Performers:

With performances for groups large or small, of all age ranges, Jackson Gillman incorporates song, story, comedy, dance, mime and sign language into his own intimate style of theatre. Jackson has been Teller-in-Residence at the ISC four times, featured 4x at the national festival as well as many others throughout the country. "I know Jackson's work intimately, better than anyone else in fact, and sometimes I just have to say - it stinks!... it's phenomenal! But hey, what do I know?" - Jackson Gillman, the Stand-Up Chameleon's worst and best critic

For Tammy Hall, stories hold ancient and proverbial wisdom, that stories travel far, even from generation to generation. A native of Clarksville, Tennessee, Tammy has called Brooklyn home for many years. She has performed venues in the Greater New York area including The Military Academy at West Point, The Apollo Theater, Symphony Space, The Brooklyn of Academy of Music, Macy’s, Rockefeller Plaza. She tells stories in libraries, schools, museums, cultural festivals and block parties, too!

Children at the Well

The mission of Children at the Well is to increase capacity for intercultural understanding, build diverse community connections and grow compassionate leaders through the art of storytelling. In the Children at the Well program, young people from many different traditions learn the art of storytelling together. They explore the riches of their heritage and share them with each other. They choose or create stories to tell that they feel a deep connection to. As they become proficient storytellers, they’re given opportunities to present to audiences of all sizes.

You know it is a folk tale when animals in the story talk, and you also know that what they have to say is going to teach a lesson. Listen and learn from the animals in traditional tales from many cultures, and explore how animals might see things. Learn different versions of an animal from many traditions. Practice telling some talking animal stories, and act out their point of view. Maybe you’ll change your mind about what you think about animals, about the world, and about yourself.

Bowen Lee is a storyteller, educator and environmentalist who believes stories can be transformative. She merges these passions together to provide a deep, memorable experience for self-reflection. Bowen conducts workshops and performs live and virtually with national, international, and regional programs.

Sure, everyone has heard of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. But, dig a little deeper, and you'll find every city, town, and hamlet has folk history, urban legends, and  bizarre events that locals talk about in hushed tones on a late night front porch. These snippets can make the best stories!

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore both how to research and craft local  history stories, and why they are so meaningful. Expect a lively, fun, interactive 90 minutes.  Bring your notebook, and any kernels of regional folklore you'd like to play with. This will spark some ideas for sure!

Linda Schuyler Ford grew up in Sleepy Hollow, NY, wandering the Headless Horseman's haunts, and listening to old tales from her German and British grandparents. Linda presents story-based retreats for people experiencing grief (Five Smooth Stones), and for men, women and teens grappling with significant life changes (Dance With Both Hands Free). She has led storytelling workshops for the American Society on Aging, the Florida Council on Aging, AARP, and  the University of Oregon. She performs at libraries, museums and festivals along the East Coast. Stories build  connections. No matter the genre, or audience demographic, that phenomenon is her passion.

Marni Gillard discovered storytelling as a Niskayuna middle-school teacher. Her book, Storytelling, Storyteacher (Stenhouse publishers, available on Amazon) helps teachers and parents understand how valuable tale-telling and poem-telling are for students of all ages finding their voice. Marni's double CD, "Without a Splash, Diving Into Childhood Memories" shows how important life stories are for listeners and tellers as well. Reach Marni at marnigillard@earthlink.net or leave a message at 518-312-6095.

Maria Gillard is a natural and talented singer, songwriter, and music educator from the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. She is best known as a folk musician but dabbles in jazz, bluegrass and swing genres. She teaches music at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, NY and has been performing since the mid-1980’s. In the early 90’s she teamed up with her sister, Marni Gillard, performing “Sisters in Song and Story”, in which they performed songs and stories of family, friends and personal history. This year at Sharing the Fire, you may catch a glimpse of this repertoire in The Poem Telling workshop.

Barbara Aliprantis is a bilingual teller with English and ASL. She is an ethnographic kaleidoscope of world folktales. 

Thelma Thomas is a bilingual (English/Spanish) performer with an extensive repertoire of stories from around the globe.

Dr. Linda Humes is currently a doctoral Lecturer in the Africana Studies Department at John Jay College in New York City. She is the Chair of the education committee for the National Association of Black storytellers Association and performs and conducts workshops nationally and internationally.

When you are ready to step on stage, there is a lot to think about that has nothing to do with your story! Our voices all sound different coming through a microphone, and we need to know how to use them properly without blowing out our audiences' ear drums. We will begin by learning how a microphone works and then get a chance to practice speaking into one. Finally, we will practice projecting confidence (even if you are really scared) by learning some basic stage presence techniques. This workshop is for anyone looking to take the next step and tell their stories from the stage.

Award-winning British storyteller Simon Brooks has been entrancing audiences for 20 years. His tales, both live (in-person or virtual) and his award-winning recordings, contain everything from humour to pathos, all with a wink and smile. He invites all to investigate & to become fascinated with Story as he drops you into tales so vividly you would think you were somewhere else. Simon has performed at hundreds of schools, colleges, libraries, and festivals including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, Teller in Residence at the ISC, and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Utah, amongst others. Find him at SimonBrooksStoryteller.com (Diamondscree.com).