Saturday, March 2
10:30am - Noon
Fringe Double Feature: “The Sweater” & “A Motorcycle Riding Journey of Empowerment and Triumph”
Back-to-back performances by Andy Davis and Michelle Trieste, each about 40 minutes. Please stay for both performances.
The Sweater
Andy Davis
A multi-layered story casserole which blends personal narrative, a smidgin of New Hampshire and North American history, and Scottish folklore. Expect 19th century farm life, sled dogs, the Yukon gold rush, apple tree pruning, prodigious snows, frigid temperatures, and an international love story which revolves around…a sweater.
All Audiences
Andy Davis got his start as a storyteller telling comic tales by candlelight in Mexican refugee camps 30 years ago. His varied repertoire of tales contains equal parts multicultural folklore, magical realism, grassroots history, and personal experience. He can tell a shaggy dog with the best of them, and then follow it up with a poignant family story laden with meaning. He is equally at home sharing the lore and legends of the mountains and woods of northern New England and creating verbal portraits of political courage. He lives in a half-built home-made house in Tamworth, New Hampshire. https://www.nestorytelling.org/andy-davis/
A Motorcycle Riding Journey of Empowerment and Triumph
Michelle Trieste
This 40-min program is about a female motorcycle enthusiast who overcomes doubts and fears to finish a 24-hour race. A story of empowerment and triumph, reminding us that we all have the fire within us to accomplish great things.
Michelle Trieste is a survivor, speaker, and warrior advocate for others who are ready to reclaim their power and live a life of freedom and adventure. After escaping a physically and financially abusive marriage in a foreign country with only the clothes on her back and her children in tow, Michelle found the courage to create a whole new life for herself.
Through her dynamic, suspense-filled, and inspirational stories, Michelle shows others who feel stuck, afraid, and captive to their own choices that they can break free from the limiting, unfulfilling roles they play and take back control of their own lives using storytelling and motorcycle metaphors. https://michelletrieste.com
All Audiences
Location: Woodbury
1:30 - 3:00pm
Fringe: “Fata Morgana”
Performance by Loren Niemi
The interlocking destinies of four characters – a Baker, Contessa, Mapmaker, and Widow – are told in “Fata Morgana”. Loren has the audience select where to begin and later who is to leave the fabled city to arrive at one of five possible endings.
Loren Niemi has been on both sides of the theatrical curtain. As a performer it includes 25 years as 1/3 of the performance art trio, Bad Jazz with Michael Sommers and Kevin Kling as well as 30 solo and partnered Fringe Festival performances since 1995. He has also been a Coach and Director of other performers, a Dramaturge, Playwright, Stage and Tour Manager, and a Producer of storytelling performances, community celebrations and political events. He is the recipient of a 2016 National Storytelling Network Lifetime Achievement Award. For more details: www.lorenNiemistories.com
Location: Woodbury
Audience: adults, mature teens - storytellers, writers, Fringe Festival performers
Content Notes: adult language and situations
3:30 - 5:00pm
Fringe: “Becoming Baba Yaga”
Performance by Laura Packer
For Laura, Baba Yaga is far more than a distant folkloric crone, but an honored figure in family tales and a recurring part of Laura's life. Join her for a woven tale featuring Laura, Vasilisa, and the Witch of the Woods herself. Winner of Staff Choice at the 2022 Minnesota Fringe Festival!
Laura Packer is an award-winning storyteller and author. She has won Best in Fringe in many festivals and is a member of the NSN Circle of Excellence. She has told, taught, coached, and consulted around the world for almost three decades. She believes that challenging times require audacious art.
Location: Woodbury
Audience: Adults, teens
Sunday, March 26
9:00 - 10:30am
Fringe Double Feature: “For Love’s Sake Only, In Spite of War” & “Stories of Comfort and Joy”
Back-to-back performances by Kathleen Santopietro and Alden Joe Doolittle. Please stay for both performances.
For Love's Sake Only, In Spite of War
Kathleen Santopietro
Love is interrupted by the Civil War and life goes on, just not in the usual way. Two classic stories engage our hearts as we get to know the lovers and unexpected outcomes.
Storytelling happened to Kathleen Santopietro via her career as an award-winning adult educator and has continued to be part of her life for 27+ years. She has come to appreciate applied storytelling in areas of health, spirituality, community and lifelong learning. As a traditional storyteller she engages adult audiences with a unique telling style and loves crafting stories to meet audience purpose from pure entertainment to formal instruction.
Audience: Adult & Youth
Stories of Comfort and Joy
Alden Joe Doolittle
Join irrepressible storyteller Joe Doolittle in sharing stories that echo Christmas and bring Comfort and Joy to listeners’ ears and hearts. There will be harps and bells, a tale of space, and song, and perhaps a ride on a subway, all of which will stir your memory with gladness.
Alden (Joe) Doolittle is an accomplished storyteller and producer, based in upstate New York. He has been a member of the NEST for 25 years and is a recipient of the Brother Blue and Ruth Hill Award. He specializes in stories of home & family, historical events, and people. Joe has an interest in healing stories which stems from a 30+year career in health care administration, and a 20 year experience as a volunteer chaplain at the Albany (NY) Medical Center. Join Joe as he shares stories that echo Christmas and bring Comfort and Joy to listener’s ears and hearts.
Location: Riverwatch
Audience: Adult & Youth
Fringe: EARTHSONG: A Celebration of Mother Earth
Performance by Heather Forest
EARTHSONG is a musical monologue about planetary ecology. Through storytelling, science, and original song, this work offers insights into Mother Earth’s cosmological, geological, and anthropological history. A post-show conversation with the audience about storytelling and activism follows.
Heather Forest, is a modern day bard who has appeared in theatres, schools, conferences, and storytelling festivals throughout the US and abroad. She is noted for her dynamic fusion of original music, poetry, and the sung and spoken word. Heather Forest is a recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award presented by the National Storytelling Network and the 2021 Talking Leaves Award for her contributions to storytelling literature. Her original musical monologue EARTHSONG: A Celebration of Mother Earth directed by Megan Wells premiered at the 2021 United Solo Festival on Theater Row in NYC and won the “Best Composer” award.
Location: Woodbury
Audience: storytellers, educators, activists, environmentalists