Storytelling For Performance

Storytelling For Performance | Wed 15 Jan-26 Mar | 6.30-9.30pm | £195 (10 wks) | 14 + yrs | Tutor Nick Hennessey & Emily Hennessey | Warehouse

If the start date for this event has passed, bookings may still be available. Please contact our box office at 01539 725133 to inquire about availability. Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates on future courses!

This course delves into the rich treasure trove of folktale, fairytale, myth and epic from across the world as material for spoken word performance. Through practical exercises, we’ll explore the principles of storytelling, develop performance skills and build confidence.

What will the class cover and how will it be taught?

Across the course we’ll follow the ‘Ladder to the Moon’ from folktales to mythology, building a repertoire of different stories along the way.

We will:

• Explore the principles of performance storytelling: Body, Language and Voice.
• Look at different styes of performance, from a casual ‘fireside’ telling to an embodied physical approach on a stage.
• Use practical exercises to develop skills in improvisation, holding the listener’s attention, keeping a story fresh and alive, and the process of visualisation.
• Look at narrative structure, language and learn tools for remembering the story.
• Explore characterisation through voice and gesture, and look at movement across a space.
• Use different tools, from writing and drawing, to swinging a stick!
• Each week will involve a different focus, gradually building a repertoire of stories to take away, and culminating in a sharing of performances at the end of the course.

Who is it suitable for?

This course is suitable for anyone interested in having a go at telling traditional stories without a text or script.

Aimed at complete beginners and those looking to develop their skills.

Important Information:

The focus of this course is on the oral traditional rather than story writing. We will all work on traditional stories, although there may be space towards the end of the course for participants to bring in their own stories.

Added important info – There are no sessions during the week beginning 17 February (half term)

What do I need to bring?

Comfortable, loose clothing to move in. Notepad and pen.

Are there any additional costs? No, although attending local storytelling events is recommended.

About the tutor

Emily Hennessey is a dynamic, internationally renowned professional performance storyteller often found wielding a stick and stamping her feet as she embraces epics, myths, wondertales and folktales from across the world. Recent performances include British Museum, Soho Theatre, tours with British Council India, and international storytelling festivals. Emily is also a founding member of the Pandvani108 ensemble. www.emilyhennessey.co.uk

Nick Hennessey is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, singer, songwriter and musician. Inspired by North European cultural traditions he has been awarded high honours in Finland for his work on their National Epic, Kalevala. The relationship between story and place lies at the back of his creative work having grown up in Alderley Edge, an ordinary and extraordinary place in itself, deeply embedded in the myth of the Sleeping King. He is a sought after artistic collaborator, working with top of the field musicians and storytellers. He has broadcast documentaries for BBC Radio 4, the World Service and his musical work has featured on BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction.

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