Jan Wositzky: THE GO-BETWEEN: WILLIAM MURRUNGURK BUCKLEY. Tour dates

THE GO-BETWEEN: WILLIAM MURRUNGURK BUCKLEY

The white man who went black and came back

The Go-Between: William Murrungurk Buckley tracks the epic adventure of a convict’s escape in 1803 from the farthest out-post of the British Empire – Sullivan Bay (Sorrento) on Port Phillip - and explores Buckley’s 32 years with Wathaurong people where he became Murrungurk, a spirit returned from the dead. The performance then follows Buckley into the little known, treacherous, political end game, when he worked as Interpreter between the traditional owners and the invading colonists of Australia.

Weaving Buckley’s ghosted 1852 biography with Wathaurong language, historic documents, archival images, music and poetry, The Go-between: William Murrungurk Buckley takes audiences into the not-so-black-and-white world of early Victoria, of murder, massacre, and Buckley’s bruising encounters with the famous and infamous characters of colonial Melbourne – Batman, Fawkner, Gellibrand and Derrimut.

Told by Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky in savage, humorous fashion, The Go- Between: William Murrungurk Buckley is the story of an outsider who was our first agent of reconciliation.

Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky is a storyteller folk musician who considers the heart of our history to be the relationship between black and white Australians. A founder of the Bushwackers Band in 1971, Jan went on to write best-selling books such as Born Under The Paperbark Tree with Wardaman songman Yidumduma Bill Harney, award-winning television documentaries Buwarrala Akarriya: Journey East (ABC) and Aeroplane Dance (SBS) with Yanyuwa, Garrwa and Mara people of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and to devise the Wominjeka Ceremony with Dja Dja Wurrung people of central Victoria for the 2009 Castlemaine State Festival.

DATES:

Castlemaine  (Sunday 1 Sept, 2.30)

Cororooke  (near Colac, Fri 6 Sept, 7.30)

Stieglitz (Sunday 8 Sept SOLD OUT)

Albert Park (Friday 20 Sept, 8.00)

Newport (Saturday 21 Sept, 8.00)

All details on Jan' website: http://www.storytellersguide.com.au/jans-gigs/

Click RECOGNISE to learn about the movement for constitution reform and the proposed referendum to Recognise the First Australians in the Australian Constitution:  RECOGNISE

Anne E Stewart: SCOTTISH STORIES at the Melbourne Writer's Festival. 26 August 2013

Anne E Stewart, was a guest of the Scottish Storytelling Festival in 2009 and now looks forward to welcoming some Scottish Writers to the Melbourne Writers Festival. At the invitation of the British Council she will be appearing on Monday 26th August 2013 at 7pm.

Celebrate the Land of the Brave with a fun-filled evening of lively storytelling and vibrant musical performances from Scottish writers John Burnside, Janice Galloway and Doug Johnstone with Aussie friends Anne E Stewart and Richard McKenzie.

Proudly supported by GREAT Britain Arts 13, presented by the British Council

More information and bookings: HERE

Pic: Anne E Stewart:  Storytelling Centre 2009, Homecoming Festival : Celebrating Robbie Burns 250th Birthday.

L - R Amina Meeks Blackwood (Jamaica), Anne E Stewart, Linda Williamson (wife of the renowned, late Duncan Williamson and their two Children, Gayle Ross (Cherokee) and seated Grace Banks (Scotland).

Peter Fernon: Trentham Words in Winter. 17 August 2013

Holding Heaven and Earth Together is a theatrical piece of storytelling. Peter employs theatrical devices as well as music, song, poetry and shadow puppetry to weave his tale but in essence, it is storytelling.

Peter has taken 20 or 30 anecdotes about spud diggers, collected by the local historical society, and imbedded some of them in the relationship between two diggers, Charlie and Reg.

'The breadth and depth of what it means to be a storyteller continues to amaze and enthrall me.'

Time: 7.30 pm

Where: Trentham Neighbourhood Centre. High Street Trentham

Bookings and more information: Peter 5424 1237 

click on poster to enlarge

Tell me a story: Anne E Stewart and digital storytelling 2013

Tell me a story by Anne E Stewart

I’ve always had an innate understanding of the power of story to engage and I started developing my digital storytelling skills when the Government announced the roll out of the National Broadband Network (NBN). For me, it seemed like a huge opportunity to use storytelling to create online communities, share cultures and facilitate people telling their own stories about the things that matter most to them.

My love of storytelling began when I was working as children’s librarian at the Darwin Library. I wanted to share my passion for language and literature and I worked with the premise that the stories I told were springboards to further reading and learning. Through my work I have come to understand that storytelling is also a powerful way to promote cultural understanding, raise issues of social justice and help identify and document a united Australian Story.

I’ve had the chance to use digital platforms to tell and share some amazing stories. The first project, funded by VicHealth, was to promote the value of the arts in engaging in rural communities, in this case the farming families that lived near the Mollongghip Hall in the Central Highlands of Victoria. It was a moving experience, hearing of a way of life that has passed and paying respect to the elders of a small community. Storytelling has put me in contact with people with different skills, talents and passion and I’ve had the chance to share in storytelling festivals around the world.

The need for digital storytelling is increasing and many organisations recognise the value that stories bring to a project and region. Stories are a way of connecting people, joining the dots and sharing our motivations. So if the NBN further enables this sharing of stories, information and ideas then I’m ready for high-speed broadband!

For some though, the wait of the NBN is off putting and for those not digitally engaged, it’s just another cost. The idea of a fairer telecommunications system is welcomed as we hurtle towards more digital lives, but for the NBN to reach its potential it needs to be seen as a strategic asset and not just another form of technology.

So here’s a strategy from a storyteller. Engage people with technology through story, then show them how to use it as a tool to improve other areas of their lives. As a storyteller, I want to see the NBN as Songlines of Stories across Australia, sharing the stories of our communities. I’d love to see a virtual map of Australia told through stories.

The NBN needs to engage artists to help imagine the possibilities. Across Australia we need collaboration between local organisations and funding bodies, working together to see artists bringing communities alive online. If the NBN is to be amazing, we need to offer a variety of entry and engagement points online for people from all walks of life. Storytelling is a great way of achieving this and it’s up to us to dream it up.

Got a story to tell?

There are endless amounts of online tools for telling your story. Here some tools to get you started: 

•      Video sharing – Film your story and share it online, as well as with your local community. You don’t need expensive equipment, most mobile phones and laptops have inbuilt cameras which can help you record your story. Youtube videos can be embedded on websites, in emails and on social mediahttp://www.youtube.com

•      Photo sharing – Photo sharing sites like Instagram or Flickr, allow you to upload and share images between networks. This can be a great way to share what’s happening in your life with your friends and family overseas.

•      Blogs - blogging is the original, free online storytelling device. This article helps you decide which of the top five platforms is right for you http://www.techhive.com/article/2025931/which-free-blogging-platform-is-right-for-you-.html

•      Webinars – does your organisation have information to share or expert advice? You can use webinars to turn the internet into an online classroom or forum.

(Anne is a life member of Storytelling Australia (Victoria))