John’s attraction to stories and
storytelling was seeded in primary school when he read an article in a magazine
about Joan and Betty Rayner.
Extraordinary women by any measure:
‘After studying in London and America for
some years, they [the Rayner sisters] opened a Theatre, in Sydney, which they
ran for two years. There they presented
their folk lore songs and storyettea
without the aid of scenery or other
stage effects, relying solely on the
ability of the actors to carry the show
through as in the days of the troubadours.
They then closed the theatre
and rambled through the country districts
of Victoria and. New South
Wales by caravan, playing at the various
towns …’
Growing up in Orbost, a small town in East
Gippsland on the Snowy River, John was fortunate to have a primary school teacher
who responded to the passion that the Rayners had ignited in him for telling
stories and making puppets. He created a little theatre from and old tea chest and
was encouraged to ‘tour’ his show around the school.
John’s intrigue with folk tales, puppetry
and theatre has never abated; ‘I like to explore the interface between puppet
and puppeteer, the manipulated and manipulator – the liminal spaces’.
Over the years, he has worked with
Polyglot, The Marionette Theatre of Australia and the Tasmanian Puppet Theatre.
It was when he was working with Polyglot, he finally met the Rayner sisters who
by this time were elderly and retired but none the less inspiring and generous.
These days he can be found living quietly in Emerald. Technology averse, John
has no mobile phone or Internet, and is surrounded by books, puppets and art
materials. John’s knowledge of folklore is enviable; it is as broad as it is
deep. I’ve heard John recite Australian bush verse, tell French Medieval Folk
Tales, stories from A Thousand and One Nights, Germanic Fairy Tales, Celtic
Legends. I’ve watched him tell using exquisite felts, a sand tray and overhead
projector, origami, and all manner of handcrafted props.
With the advent of the PAVE Festival in
Emerald a decade ago, John has accepted the annual challenge in offering a
story-centered presentation every year. This has included solo shows and
collaborations with other storytellers, poets, dancers and musicians.
For PAVE’s 10th anniversary season 2015, John
again focused on a collaborative show – ‘a celebration in spoken word’ and
fittingly advertised as a night of Literary
Liaisons. This was a meld of storytelling, verse, music, dance and slide
show staged in the Gem Community Theatre.
John’s cast of collaborators this year:
storyteller Cora Zon (pictured), musicians John Piggott, Marg Gemell & Saskia Adams, student
of classical voice Jessie Eastwood, and dance routine courtesy of Vivienne
Rogis & Tashi Baiguerra.
Sadly JJ’s story Monsoon Donkey was neither filmed nor photographed. All I have are
some photos from a rehearsal to share with you. However I think you can glean from
these images that this mercurial artist is one of a kind and one to be valued.
PAVE Festival
Joan and Betty Rayner
Joan and Betty Rayner
Posted by Jackie Kerin
