The Worshipful Company of Fools, Liars and Sturdy Blaggers Present...

For some time some of us amongst the regulars at the Undercroft had been thinking upon a storytelling troupe. A loose collective of nere do wells who travel from place to place spinning yarns and sowing discord amongst the better sort. To that end Dave the Yarnsmith, Tall Tale Liam and Irish Jim - the Blarney mans Dad and perhaps a few others will be telling tales to close the festive season at the Birdcage in Norwich on Thursday the 5th from 8.oo of the clock. It's a free event and all we ask is that you enjoy yourselfs...

There will be tall tales of high intrique and small tales of low cunning and for more information contact the theyarnsmith@yahoo.co.uk.

Yule to Misrule - Where Beasts Do Talk!

The gentle spicy waft of mulled apple juice tickling the nostrils and the glow of the Christmas tree set a suitably festive tone for this month’s Tales from the Undercroft – Yule to Misrule.  What else could it be at this time of year but a wintery concoction of delicious tales served up with the unmistakably generous spirit of the tellers to bring you in from the cold and warm your cockles?  And what a lot of folks there were warming said cockles as word seems to be getting out that this storytelling lark that’s going on down at The Undercroft ‘aint half bad.

Laurie was first up, taking us back to the time of Saxon rule to bring us the tale of Elfreda (or that could be Alfreda?) and her battle to win the trust of her stepson.  Cue the entrance of the wise woman (who else?) to save the day with the daunting task of plucking a whisker from a live wolf.  Task completed, Elfreda learns that most valuable lesson that trust is gained by taking small steps - little by little.  And suffice to say all is well in the world in time for Christmas (hurrah!)

Our next tale of the evening came courtesy of Mark, with cameo roles from Su (oh, that’s me!)  Our tale of the way in which the robin got his red breast was almost as enjoyable to tell (possibly more) as it was to plan the night before over a few glasses of wine.  Obviously tricky to review oneself so maybe I’ll take this opportunity to say how much I thoroughly enjoyed telling a tale with Mark (our first together at the Undercroft).  The two of us enjoyed many a year telling tales together down in the West Country before I found my way to the fine city of Norwich some five years ago.  Mark took his time, following the same path earlier this year and it really is a joy to be spinning yarns with him again.

Jim Kavanagh telling at the Undercroft

Next to tell was Jim, first with a brief tale about how the Goldfinch got his red face.  Seems there was a certain bird who plucked the thorns from the crown of a certain iconic fellow associated with this time of the year.  Well, I never knew that… Jim followed this short tale with the true story of an acquaintance -  the wife of a well travelled couple, skilled in the art of making a house a home despite the many relocations.  The most important aspect of this, by all accounts, is the act of trying every brand of tea available in order to find the perfect brew (anyone else getting a mental image of Mrs Doyle?)  Jim’s tale ended with a shiver down the spine as the ever-vigilant lady wakes in the night to find all the doors in her house inexplicably open…

Then Sarah took to the tellers chair to bring us a tale of love beyond the grave.  ‘Christmas’, she explained, ‘is a time when spirits walk,’ and they certainly did in this chilling and lyrical tale beautifully told by Sarah with her lulling voice.

Liam was next with the story of the Apple Tree Man, a tale with a goodly amount of supernatural tree action and a generous helping of talking beasts.  A fitting tale for the time of year – ‘The time when beasts do talk’ – Liam spun a great tale of moral retribution for the greedy son who tries to pull a fast one on his brother (not to mention his ox and donkey).  Worth pointing out Liam’s convincing Somerset accent, surpassed only by his impression of a talking donkey!

A noticeable hush fell as Paul took to the chair to bring us the enchanting story of ‘The Old Man of the Woods’.  Casting a magic winter spell with his singing bowl, he then went on to weave an age-old tale of the way in which those who have so very little are happy to share what they have and those with plentiful supplies hold on to their wealth with a vice-like grip.  Several yards of linen and a good number of sneezes later and needless to say everyone gets what’s coming to them.  A great yuletide tale.

To bring us to the end of the first half, Rita told us of the way in which an ordinary man in the street became a legend and an inspiration among men as she gave a heartfelt and timely account of Kett’s Rebellion (it being the anniversary of his being hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle).  Clearly a subject close to Rita’s heart, the tale was told with a great deal of passion and was made even more poignant by the mention at the end that members of  ‘Occupy Norwich’ were planning to place a wreath at the castle in his memory and to honour his role in the ‘long and painful fight for democracy’.

