Storytelling is an ancient art, which, for all our modern sophistication, we seem to be rediscovering.  The magic of storytelling is that with no technical wizardry and only a minimum of props, a single voice can draw an audience into another world, which each listener experienes in their own imagination. The storyteller's art, and the fun of it, is to bring the story alive with each new telling. 

People often ask what kind of stories I tell.  I wish there was a straightforward answer to that, but the truth is, stories choose you as much as you choose them.  Some of them just suit you, the way a coat suits you, and some you can just enjoy for a time and pass on.  Mostly I tell traditional stories, be they myths, folk tales or fairy stories, but in my own words.  The stories that grab me come from many different countries and cultures, although I seem to have a particular affinity for tales from the North West Atlantic Coast.  Grandmother Spider and Raven called me out to visit Vancouver Island, and islands west of that, only to send me home with a Norfolk folktale, the Peddlar of Swaffham, where a man finds treasure in his own back garden.  The mythology of England is a ragbag of scraps and fragments, just as much of our land is broken up and degraded, so I can’t help but envy those indigenous peoples who have an unbroken tradition of creation stories, within which the spirit of the land is so much alive.  I live in hope that our land can rediscover its songs and stories, and with them its spirit.  While we are seeking them, I think it’s fine to gain inspiration from other cultures.

(Photo: The Raven and the first men -carved in yellow cedar by Bill Reid)

Stories for children

I love to tell stories to children, and have done so in schools, museums, galleries, theatres, tents, gardens, woods, hospitals and libraries all over Oxfordshire.  I include lots of music and opportunities to join in.  Recent themes have included: Seasons, Rain Forest, Trees, Rivers, Houses & Homes.

In 2004 I accepted a commission from Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum to create and tell a story that linked the two museum collections through a scientific theme. I spent many happy hours pottering about the museums, and made a story that linked spirit (‘kachina’) dolls from the indigenous people of the central American plains with the plight of whales distressed by underwater sonar.  Thus ‘Michael Mouse and the Whale’ was born.

For the last three years, I have told stories for the Barracks Lane Community Garden lantern procession on bonfire night.

(Photo: Zoe Bicat’s wonderful lantern creation)

Stories for Adults

Adults too deserve good stories; the ones that remind us of our humanity, connect us to the rhythm of the turning seasons, teach us quirky wisdoms, make us laugh and cry.

My current project is Marigolds and Ashes, a piece performed with Liz Rothschild.  Inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead, it is an exploration of death and remembrance, through storytelling, poetry and music.  Created in 2006, the piece has been performed a number of times including as part of the Oxford International Women’s Festival, and at Ruskin Mill, Stroud.

‘by turns sad, edifying and even funny. It brought the audience into a very reflective, heartfelt space.” Polly McClean (see full review)

Review of Marigolds and Ashes by Polly McClean