This is how Bendigo Festival introduced storytelling to the
public...
11am-4.30pm Each Day...
The StoryTelling Tree
The greatest array of local and Melbourne-based
professional storytellers, transform the Maple Garden into an
entertaining space of theatre and imagination.
Narelle Stone
Narelle delights in engaging and entertaining people of
all ages with stories incorporating puppets, props and costumes into
her quirky tales.
Matteo
Using live music a few clowning tricks with some mime
and humour. Matteo's storytelling style is highly interactive,
funny, a bit tricky, a bit scary and usually surprising. Adults
find themselves engaged laughing as much at the stories as
at the children's responses to them
Anne E. Stewart
Honouring Indigenous, Celtic, Asian and World stories, Anne is
a versatile performer with the energy and voice to engage any audience. An
acclaimed storyteller with an international reputation.
Andrew McKenna
Andrew McKenna has been a storyteller for more than 20 years.
He has performed in festivals around Australia’s eastern states and toured
Ireland performing at the Baboro International Children’s Festival,
Waterford’s Imagine Festival and Limerick’s Lough Gur Storytelling
Festival, as well as libraries and schools around the country.
Niki na Meadhra
Niki na Meadhra is a professional storyteller and theatre artist, based at Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne. She has 25 years experience as a theatre maker, community builder and educator. Niki initially trained as an actor, but also has extensive experience directing and designing theatrical events.
Matteo says, “The
Bendigo audiences were enthusiastic about the storytelling. All we needed to do
was start and an audience gathered. It is a testimony to the strength of the
shows we put on that audiences stayed. In this festival setting there are so
many things to see and do and distract. Still, adults and children
were happy to sit by on a hay-bale and engage in the myths, faerie tales, the
music, guessing games, the calls and responses, the puppets, masks, drawing
stories, story narratives, string tricks, their participations and our
teasings.
The festival provided a great PA system and a small marque under a
beautiful maple tree. Hay bales for the audience, lunch, bottled water and even
fine weather....
Below are some photos of the tellers in action. If I were smarter I
would have?.......audience participation (fill in the
blank)........ lived my life differently, (well, in part anyway) and also
I would have asked one of the others to take a photo of me too.
Cheers for now....Matteo."
Pics: (north to south):
Narelle Stone is local to Bendigo, on
the first morning she had the home ground advantage. Friends and
community amongst the audience. We were off to a flying start.
Ann E Stewart from the
Daylesford area.
Niki na Meadhra from Melbourne.
Andrew McKenna from Castlemaine, on
day one, before Nikki dressed the tent with her collection of fine materials
and curiosities.