Thanks to all who came and helped make it  a great night.

Unfortunately Jurnets is still closed for Christmas break the first Wednesday in Jan, so we will be meeting on the 2nd Wednesday (The 11th) instead.

The theme is Old and New, so hopefully a good mix of old favourites and something different to welcome in the New Year!

See you all at 7.30 for and 8.00 start and by all means contact the Dave Yarnsmith at theyarnsmith@yahoo.co.uk if you want to tell.

Su Squire

Dave Tong

Meet the Regulars - Su Squire aka 'Tilly the Tale Spinner'

Su Squire telling at Tales from The Undercroft, Norwich

Once upon a time...

A girl called Su (who later became Tilly) discovered that she was in love with stories.  Stories of all shapes and sizes.  Stories of her homeland and those of far flung places.  Stories of people’s lives – their struggles and their triumphs. As a child, Tilly was taken to the local theatre to see a pantomime.  It was here, sitting enchanted on a red velvet seat in a darkened auditorium that something jumped up and down inside her shouting ‘Eureka!’  She had discovered the key that would lead her into a wider, wilder world of stories.

The years that followed found Tilly exploring her discovery through performance, writing, directing, storytelling, acting the fool, facilitating and producing work, though work seemed a strange word for it when it was so much fun. On her mission to let others in on the secret of how much fun all these theatricalities can be she worked with as many people as would open their door to her: children and young people of all ages and attitudes, adults who wanted to remember more about how it felt to have fun and be free, people who found this crazy world a tough place to live and needed some help to conquer old patterns of behaviour and remember who they really were and of course anyone who just wanted to meet others like themselves.

Whilst working with the Blue Moon Theatre Company and as Tilly the Talespinner, she found that she especially enjoyed the discoveries that she was making in the world of storytelling, finding particular delight in the retelling of old stories in new styles thus making them come alive for new audiences.  During this time she also discovered the hidden treasure that lies in the very heart of these timeless tales, their ability to help us all make sense of the world in which we live, to heal old wounds and provide ways in which we can tell the tales that have shaped our own lives.

Alongside the tale telling, Tilly also began to explore the particular enjoyment that can be found on the streets by getting together with other creative types, dressing up in strange clothes and surprising strangers. Affairs of the heart took Tilly away from her homeland of Somerset to the county of Norfolk at the beginning of 2007.  Since that time her story has taken some very unexpected twists and turns which, were she to describe them to you, you would hardly believe and consider them to be fantasies in themselves but then, life is a story (they don’t call it his-story or her-story for nothing).

So on to the next chapter of the story…

Who knows?...

Anything is possible!

As Tilly the Tale Spinner Su has spun her tales far and wide throughout the British Isles in schools, theatres, village halls, drop-in centres, festivals and community events. She has also worked extensively in the primary school environment, at community events and children’s festivals as a storyteller, children’s theatre performer and workshop facilitator. As both Su and Tilly she has a growing repertoire of stories relating to the natural environment and she believes that more than ever, it is vital that we find ways of developing a respectful relationship with nature by listening to the wisdom of our ancestors.

She also offers workshops in storytelling for people of all ages in which particpants explore theme, style, narrative and technique using a number of different creative and enjoyable techniques.

For more info on Su check out her website: http://www.tillythetalespinner.moonfruit.com/ 

Or contact her at tillythetalespinner@yahoo.co.uk

Two themes in just one night- Tales from the Undercroft Samuin Special

In an attempt to take the world of grown up storytelling clubs by storm and continue our tradition of 'telling on the edge', the regulars at Tales from the Undercroft meet on the 2nd November had not just 1, but 2 themes. The first half of the night was devoted to super-short stories, specifically stories that are no longer than 3 minutes. The theme for the second half was Spooky Stories: tales of ghosts, monsters or anything else that makes you think twice about turning out the lights. As Undercroft regular Tall Tale Liam  put it....

