NHTP's 4th Annual Storytelling Festival Opens with Native American Tales

The first weekend of New Hampshire Theatre Project's (NHTP) 4th Annual Storytelling Festival features performances and workshops celebrating the coming spring with stories from the natural world and traditional Native American tales. On Friday evening, March 6, Featured Artist Diane Edgecomb begins her 3-week workshop "The Golden Thread: Finding Meaning in Traditional Tales" which focuses on Voice, Movement, Characterization and Narration techniques, and is open to both experienced and novice storytellers.

Along with elegant harp accompaniment by Margot Chamberlain, Diane Edgecomb will also perform In the Groves on Saturday, March 7 at 8 pm. This evening of folkloric stories and songs from around the world celebrates the mystery and beauty of the natural world. The centerpiece of the first act is the Persian legend of The Nightingale and Rose. Diane's original adaptation follows this exotic love story through the ages, weaving together myths of the rose and its origins. Flower tales from many lands include that of the lamentable Narcissus and the Ojibway Native American story about the Dandelion.

The second act is an exquisitely crafted collection of tree myths, folktales and songs celebrating beloved groves of trees. Stories include Kansakura - Sacred Cherry Tree: a delicate tale of love about the cherry trees of Japan, The Dancing Spirit of the Birch from Czechoslovakia in which a young girl learns the power of dance, and Three Green Ladies: a poignant legend about Midsummer Eve and the ancient tree spirits that dwell in Cornwall, England. A master storyteller, Diane entertains and enchants transforming into the characters in her tales bringing each story to vibrant life. The performance is recommended for ages 10 to adult.

Author of A Fire in My Heart, the first collection of Kurdish folktales to be published in English, Diane Edgecomb is also one of America's leading storytellers, winner of the only ORACLE award for Storytelling Excellence in the Northeast, the National Circle of Excellence award and five Storytelling World awards. A transformational teller with a rich background in the theatre arts, Diane's dynamic storytelling embraces elements of theatre, movement and song bringing each piece vividly to life. A featured teller on NPR and winner of a Year's Best Performance award for her theater work in Boston, Diane's storytelling has been seen at prestigious venues throughout the country and internationally for over twenty-five years including the National Storytelling Festival, the International Storytelling Center, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, the Kurdish Heritage Library and Museum as well as at numerous theatres, folk houses and universities. Diane and Margot's roving story and music performances in nature have been annual events at Arboretums and Botanic Gardens throughout the Northeast.

Storyteller Anne Jennison will also be featured this first weekend. On Saturday, March 7, Anne will offer a workshop in "Native American Storytelling" and on Sunday, March 8 at 2 pm, she will present Native American Tales, traditional stories that will delight ages from 6 to 96.

Anne Jennison is a New Hampshire-based Native American storyteller, historian, educator, and craftsperson with both European and Abenaki heritage. With Master's degrees in both Storytelling and in History, Anne brings a wealth of knowledge - polished by more than 30 years of experience as a performing storyteller - to her retelling of timeless Native American lesson stories, especially the stories of the Northeast. Anne occasionally has taught traditional Abenaki crafts workshops in cornhusk dollmaking and beadwork, and also gives storytelling performances at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner, NH and other venues throughout New England. She is a co-producer of the annual Dawnland StoryFest - New Hampshire's only Native American Storytelling Festival - which takes place on the first Saturday in February every year. In addition to storytelling performances, Anne is helping Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth develop an Abenaki history and culture exhibit and interpretation program.

Tickets for all Saturday 8 pm performances are $25; all Sunday 2 pm performances are $20. All performances and workshops will be held at New Hampshire Theatre Project, 959 Islington Street, Portsmouth NH.

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NHTP's 4th Annual Storytelling Festival is sponsored by Heinemann Publishing in Portsmouth, dedicated to teachers for over 50 years, with additional funding from the New England State Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts.

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