Workshops and Talks
Monday, 6 February 2023
18:30 – 20:00
Workshop: Build Your Own Story with Giles Abbott
Adults (+16) – Blind and Visually Impaired people are encouraged to join, everyone welcome!
Join us for the inauguration workshop of the festival!
Have you ever wished to be a better storyteller? You can be. Have you ever wished to be more dynamic, engaging, charismatic? You are. The secrets to your own best and most expressive self can be explored in this fun, interactive workshop where you will learn how to:
• Find The Story – even in material which isn’t a story
• Shape the Story – how to edit, sharpen, prepare a story
• Share the Story – how to engage and reward an audience’s attention
Giles Abbott became a storyteller in 2000 after sudden and serious, but no total, sight loss in 1998. Now registered blind, this literature graduate who could no longer read plunged into the world of traditional storytelling.
Tuesday, 7 February 2023
18:00-19:30
Workshop: Build your Crankie Theatre Part 1 with Bronia Evers
Adults (+16)
Back by popular demand!
Join Bronia Evers in this digital workshop, where you will learn how to make your own ‘crankie’ theatre (moving panoramas – a pre-cinematic form of moving image) in two sessions (part 2 on Wednesday 8 Feb 18:00 – 19:30). Sign up open until 3 February.
To join this session you will need to gather the materials from this list:
- 1 Cook’s Matchbox. Dimensions: 12cmx6.6cmx2.5cm.
- Some thin scrap cardboard (eg old cereal box).
- At least 2 sheets of thin plain white A4 paper (printer paper is ideal).
- A pencil for drawing with.
- Two extra pencils that will become your crankie rods OR 2 disposable wooden chopsticks.
- Scissors.
- Craft knife.
- A ruler (a metal ruler is ideal but any ruler will be ok).
- Masking tape (please do use masking tape if you can, not sellotape. Masking tape will work much better!)
- Cutting board (or use an old breadboard or a thick piece of scrap cardboard).
- Strong glue eg. UHU/Bostik or a strong white PVA-type glue.
- Pritstick/glue stick.
- Art materials of your choice to decorate your crankie. You don’t need lots of materials, but at least one of the following will be useful: colour pencils, black fine line pen, felt tip pens, crayons, watercolour or gouache paints.
- Optional extras: coloured paper, collage materials, sequins.
Once you have signed up you will receive an invitation to collect a template at your nearest local library between 1 – 6 February 2023. You will need this template to build your crankie during the workshop.
Bronia Evers is a storyteller, designer, maker and puppeteer. Her practice combines spoken word storytelling with hand-crafted performing objects, sets and puppets. Her current work focuses on creating moving panoramas – a pre-cinematic form of moving image (also known as crankies), and embedding these in live and digital performances.
Wednesday, 8 February 2023
18:00-19:30
Workshop: Build your Crankie Theatre Part 2 with Bronia Evers
Adults (16+)
This session is only available for people who have signed up before 3 February 2023 and have attended the part 1 session on 7 February. Participants will be finishing their crankie theatres.
Saturday, 11 February
16:30-17:30
Talk & Live Storytelling: The Importance of Folk Tales with Tom the Tale Teller
Adults (16+)
An hour full of discussion on the importance of folktales, stories and storytelling with a generous splattering of stories thrown in for good measure. This is an ideal introduction to storytelling for adults.
Tom ‘the Tale Teller’ Phillips began telling his tales to his class on a Friday afternoon before venturing into grown-up storytelling. That was nearly 15 years ago. In this time, Tom has told stories across the land at storytelling clubs, in schools, at festivals big and small, other social clubs (his favourite being a wine and beer club), and literature festivals such as Bradford and Cheltenham. Tom has always loved stories, from his Dad telling him Brer Rabbit stories at bedtime to telling his own children stories around the fire in the garden, stories and storytelling run through his veins.