A challenge was thrown down to the tellers this month - could they find a story that was less than 3 minutes long? Doubts were expressed from the cloistered benches and someone even produced a timepiece ... the challenge was on ... up stepped Rita and immediately drove the doubters from the field with a compelling and emotional tale that provoked a collective heartfelt sigh from the audience at the end. And how long was the story? A mere 5 words. The art of brevity had been established and succeding performers drove home the message that the short tale was not only alive and well, but also full of wit and wisdom.  A mysterious hare, a student that had been turned into a donkey by his wicked uncle (or at least that's what the owner of the donkey was duped into believing by the clever students), a master swordsman defeated in combat by an old man with a sharper wit, the woman, who whilst drowning, still managed to get the better of her husband, and the brave Irish champion who inadvertently assisted a corpse in a final spasm of murder and several other colourful characters paraded themselves before our eyes (believe me ...they were there) during the short sharp tale section. 

  

During that emotionally turbulent period all our hearts went out to the inimitable Joy when she took it upon herself to remind the audience, in a tone that would suffer no doubting, that 'all my stories are true'. All the other tellers nodded in agreement, somewhat embarrassed by their own omission of such an important fact in the preambles to their own stories.

Laurie Steel telling a tale about a man with no tale to tell.

Next, when the laughter had ceased and tears were mopped up, we endeavoured to terrify our audience with tales to honour the season, although in truth most of us went for weird, wonderful and in my case just really silly.  Trolls, dismembered hands, Death, Youth, sacks of skin and bones, Old Nick, ghouls and ghosts marched like a macabre army out of the bricks, through the audience and headed up the steps toward the bar, leaving the pale-faced audience gripping their glasses tightly in the face of the emphatic visions of the otherworld and it's grim population. It was with both relief and joy that we seized upon moments of applause to spare us from the terror of it all. Perhaps the most chilling story came from Kelly Kanayama who led us down a dark ghost road in Japan to meet the defenceless crying girl whose mouth, eyes and nose slipped from her face when she looked up to greet the drunk in whose company we were in. As the drunk fled the scene he gratefully fell into the company of that old familiar staple of the Japanese street, the noodle seller. As the noodle seller raised his lamp to bring light for the drunk's comfort, Kelly lent forward and gently blew the lamp out, and we were all plunged into the faceless darkness of the haunting child ....you had to be there to see it.

Whilst Tall Tale Liam by his own admission: appeared to be attempting to acquire the mantle of teller of the longest tale by resuming a story that he began three months ago ... the tale of the Fisherman, his Son, and the Sorcerer of Tricks ...and then, at risk of being pelted with rotten fruit (luckily no one had any) proceeded to leave the tale unfinished ... he promised, with the kind of conviction that only a teller of dubious truths can, that the ending would be told at the next Undercroft gathering. Veiled threats were uttered around the room at this violation of storytelling protocol and we've yet to discover whether Liam will make it to the next gathering unscathed.

A growing audience at the Undercroft (If you look closely you can see their terrified faces)

Special thanks to Laurie Steel for getting the whole club under way, many moons ago, in the Workshop and the Black Horse, and making the posters and flyers for the new venue. Also to Jim Kavanagh for his new Undercroft Graphics and to all those who joined us this night. Just to remind you that our next gathering is on the 7th December (7.30 for 8.00 start) with tales of Yule to Misrule.  Anyone wanting to tell can email me at theyarnsmith@yahoo.co.uk or put their name down when they arrive.

Dave Tong - The Yarnsmith

Liam Carroll - Tall Tale Liam

Tales From the Undercroft - 5th October 2011

Last Wednesdays Tales from the Undercroft was so brilliant, we decided to review it twice!  courtesy of two regulars; Liam Carroll and Kelly Kanayama:

You had to be there to get the full force of the penetrating moral insights from the troubadors that dark Wednesday night in early October. Yes it was another night of stunning truths and unbelievable facts at the Undercroft; from Joy's 'we all know wealth makes you happy' to which we all eagerly consented (in hope more than anything) only to hear how our hero sunk his own boat due to the over abundance of valuable goods (we were all shocked) to the marvelous news that animals make better lovers than spouses (from two diferent tellers, with no conspiring - it must be true) - all good clean fun (I had no idea that's how the minotaur was conceived - gosh, I didn't know which way to look)!

