (website)
Elizabeth Croft
Mrs. Lizzie is from Aquaforte and was 79 years old before she wrote any poetry at all. She now has many poems under her belt and has a great love of the written word. She recently wrote a letter to the Downhome magazine to tell of how thrilled she was to receive a hand written note from her grandson who was away at school. I guess he has received some of her genes.
Paul Dean
Paul Dean is a North Harbour, Placentia Bay native who grew up surrounded by good yarns. His keen memory and love of Newfoundland’s oral tradition have allowed him to retain many of the old stories and create a few of his own. His written works have appeared in The Newfoundland Quarterly and the March Hare Anthology. He has been telling foolish stories to friends for fifty years, and has appeared at more formal story telling venues around St. John’s, Cape Random site, New Bonaventure and Corner Brook. He shared first place in the prestigious Tall Tale Story Competition at the Masonic Temple in 2007. He is a great step dancer and a good hand at catching sheep.
Ford Elms Originally from the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, Ford Elms is an accomplished storyteller and set dancer. His recitations of anything from Roald Dahl to Rudyard Kipling are always a favourite part of folk club open mic. He has told Newfoundland stories locally and internationally.
Mary Fearon
Mary Fearon has been performing professionally since 1997. During that time, she has performed at a variety of festivals, schools and other events both in Newfoundland & Labrador and Australia. She has run storytelling workshops over the past 8 years for teachers, early childhood educators, professionals working with families and the general public. She is an active member of the St. John's Storytelling Circle, a member of Storytellers of Canada and is past president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. She has a particular interest in traditional Newfoundland material and was inspired a few years ago to co-develop the book "Over The Big Fat Waves; A Collection Of Newfoundland & Labrador Rhymes, Songs and Language Games.
Jennifer Ferris
Victoria storyteller, Jennifer Ferris, has told stories for 15 years in schools, at community events, and festivals. Her interest and connection to the history of Vancouver Island has provided many storytelling opportunities. In addition to her own stories, she also entertains audiences with stories of myths, magic, and transformation from around the world. She gives workshops to adults and children, and is very interested in promoting storytelling in the family.
Hubert Furey
Originally from Harbour Main, Hubert Furey has spent his life in Newfoundland and Labrador. Growing up in a time when many communities were reached only by boat, isolation and the unique culture of life in the outports gave Hubert much inspiration and material from which to create his memorable tales. He has been writing humourous tales since he was a teenager; and has recently published “Tall Tales and Other Stories in Verse".
Gary Green
Gary Green has been telling stories for a number of years. He has told tales of the sea and local history to passengers aboard the schooner J&B, a tour boat operating mainly out of St. John’s, NL and briefly out of Halifax, NS. Gary has performed at the Cape St. Mary’s Festival and on television as part of the series Legends and Lore of the North Atlantic. He has presented to groups of children and seniors and is a valued contributor to the St. John’s Storytelling Circle.
Jean Hewson and Christina Smith
For the past 28 years, Jean Hewson and Christina Smith have been ambassadors of Newfoundland culture, bringing the music and songs of their Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador to festival, concert and folk club audiences in North America and Europe. They are the recipients of the Ernie King Tradition Bearer award from the Celtic Roots Festival, Goderich, Ontario. Their music has been broadcast nationally by the Canadian Broadcasting Coorporation, and their CDS Like Ducks! and August Gale (Borealis) have received multiple nominations and awards.
Christine Hennebury
Christine Hennebury is a Mount Pearl-based writer, actor and storyteller, with a background in mystery dinner theatre. She is the founder and Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl. Christine’s stories, monologues and storytelling tend to feature avenging deities, murderers and seekers of revenge but she swears she is quite a peaceful person by nature. She gets a lot of practice telling stories to her sons, who have an alarming knowledge of vengeful goddesses as a result. She is a lively host for events of all sizes, drawing on a friendly and quirky sense of humour to engage the audience and help them feel part of the performance.
