Storytelling is perhaps the oldest existing performance art. You basically sit or stand as you tell a story before a large or small group (at least one person - otherwise you come off as quite insane). Some have instruments, some don’t. Some sing, some don’t. Some tell to kids, I don’t. Many storytellers have a respectable repertoire for kids, but not me. I’m quite kid unfriendly. There’s no smutty content in (most of) my stories, but there is definitely death, mayhem and jokes children would think are terribly mean. I’d hate for children to think I’m mean.
I do have one story for kids (yes, a single story). It’s about a pirate and the punch-line involves seagull pooh (classy, I know). It’s two minutes long. When I told it to my three-and-a-half-year-old nephew, he smiled indulgently, bless his little heart.
What I do tell are original stories (some that have been published), and I also love telling adaptations of myths and legends. I've turned some of my stories into podcasts.
Check out my winning Once Upon A Slam entry: A Betrayal by Underwear (I tell the hard stories.)
I also have video from my Iceborn 2009 set: A Facebook Fairy Tale.
I'm also part of a wicked group of performers, the Kymeras, featuring storyteller Ruthanne Edward, poet Kathryn Hunt and spoken word artist Sean Zio. Check out our official website!
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| Ottawa Storytelling Festival 2010 |
