Meet the Regulars - Dave Tonge aka 'The Yarnsmith'

Dave telling at Settle Storytelling Festival - October 2011

 Dave has been telling tales since 1999. Prior to that he had a very varied career which in itself would make a good story, although alas far too long to tell here! Suffice to say that by the early 1990s he was unhappy with the road he was travelling, went back into learning and by 2000 found himself with a BA & MA in English history and even the first year of a PhD under his belt! At the same time Dave was working for the Norfolk Museum Service and met Stewart Alexander. He was a story teller of many years standing, who encouraged Dave to start telling and it wasn't long before they formed Past-Imagined, Historic Tales Tellers and he ran away from his PhD to become an Itinerant teller of tales! 

When it comes to his tellings, Dave says, We fused my passion for history with Stewart's passion for tale telling, adding some authentic costume and objects into the mix and travelling the whole of England telling tales at museums, heritage sites, festivals, fayres and schools. He also says, My storytelling is not that far removed from the historical research and presentations I was already doing, for my work on court records had already convinced me that people long ago were not that different to us - A fact born out by the large collection of folk tales I now tell. People laughed at, and mocked many of the same things that we still do today.

  

Although Stewart and Dave still work together, the majority of his work now is as the Yarnsmith of Norwich and as well as the typical heritage venues that make up most of his work, Dave is now also telling regularly at many storytelling clubs including the Cambridge Storytellers at the end of September 2011 and also the Flying Donkeys in Derby, the Yard of Tales in Market Harborough, ASTORy or Two in Deal and Settle Storytelling Festival for a second time in October 2012.

For more info on Dave check out his website: http://www.theyarnsmithofnorwich.com

Or contact him at theyarnsmith@yahoo.co.uk

Or 07908515766