World by the Tale

Everywhere and Nowhere: Folk Tales hosted by Jim Payne

On August 26th, join the St. John’s Storytelling Festival for an evening of Folk Tales from home and abroad!

Folk tales are in some ways immortal; they are told over and over again, passing from person to person across generations. Their characters travel with their storytellers, across mountains and oceans, adapting as they migrate. They celebrate resourcefulness, contain valuable lessons, and are often seasoned with a sprinkle of the supernatural. Trolls and fairies get tangled up with clever and resourceful humans, unassuming folks accidentally entreat with the Devil, and you may even get ensnared in the schemes of Newfoundland’s infamous and quick-witted Jack!

Magnificent local storytellers Sharon King-Campbell, Catherine Wright, and host Jim Payne are joined by celebrated Canadian storyteller Anne Glover and renowned international performer Jan Blake for an evening that is guaranteed to captivate and delight audiences from all over!

TIME:

7:30pm NL (3:00pm PST, 6:00pm EST, 11:00pm UK)  

EVENT DETAILS:

This is a free, private event that will be hosted live on Zoom. Please sign up for our mailing list (if you have not done so already) and the link for registration will be sent out TUESDAY, AUGUST 25th at 6:00pm NL time (1:30pm PST, 4:30pm EST, 9:30m UK)

Join the mailing list: https://www.storytellingstjohns.ca/contact/

ACCESSIBILITY:

This event will be closed captioned

ABOUT THE TELLERS

As one of the world’s leading storytellers, Jan Blake has been performing worldwide for over twenty-five years. Specialising in stories from Africa, the Caribbean, and Arabia, she has a well-earned reputation for dynamic and generous storytelling. Recent highlights include Hay Festival, where she was storyteller in-residence, the Viljandi Harvest Festival in Estonia and TEDx Warsaw. As well as performing at all the major storytelling festivals both nationally and internationally, she works regularly with the British Council, leads storytelling workshops for emerging storytellers, and gives masterclasses for teachers, brands, and businesses. She also regularly captivates school children with mesmerising stories. In 2011, she was the recipient of the biannual Thüringer Märchen Preis, awarded to scholars or performers who have devoted their lives to the service of storytelling. As part of the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012, she was the curator for Shakespeare’s Stories, a landmark exhibition that explored themes of journey and identity, in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. In 2013, The Old Woman, The Buffalo, and The Lion of Manding created and performed with musicians Kouame and Raymond Sereba toured to acclaim winning a British Awards for Storytelling Excellence (BASE).

Anne Glover has made her living as a performer for most of her adult life. From Tofino to Tokyo, Hamilton to Honolulu, she enthralls audiences of all ages with her unique storytelling style and her unforgettable string figures. Anne returns to performing after stepping aside for 4 years to work as a full-time classroom teacher.

String figures are always a component of Anne’s show. They add a visual, low-tech dimension which is appealing to all ages and all “listening” styles. Anne learned a few basic string figures as a child, but it wasn’t until her late teens that she realized there are string figures all over the world, and they have been an important part of many indigenous cultures for thousands of years. Anne has observed the power of string figures to teach, create community, improve reading, inspire all ages and on occasion drive teachers and parents crazy.

In addition to entertaining in schools, theatres, festivals and folk clubs, Anne leads workshops and speaks at educational and parenting conferences. She has been a mentor to several teachers on the art of integrating storytelling across the curriculum.

  Jim Payne is an award winning performer, collector and producer of traditional Newfoundland music, as well one of the province’s most prolific songwriters. He owns and operates SingSong Inc., the largest traditional music record label in Atlantic Canada, and teaches courses in traditional Newfoundland music at Memorial University’s School of Music. He has toured throughout North America, the US, Europe, Japan and Australia. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and stepdancer, who teaches traditional Newfoundland folk dance, a storyteller, actor and writer who has contributed to some of the most popular theatre productions from this province over the past four decades. As a songwriter, he is widely known for his moving and anthemic portrayals of life in this province, his willingness to write and sing about difficult and controversial issues, and his ability to compose humourous ditties directed at powerful people and institutions. Jim is a recipient of ArtsNL Awards for Outstanding Cultural Achievement, and Arts in Education, and is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2016, he was inducted into Arts NL’s Hall of Honour, and in 2017 he was awarded the East Coast Music Association’s Stompin’ Tom Connors Award for outstanding contributions to the cultural fabric of Eastern Canada.   Sharon King-Campbell is a storyteller, theatre maker and writer based in St. John’s. She has told across Newfoundland, in Ontario and BC, and in Wellington, NZ. This is her fifth appearance at the St. John’s Storytelling Festival. Her solo storytelling/theatre-hybrid show, Original (PerSIStence Theatre/skc originals), premiered in 2018 and managed a little tour of Newfoundland, Ontario & Quebec earlier this year in what she now fondly thinks of as “The Before Times”. She is delighted to be performing it again and next month on the lawn at Government House. More information is available at sharonkingcampbell.com.   Catherine Wright grew up in Newfoundland in a creative family where self expression was encouraged. From an early age, she made up stories with her teddies, toys, rocks or anything that was to hand. Catherine continues to embrace playfulness, creative exploration and discovery in her roles as mother, arts educator, multidisciplinary performer, creator of silk works. Her telling of folk and fairy tales, personal stories and original tales are often interwoven with movement and song. Catherine has presented at many venues and events for audiences from preschoolers to seniors. She is currently President of St John’s Storytelling Festival Inc and provincial representative for Storytellers of Canada (SC-CC).