The story about the cook who couldn't resist the simmering ducks and got away with the theft (and Kelly made the theft seem so reasonable) brought the troupe's morals into further disrepute (or was the master getting his just desserts from the canny servant? What's right and what's wrong? - I don't know) Well we were all on much safer ethical ground with Dave's story about the thief; clearly a wrongun' there, and he certainly got his come uppance when he met the gorgeous thiefess ..who robbed him good and proper .. before they both fell in love ... oh ...and then they produced a beautiful baby who ... well maybe not quite so clear cut as I thought.

Ah, now, then there was 'the voice', now he certainly laid it nice and plain on the table ..'people who live in grass houses shouldn't  store....', ah, now I wouldn't want to spoil the ending for the next audience, other than to say that the moral was nice and clear cut (wasn't it?) Now of course the good lady of Talespinning herself cut an unequivocal moral path with her exemplary tale of what to do when Death turns up to serve up his own brand of equality and justice to young and old, good and bad alike ...and there's no escaping that truth .. only, she did (now how did she do that) oh well.

Now that was only half the tales ... the others were even more mysterious (and why did those folk turn to dust again Jim?) well, quite frankly you had to be there.

Liam Carroll

Our second gathering at Tales from the Undercroft on 5 October was a fantastic follow-up to last month. Although we had fewer tellers, we got to hear many different stories from around the world and we also saw several new faces in the audience!

Mark Scott-Ison got us started (and laughing!) with a short ‘moral tale’ about what not to do when living in grass houses. Su Squire, aka Tilly the Talespinner, told us an inspiring Hungarian folktale about an old woman who was too busy living to have time for Death.

Dave Tonge the Yarnsmith gave us a preview of his upcoming Settle Stories performance with a story of love and thievery in 17th-century Norwich. Making her first appearance at Jurnet's, Joy Croft (a regular at Tales from the Horse’s Mouth) told an Algonquin Native American folktale that warned us against careless wishes.

Jim Kavanagh rounded out the first half with the Greek myth of Daedalus and Minos, reminding us that sometimes the only thing between success and death is a single thread, and that we should never 'default on a loan from the gods'.

The second half began with an Afro-Cuban myth from Kelly Kanayama about the Orishas (manifestations of God in Yoruba religion), desire and the creative impulse. Liam Carroll followed up with the story of a mysterious casket that led its owners to ask themselves the simple but important question of who they loved the most. It was then Dave’s turn to tell us about Tudor England’s fascination with freaks and devilry, and to weave these facts into a comic tale of a crossroads meeting with the Devil.

Jim returned with a Scottish tale about two pipers and the consequences of their one-night-only gig in the realm of Faerie. Kelly provided another story, this time about a clever (and hungry) servant and some delicious roast duck.

Finally, Liam brought the evening to a close with the story of a good Norfolk lad who - through an otherworldly encounter - became a master storyteller and learned that truth is often harder to believe than fiction.

Kelly Kanayama

The next Tales from the Undercroft gathering will be on 2nd November at 8:00 PM (7.30 for 8.00 start) and this time there are not one, but two themes! The first half of the night will be devoted to super-short stories, specifically stories that are no longer than 3 minutes. The theme for the second half will be Spooky Stories: tales of ghosts, monsters or anything else that makes you think twice about turning out the lights.

Hope to see you all there!

Tales from the Undercroft - Our first gathering

On Wednesday the 7th of September we held our first storytelling gathering and had a good audience, many of whom wanted to tell. Such is our fame that we even had Ana Lines, a story teller who came to us all the way from Brazil (Via Stafford where she nows lives)

Ana Lines

Ana told two stories. The first a very relavent tale about a King, a man with many jobs and a City facing great change. The second,  about the Botu (not sure on spelling)  and how he chooses  a wife - Both with a wonderful warmth,  a twinkle in the eye and with what one audience member called a very vivacious style!

Also taking part were Liam Carroll with a bold telling of one of Aesop's fables about a fox, a magpie and a Leg of Lamb. Su Squire told, The Pottle of Brains with some great energy and humour. Jim Kavanagh told a charming if typically odd tale about a goat, some ale and a shotgun. Kelly Kanayama told a very visual version of Hawaiian myth about the Demi God Maui and how he brought fire to the people. Dave Tong made a noise with a tale about the devil and a blacksmith,  whilst Paul Jackson in a gentle but athoratative style told of a blue fish. Fiona told a her first very short 'tale' - about a huge barn with nothing in it!

