BRISTOL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL 2011
A week-long series of events to celebrate, enjoy and promote stories and storytelling in Bristol. It is being held during National Storytelling Week from January 29 to February 6, 2011.
“Storytelling is a natural human instinct and one of the oldest art forms. Storytelling uses the power of the spoken word to take listeners on a journey of the imagination,” says The Society for Storytelling.
During Bristol Storytelling Festival a varied selection of professional storytellers will provide spellbinding performances across the city for children, families and adult audiences to experience and enjoy the magic of storytelling. There will also be opportunities during the week for people to get involved and tell stories themselves.
Last year over 1,200 people attended the storytelling events during the Festival. This year, the 5th Bristol Storytelling Festival, promises even more – with new storytellers, specially commissioned events and exciting new venues to build on the successes of previous years.
Evening public events are in preparation, including the first ever Storytelling Bus Tour in collaboration with City Sightseeing Bristol. Bristol Storytelling Festival will also be providing storytelling in schools, libraries, care homes and hospitals throughout the week.
Martin Maudsley, Director of Bristol Storytelling Festival says: “Storytelling, like ‘real ale’ and ‘slow food’, is experiencing a real resurgence in popularity. It’s real entertainment that tells a story in its simplest form and allows listeners to use their own imaginations. A good story, well told can either keep you on the edge of your seat or make you sit back in your chair and drift into another world. The experience of listening to live storytelling can be engaging, entertaining and profound – exercising the mind and touching the heart. We hope to make storytelling accessible and inviting to people of ages and backgrounds in Bristol, especially those that have never heard stories told by professional storytellers before. By the end of the week we want the whole city to be buzzing with the sound of stories.”
Selected events during the 2011 Bristol Storytelling Festival:
• We begin on Saturday 29th January with a specially commissioned performance of The Mermaid and the Selkie by Milly Jackson’s Magical Lanternarium – story, music and beautiful visuals for family audiences.
• The Saturday evening continues in spooky fashion with ghostly tales and chilling music in Tales from the Crypt at St John-in-the-Wall church.
• On Wednesday 3rd February Festival Director Martin Maudsley and Jane Flood premier a new show of bright stories for long dark nights called Northern Lights.
• There will also be the legendary annual Bristol Story Slam on Thurs 3rd February – an opportunity for anyone to tell a story and compete for the 2011 Golden Yarn Spinner Award.
• On Friday 4th February Michael Loader, Sarah Mooney and Martin Solomon unveil their sparkling music and storytelling show: Gypsy Tales.
• Following last year’s huge success we are once again running a Storytelling half-marathon – a unique event in the UK comprising 13 hours of continuous storytelling in different spaces around the Bristol Old Vic theatre on Saturday 5th February.
• Finally the Festival ends with a bang on Sunday 6th February as internationally acclaimed storyteller Michael Harvey brings a new show Re:verb to the Tobacco Factory’s Brewery Theatre. This event will be the launch of a new monthly series of storytelling at the Brewery.
Full programme and updated details will be posted on the festival website www.bristolstoryfest.co.uk
