As Storytelling icon and teacher extraordinaire, Mary Shea Rys' contributions to the arts throughout her long teaching career in the Liverpool Central School district in Liverpool, NY, are legendary, and she continues to enrich the community through her storytelling workshops and presentations. She has performed across New York State, as well as in North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky and Texas. Mary specializes in stories that involve the audience, whether through echo and repetition, action and motion, or active participation, where children become directly engaged as performers. Her Storytelling Camp & Residency programs provide 5 consecutive days where children learn to select and perform poems and stories of their choosing from a wide variety of materials. Storytelling Camp/Residency weeks are available to libraries, schools and youth programs, with schedules tailored to the venue. Mary is a certified teacher and reading specialist with extensive experience and study in the genre of Storytelling. She has performed in schools and public settings, and founded and directed Storytelling Clubs in the Liverpool NY area for more than 25 years. Her vibrant and engaging style invites children and adults alike to join in and enjoy the Storytelling experience.

For one day and/or multiple session performances, venues may pick from the following programs for children:
Animal Adventures
Magic and Mayhem
Noodleheads and Nincompoops
Scared Silly
Springing into Stories
Story Detectives
Wintertime Wonders
The following programs are suitable for adult audiences:
Irish Tales of Wit and Wonder
Stories of Faith
Courses for adults and Storytelling Camps for Children are also available.

Mary is a popular presenter of storytelling performances and workshops through the Liverpool Public Library, as a guest in classrooms, and in other venues. Her exuberant presentation style, her creative interpretations, and her warmth in a group make even the most introverted attendee feel brave enough to participate. There is more than a little magic in Storyteller Mary Rys . . .

Performance Fee: Negotiable - depending on length and number of sessions

Workshop Fee: Negotiable - depending on length and number of sessions

Travel: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, Out of Region

Audiences: PreK, Elementary, Teens, Families, Adults

Genres: Folktales, Historical Tales, Faith-based Stories, Humorous Tales

Awards: 

June 2024 - Inducted into the Liverpool School District Fine Arts Hall of Fame, Liverpool, NY
May 2023 - Awarded Educator of the Year, Exceptional Woman Award of CNY, by Pam Hunter of the New York State Assembly
September 2011 - Named Teacher of the Year, Liverpool Central Schools, Liverpool, NY

The biggest gift Mary Shea Rys ever gave me was a love for Storytelling. She brilliantly showed me how stories can elicit laughter, invite reflection, and even move an audience to tears. From the silly to the serious, she inspired all of us to harness the power of story for ourselves as we performed for audiences of our parents and peers. Back then, I was an eager elementary school student who was a voracious reader, but who didn't know the first thing about telling a well-formed tale. Today I am a published author and a tenured Associate Professor of creative writing, but, above all, I am a storyteller. One story at a time, one line at a time, one word at a time - Mary showed me the way.
-Jessica L. Folk. Associate Professor, Western Kentucky University (former student of Mary Shea Rys)

For the Alamond children, there was never a time at Liverpool Elementary during which they did not have Mrs. Rys in their lives, whether as a reading teacher, or as their ever-encouraging and always fun Storytelling Club leader. She was a driving force in the lives of Lambros and Molly Alamond, who both learned what it meant to be on stage, and how to be comfortable performing in front of a crowd. Both have used the knowledge and skills they learned from Mrs. Rys to continue their own personal journeys to the stage. Lambros has gone on to perform in numerous productions for community theater, films, and every acting and musical performance taking place at LMS and LHS during his tenure in the district. He currently performs regularly with the Baldwinsville Theater Guild. For Molly, she has already performed in a handful of community theater productions and performances at Liverpool Hight School. This shy girl who was often too scared to speak to people as a little one, is now singing in the school talent show, performing at Adventures in the Arts, and scored the lead role in a community theater production of Oliver. She recently played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz! All of these achievements were made possible for these children because of the love, support and education offered to them so generously by Mrs. Rys. The whole Alamond family believes that Mrs. Rys has been an inspiration to always push for greatness, whether it's acting, reading, or just being a good person. She has continuously led kids down the right path when it comes to being the best they can be, and, even after her retirement, she continues to be a cheerleader in their lives.
-Neil, Sarah, Lambros, Isabel and Molly Alamond

It has been so inspiring to watch Mary work with the children at the Liverpool Public library. Using her own storytelling experience, Mary nurtures the participants in such a positive way that they seem to blossom in a single week. Mary's skills as an educator have helped her perfect this introduction to public speaking and storytelling with a balance of demonstrating her own skills, encouraging the children to mentor each other, and then gently guiding them into their own performances. Throughout her tenure with the public library, I have seen multiple children attend the Storytelling Camps simply because they want to reconnect with Mary. I have seen children who would have never gotten up in front of an audience get the courage to perform because of the encouragement of Mary and the other children. I have seen children who like to be the center of attention reflect thoughtfully, and kindly, on the performances of other children. Three of Mary's former students came to our [previous] Storytelling Camp and announced that they are performing in upcoming shows - two in school plays and one at a regional theater. In addition to leading the camps for the children, Mary has shared her own talents by performing here at the Liverpool Public Library. Our families have thoroughly enjoyed her storytelling, especially the interactive nature of her tales. Clearly, Mary has had a profound and lasting impact on the children of this community and she continues to influence the children throughout her retirement. We consider ourselves very lucky to have her as a resource here at the Liverpool Public Library.
-Joellyn Murry, Coordinator, Children's and Family Services, Liverpool Public Library