St. John’s 2025 Canada Games Storytelling Rooms Event
Title: Game On, B’y!
Description:
Join us for an unforgettable evening of wit, warmth, and classic Newfoundland storytelling at Game On, B’y!
Hosted by beloved raconteur Dave Paddon and featuring acclaimed storytellers Christine Hennebury, Gary Green, Dennis Flynn and Dave Penny, this special event celebrates the spirit of play that runs deep through the island’s culture. From fishing dories to kitchen table card games, from backyard competitions to legendary sporting moments, you’ll hear stories that capture the humour, heart, and heritage of Newfoundland’s game – just in time for the St. John’s 2025 Canada Games.
Date & Venue:
August 22, 2025 at 7pm · The Rooms · St. John’s, NL
Meet your Performers!
Dave Paddon is a retired airline pilot originally from Northwest River, Labrador. He grew up listening to the songs and stories of the trappers and attending many a late night “session” around many a kitchen table.
In 1986 he married a Gander girl, and subsequently became immersed in island culture. As a result he accumulated a store of material which suddenly bubbled to the surface when he and Kim returned to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2005 after 20 years upalong.
He wrote his first recitation in 2007 and has now written 30. Five of these have been published in handmade chapbooks and his work is available on two CDs or through electronic download.
His recitation “Ralph: Flying Hound” was recently released as an illustrated children’s book and was quickly followed by “Half the lies you tell are not true!”, a collection of 13 of his funniest recitations. Dave lives in St. John’s, and is a regular at festivals and fundraisers throughout the province.
Gary Green is a storyteller and author who has performed both inside and outside the province for a variety of groups ranging from youth camps to international conferences. Among the groups for which he has performed are the Gros Morne Fall Fest, Cape St. Mary’s Performance Series, Battle Harbour Historic Trust, Canadian National Storytelling Conference, Admiralty House Museum, Labrador Creative Arts Festival, St. John’s Folk Festival and Trails, Tales and Tunes. Gary has performed on television as part of the series “Legends and Lore of the North Atlantic” and on several radio stations. He has performed in the international award winning productions “Inside Outside Battery” and “Foghorns and Heartbreak”.
Gary has been a consultant for the use of storytelling in the interpretation of the Battle Harbour National Historic Site, the Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site and is very active in developing and delivering a story-based interpretation of The Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club National Historic Site. He has been a board member of the St. John’s Storytelling Festival, and a founding board member of the Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation. Gary teaches storytelling at the annual Vinland Music Camp.
Christine Hennebury’s storytelling career began at age 4 when tried to convince her parents that the couch was wet because water had mysteriously shot out of her nose and drenched it. Since she was holding an empty bubble jar at the time, her parents were – to say the least – unconvinced.
In the intervening time, she has gotten a lot of practice writing and telling stories so her skills have improved dramatically. She has also gotten much better at holding bubble jars upright but is still inclined to blow bubbles in the house!
She is a storyteller, writer, and maker-up-of-things who loves to help other people explore their creativity in classes and in coaching sessions. In addition to doing creative work, She is the founder of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl, the President of Storytellers of Canada- Conteurs du Canada, a former President of the St. John’s Storytelling Festival, and a 4th Degree Black Belt in ITF Taekwondo.
Dennis Flynn is a freelance writer/photographer and a storyteller from Colliers, Conception Bay, Newfoundland Labrador, Canada. He is the author of two books and over 250 published articles.
In 2003 Dennis received a National Writing Award of Excellence from the Canadian Community Newspapers Association and in 2021 Dennis won a Provincial Arts and Letters Award for Visual Art. His photographs and articles have featured in various books, magazines, newspapers, websites, and other publications. As well his images have been selected for numerous art shows, exhibitions, museums, and cultural tourism displays.
Dave Penny has established himself as a Newfoundland and Labrador comic songwriter/storyteller, which over the past 25 years has brought him around the province as well as parts of Ontario, PEI and New England. He chronicles current events, or makes up stories loosely based on personal experiences or news articles using his unique brand of clever satire. Whether the issue is localized to Newfoundland and Labrador, such as a state of emergency following a record snowfall, or a more global issue such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave ties them with humorous narrative and catchy melodies.
His 2017 release, All Turned Around, was nominated for a MusicNL and a Canadian Folk Music award for Traditional Artist of the Year. In October 2020, Dave released Chip Wagon Ahead, another album of original songs, which has been nominated for a MusicNL award for Celtic/Traditional Artist of the Year.
