The first 2012 Storytelling Circle, and tales of rats, rats, everywhere...

Last night was the first night of the St. John’s Storytelling Circle for 2012. It was a great night, hosted by musician Delf Hohmann. Delf and I performed a few pieces from our new show about the Brothers Grimm, there were recitations from Storytelling Circle favourites Dave Paddon, Chris Brookes, and Hubert Furey (including a few recitations that were new to me) and a story about the Chinese New Year, from the lovely Zoe Wu.

There were a lot of new faces at the Crow’s Nest, which is always great to see. I love the mix of people who come to the monthly event. Last night there was everyone from high school kids, to university students to seniors. It is the type of varied audience that I love about storytelling events in St. John’s, something which I haven’t seen at a lot of storytelling events in other places.

I first met Delf Hohmann through Memorial University’s Department of Folklore, back in 1994. Ten years ago, we started collaborating on Brothers Grimm material, with a show called “Under the Juniper Tree: The Stories and Songs of the Brothers Grimm.” This year, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Grimm’s first edition of their Kinder- und Hausmärchen – the famous collection of tales that would be the most translated book ever produced in the German language.

To celebrate that anniversary, Delf and I have been working on a new show, and we tested out of one of our new pieces on the audience last night. The piece weaves together two stories taken from another work by the brothers, Deutsche Sagen, German Legends, which was published in two volumes in 1816 and 1818. The two stories are united by the theme of retribution, and by a cast of thousands... of rats.

One of the pieces, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, is well known to North American audiences, while the other, The Mouse Tower on the Rhine, is perhaps less familiar. In it, the evil Bishop Hatto burns a group of hungry peasants alive, mocking them as rats that only consume food meant for their betters. The Bishop meets a rather grisly end at the teeth of rats sent as a form of divine punishment.  You can read a 1910 English version of the tale here.

Delf and I are off to perform our new show in February in Peterborough and Perth in Ontario, and in Wakefield, Quebec. Check out the 2wp website for details.

Newfoundland audiences will get a chance to hear the show later this spring. Stay tuned!

Norma Cameron on cultivating narrative intelligence #storytelling

I love the TED talks series, so it was with great delight that I saw a mutual friend had posted a recording of the wonderful storyteller Norma Cameron giving a talk at TED Victoria.  Norma was a teller here in St. John's at the storytelling festival a few years ago, and was a crowd favourite. Here she is, talking about narrative:

Ghost Stories and Murder Ballads, Saturday 9pm, at the Rocket Room!

October 29th, Saturday 9pm
Rocket Room (3rd Floor of Rocket Bakery, 272 Water St.)
Ghost Stories with Dale Jarvis, Pearl- Ann Gooding, with Murder Ballads by Gerald and Tobias Pearson! 
$10 at the door

Dale Jarvis tells ghost stories, legends and traditional tales from Newfoundland and beyond. Founder of the St. John's Storytelling Circle, he was Storytellers of Canada’s representative at the inaugural meeting of the Federation for European Storytelling (FEST) in Norway, 2008. Since 1997, Dale has been the host of the St. John's Haunted Hike, named “Event of the Year” by the City of St. John’s. Author of four books on Newfoundland folklore and ghost stories, Dale has also taught workshops across North America on historical storytelling. He has taught hundreds of children to tell their stories, and is a passionate supporter of the oral tradition.


Pearl-Ann Gooding is a recognized storyteller in Canada and has been telling and teaching stories nationwide since 1995. In 2007 she recorded her third CD with Children's Stories entitled AGAIN and has had her stories published in an anthology for the grade 4 curriculum in Alberta. Her love of a great tale and spine tingling anticipation has drawn her to develop a haunted hike in her home town. Intrigue, mystery and reaching into the realm beyond bring her 'October Repertoire' to you! Pearl-Ann resides in what she claims to be 'the most haunted small town on the prairies', Wainwright, Alberta.

Tobias and Gerard Pearson were born in Merasheen, Placentia Bay, to Aggie Wilson and Cecil Pearson. Their grandmother, Kate Wilson, was a powerful traditional singer who passed her songs to the boys and their mother. Tobias and Gerard also learned the old songs from their father, whose origins were in Petit Forte, Placentia Bay. The brothers have performed at various folk festivals in Newfoundland. As well, Tobias has performed at traditional music gatherings in Boston and New York. Gerard's lovely tenor voice and Tobias's sense of humour place them in high demand at folk festivals and ballad sessions.

Part of the St. John's Storytelling Festival!

Tickets selling fast for "Come Into My Parlour"! Tickets remaining for:

"Come Into My Parlour: An Evening of Victorian Ghost Stories" opens tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 25th, at 8pm at the Newman Wine Vaults, 436 Water Street. Tickets are $15 per person. Seating is limited.

As of today, Monday, at 5pm, the following number of tickets remain:

Tuesday, October 25th - 20 tickets
Wednesday, October 26th - 15 tickets
Thursday, October 27th - 26 tickets
Friday, October 28th - 4 tickets!