Stella Mair Evans
Born in Wales, Stella has been living in Newfoundland for the past 28 years. She has told at festivals, workshops, schools, libraries, and retreats in Newfoundland, Wales, England, Ireland, and the USA. She has been telling stories her entire life and when leading retreats she encourages people to tell their own stories, and through that, recognize their own strengths and move towards hope and peace. Stella believes that stories are powerful in the process of healing and can aid in cross cultural understanding, and the building of community. A regular teller at St. John's Storytelling Circle, Stella legends and folktales from many countries and cultures, especially from Wales and China, creation stories, and her own stories and poems.
Caitriona Ní Chonaola
Caitriona Ní Chonaola is an Actor, Writer, Traditional Singer/Songwriter and Storyteller from Galway, Ireland. She grew up in the Conamara Gaeltacht where her first language was Irish Gaelic. She has won many awards and accolades including Best Actress, Best Newcomer to Playwriting, Best traditional song composition at the Pan Celtic Festival and prizes for storytelling at Oireachtas na Gaeilge in her homeland. (All Ireland Irish Gaelic Competitions). She has received artistic bursaries for comedic writing and acting and enjoys the fun and challenge of other Spoken Word genres: agallamh beirte / luibini (duologues / loop songs). Because of her theatrical background, Caitriona is a very physical teller and she particularly enjoys the telling of Irish celtic fairytales and folktales for children. She is currently the Irish Language Instructor at Memorial University, St. John's.
Ellen Power
Now 19, Ellen Power has been singing all her life. She has performed at the Burin Folk Festival and at this festival several times over the last ten years. She has also performed at the March Hare. Ellen is a regular participant in the NLFAC Young Folk At the Hall workshops. She is also a member of the chamber and treble choirs at her school, St. Bonaventure's College. Ellen's dad, Pius Power Jr., and her grandfather, Pius Power Sr., were well-known traditional singers from Placentia Bay. She hopes that someday she will pass on her songs to her children and grandchildren.
Kelly Russell
A professional musician since 1975, Kelly has been a member of landmark groups Figgy Duff, The Wonderful Grand Band, The Plankerdown Band, Bristol's Hope, Kelly Russell & The Planks and The Irish Descendants. Working closely for many years with legendary fiddlers Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit, learning, recording and documenting their unique music, Kelly has inherited genuine status as one of Newfoundland's leading traditional music performers, appearing extensively on countless national and international stages.
Kelly performs his solo show Tunes & Tales of Newfoundland Monday evenings during summer at The Crow's Nest, St. John's, featuring music and the classic Tales of Pigeon Inlet by his Dad, Ted Russell. Kelly is the first ever recipient of the Tradition Bearer designation from the Department of Tourism's Historic Commemorations Program and in 2013 was awarded The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Order of Canada.
Robert Seven Crows
Robert Seven-Crows was born in Lachine, Quebec, departure site of the great Voyageur canoes. His childhood was shared between Gaspé and Lachine. He is a musician, singer/songwriter, and award-winning storyteller, and has participated in festivals in Quebec, Canada, Europe, Lebanon, England, the USA, Africa and New Caledonia. He was the host of Solstice 2003, a musical and storytelling event on APTN and CBC television, and of the "11th International Literature Festival" at the Loin d’Or in Montreal. Since 2006 he has toured as storyteller and singer in Gaetan Gingras’ First Nations contemporary dance pieces, "Manitowapan" and "Stories my father told me." He has also performed with the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra, and recorded CDs of traditional music. Robert has worked as a traditional resource person with First Nations men in the Canadian and Quebec prison systems. For many years the Kumik Elders Lodge, of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, has asked Robert to be present as an elder. With his partner, Joan Pawnee, he has worked with youth in social reinsertion, for France's Ministry of Youth, Sports and Voluntary Associations.
Catherine Wright
Catherine Wright is an interdisciplinary artist who has been active in the St John's community for over twenty years as a performer, arts advocate and enthusiastic arts educator. She has presented independent and collaborative works at many events and venues, for a range of audiences from preschoolers to seniors. Her performances often interweave storytelling, movement/dance, music/song, exploring a range of themes often autobiographical.
2013 Festival Schedule