 

Mark Scott-Ison

Also telling for the first time was John with what he described as a true tale about many things including Coyotes, Trevallon dogs and Bert Loyde. Whilst Mark Scott-Ison was another highlight of the night with a great story about the  'Bonk-waaa',  that explained once and for all why biscuits go missing from the jar! A silly tale, rumbustiously told.

It turned out to be a long night as many of us told twice and so thanks to Lorraine. She was very patient with us and we promise not to go on so long next time!

The next Tales from the Undercroft at Jurnets is at 7.30 for an 8.00 start on October 5th and there is no theme - all stories welcome. The next Tales from the Horses Mouth at the Black Horse Earlham Road is on October 17th.

Meet the Regulars - Liam Carroll

   Liam telling as part of  'The Dragonseeker's Quest' 
Organised by The Greenword Tree at Catton Park, Norwich

Click on the image to enlarge

Liam is of mixed English and Irish descent and has spent many years travelling by horse and cart in Ireland, Britain and Eastern Europe, most notably with the renowned mask and puppet theatre company, Horse and Bamboo

He came to storytelling after several years performing street theatre with the campaigning group Theatre of War, having been influenced by one of his musical heroes Robin Williamson, who was part of the 1980’s ‘storytelling revival’.

When it comes to storytelling Liam says, I have tried to read far and wide in searching out good stories, but all the material I adopt for an adult audience always seems to come from Scotland and Ireland – I think it’s the humour and colourful language that attracts me to that tradition. Having said that, I find it quite challenging to translate that humour into the spoken word especially as the language seems to demand the use of ham Irish and Scottish accents. I’m struggling to work out the best way of dealing with that as too much fake accent is a bit off putting for the audience, I suspect, although people are always very polite about it when I ask them.
  

Check out Liam's website: http://www.fairyfolkandfable.co.uk/

And you can contact him via email at fairyfolkandfable@yahoo.co.uk  

 or on 7960696625

Meet the Regulars - Kelly Kanayama

 Kelly Kanayama

Taking part in the Young Storyteller of the Year, 2011

Kelly is from Hawaii and is of half-Japanese and half-Filipino descent.  She has been performing in various disciplines, mainly voice and dance since the age of 7, but only began storytelling after she came to the UK.

When it comes to the stories she tells Kelly says, I've been collecting stories since I was very young, although I didn't realise it at the time - a lot of my material comes from stories I heard in school or books I read at home during childhood.  Although I'm interested in fairy tales and myths from all over the world, I specialise in stories from the Pacific Rim, particularly Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines due to my heritage.  In addition, I have a soft spot for stories with passionate, interesting female characters, as I think many female storytellers do!  My grandmothers - the ultimate strong independent female role models in my family - and their lives are also a source of inspiration, although some of the resulting stories are definitely not suitable for children.

For Kelly storytelling is at least partially about giving a voice to characters, individuals, communities and/or people groups that might not otherwise be heard.  And due to both her dance training and culture(s)'s she tends to communicate in a very physical way as well as vocally. Kelly says, Storytelling is an holistic act in the sense that it's a collaboration between the brain, the voice and the body.

Kelly is also running a 10 week course on Folktales and their Meanings at Wensum Lodge from  September - November 2011.

For more information on Kelly and her course contact her on: kelly.kanayama@gmail.com

Welcome to the Norwich Storytelling Gathering at Jurnets Bar

Hello

This is the first post of many promoting storytelling  at the Black Horse Pub in Norwich and now also at Jurnets Bar, beneath Wensum Lodge on Norwich. Just follow the links to find out more about both these venues.

The Black Horse gathering is held on the 3rd Monday of every month (From October 17th 2011) and the New Jurnets gathering is on the first Wednesday of the month. Both events run from 8.00 til late and tea and coffee are available at each as well as alcohol!

Jurnets Medieval Undercroft

Ideal for atmospheric tales!

We will also be having guest tellers at Jurnets starting with Sophie Snell on March 7th 2012 and Roisin Murray on May 2nd and donations are welcome to fund them! More details to follow nearer the time.

On this blog we aim to promote storytelling, local tellers and storytelling events. We will also hopefully be linking up with other clubs as well as reviewing what else is going on in the storytelling world.

For those new to storytelling, why not come and join us. You can come and have a go at telling if you like, or otherwise just listen to some great tales!