Advance tickets (CASH SALE ONLY!) are available at Britannia Teas and Gifts, 199 Water Street, and will be on sale until 6pm before show time.  If tickets are left, they will also be available at the door, but some nights may sell out in advance, so buy yours now to avoid showing up the night of the show and being disappointed.

You are welcome to come in Victorian, Gothic, or Steampunk attire!

Come into my parlour: an evening of Victorian ghost stories

Come join me, storyteller and author Dale Jarvis, for an evening of Victorian ghost stories, perfect to get you into a suitably macabre mood for Hallowe'en!

8pm
October 25-28, 2011
Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site
436 Water Street, St. John's
Victorian, Gothic, or Steampunk Attire Welcomed (but not required)

The show will be about an hour long, by candlelight!

Tickets are now available at Britannia Teas and Gifts, 199 Water Street, St. John's.
Tickets are $15 each, first come, first served, CASH SALE ONLY!

Seating is limited!

• Facebook event listing

(Awesome poster design by Graham Blair)

New storytelling series: Tales of Town. Wed, Oct 5, 7pm, The Rooms

HFNL and The Rooms kick off the Tales of Town series this Wednesday night, at 7pm. I'll be sitting down with three engaging locals: businesswoman Margaret Dunn, music shop owner Gordon O'Brien, and author Lisa Moore. We'll be sharing memories and stories about growing up in St. John's, and hope you will join us!

The Rooms, Wednesday, October 5th
7pm
Tickets $5, free for members

Ghosts of Signal Hill to go out with a bang (and Hurricane Maria)

Friday, Sept 16th is our final show for Ghosts of Signal Hill, with Jed Baker closing out the season as Lt. Ranslaer Schuyler.

We also have a date with Hurricane Maria, and some of you (including Jed) are worried about what this means to our season finale. Well, have no fear! We'll go ahead rain or shine. If weather is good, we'll march you up the hill to the usual storytelling venue. If weather is bad, we'll move the show into the Parks Canada Theatre at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre, and tell stories from there.

The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $15 at the door ($10 for kids 12 and under).

If anything changes, we will post a note here, and on the Ghosts of Signal Hill facebook page.

UPDATE - FRIDAY, 3PM 

As of right now, we are still going ahead with the show at 8pm tonight. This will be a fully indoor show at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre Theatre, which is safe, warm, and cosy! If you have tickets purchased for tonight, they are non-refundable, so we hope to see you there. We will post again at 5pm.

UPDATE - 6PM

We are in the eye of the hurricane now, and everything is a go for 8pm! See you on the Hill.

Ghosts of Signal Hill - Closing Night, Friday Sept 16th

We've had a fabulous run of Ghosts of Signal Hill. We've sold out every show except two early in the run, and we've had a blast telling you stories. There is ONE last show for the 2011 season, with Jed Baker closing off the season on Friday, September 16th, at 8pm. There are tickets still available at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre, and if you want to see the show, I'd advise you to get them in advance.

Thanks to everyone at Parks Canada for all their help, support, promotion, and expended black powder!

Ghosts of Signal Hill - flashlight time!

There are only three more shows left of Ghosts of Signal Hill, concluding Friday, September 16th, 2011. We've been selling out almost every show, so if you want to catch one of the last ones, you are best to get your ticket in advance from the Signal Hill Visitor Centre on Signal Hill Road.

It is also now getting a lot darker a lot earlier. There is a walk (in the dark) from the parking lot to the show venue, so if you want to bring along a flashlight to help guide your way up and down, you are invited to do so. We just ask that you shut the light off once you come into the performance space.

And yes, I'm still 8 years old at heart, playing in the dark with a flashlight! Hope to see you on Signal Hill soon.

PS @thescopeNL is looking for the Best Late Night Walk. Give me some ghoulish love at http://t.co/k5Wx2D4 and suggest the St. John's Haunted Hike!

Stories from down on the farm

An Evening with Century Farmers: The Rubys and Lesters

Tuesday, August 16
Free admission
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Lester Farms Inc, 92 Pearltown Rd., St. John’s

As part of the Seeds to Supper Festival, host Kevin Aucoin, of the Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, will sit down with Leonard and Lena Ruby, and Jimmy and Michelle Lester, and share stories about farming past, present, and future. Jimmy Lester represents the 6th generation Lester to continue farming in this area. Jimmy and his wife Michelle produce vegetable crops, bedding plants and flowers and operate the Lester catering facility on Pearltown Road. Leonard and Lena Ruby continue to grow vegetables on their own historic farm, where others might choose to retire and travel, reflecting their close connection to the soil. Join us, and fill your ears with some home-grown stories!

(NOTE: Lester Farms, Inc. is located at 92 Pearltown Road, not to be confused with the Lester's Market on Brookfield Road. If driving from St. John's along Brookfield Road, pass the Market, and turn left onto Pearltown Road).