Storytelling at The Old Queen's Head

It was to my delight that I discovered a regular monthly storytelling meet, taking place in my own city. On the last monday of the month there is a small gathering in the upstairs room of the Old Queen's Head, by Sheffield bus station from 8 onwards.

From a personal point of view the Old Queen's Head meeting is a great place to try new things out in a friendly enviroment, and a rich field from which to gather new material. The highlight for me, so far, has been a rather sinister tale about a doll's house, a story that I hope to add to my repetoire.

If you're interested then pop along, or e-mail me and I'll furnish you with further details. The group is diverse and meets for the shared love of craft, everyone who wants to tell can, and those who are simply there to listen are very welcome as well. I look forward to seeing you there.

Could you be Young Storyteller of the Year?

The Young Storyteller of the Year Event takes place from 10.30 to 5 on Saturday 8th March at the Library Theatre Birmingham.

There are two age categories, but the 15-18 age range is now FULL (though a waiting list exists). Space remains for 18-25 year olds, but please, if you are wondering about entering, take the bull by the horns and contact us SOON!

Here's the advice of last year's winner, Rachel Rose Reid: "If you are thinking of entering, I would like to encourage you to dive in. Sometimes life is too short to be shy!"

Contact us through Young Storyteller of the Year 2008, or phone Fiona on 01490 430 551

National Storytelling Week

National Storytelling Week is nearly upon us! Running from 26 January to 2 February, it certainly seems like a pretty exciting time.

I'll be performing on 2 February at the newly opened Where land and sea meet exhibition in North Somerset Museum, and I'm aiming to get a couple of Greek Myths up at The Room Behind the Bookcase during the week.

Why not leave us a comment with your plans for this up coming frenzy of telling?

In which Tim introduces a new project

I am new to storytelling.

Oh sure, I’m not entirely shrink-wrapped and shiny, nor wet behind the ears. But I’d be naïve not to realise that I’ve got a lot to learn, and that I need to hone my skills, expand my repertoire and work to build repute and credibility as an artist.

In 2007 I was commended at the Young Storyteller Competition. As a direct result of that I was invited to perform at the Festival at the Edge, and Beyond the Border, both very exciting (not to mention enormously useful,) opportunities. I’m delighted to be back at the Young Storyteller Competition as an MC this year, to partake in the grand event that will hopefully boost the confidence, bolster the resolve and bring attention to another year’s worth of young people trying to find their way in storytelling.

But I digress. 2007 brought some wonderful opportunities and challenges, and in each of them an opportunity to grow as a storyteller. In 2008 I wanted to go even further, to really push what I could do as a performer.

What I needed was some endeavour, something bigger and more challenging than anything I’ve undertaken before, something that I could focus on which would (and will) push me in new directions, and hopefully result in a tangible and brilliant piece of storytelling.

The project? To put together an adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the 14th century manuscript of mysterious origin.

The idea is pretty simple. Multi-instrumentalist Ashley Tuck and I will produce and perform an hour long show, with the story supported by song, extracts in Middle English, music and sound-scapes. We’ll kick off in Sheffield, and then take the piece on tour for the rest of 2008. Hopefully what we lack in experience we can make up for in enthusiasm. If not, then we’re in real trouble.

And because I work best with a clear deadline, the debut performance is already on the cards. The first of May, (Beltaine,) at the Showroom in Sheffield. I hope to see you there.

I’ve got a few other gigs between now and then, and I’ll post about them here, as well as a few other projects I’m working on. I’ll also use this as something of a design diary for the Sir Gawain piece, where I’ll explore the choices we take, the changes we make, and the mistakes we learn from as we go.

YSOY 2008

For a quick overview of the Young Storyteller of the Year 2008, click here

Young Tongues Newsletter

Preparations are well underway for Young Storyteller of the Year 2008, as is evidenced in the spring newsletter, which also features some familiar faces. Enjoy!