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.
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