Interview: Chatting with Storyteller Ursa Miles About Her Show OZARK PHANTASMAGORIA

Acclaimed Ozark storyteller Ursa Miles is bringing her original work OZARK PHANTASMAGORIA to St. Louis for a one-night performance at The Chapel. Miles, a renowned professional storyteller, studied in the Master’s graduate storytelling program at East Tennessee State University and trained under master storyteller David Novack.  

OZARK PHANTASMAGORIA is being presented by Contraband Theater at 8:00 PM on March 10th at The Chapel. Contraband’s founder Jacob Juntunen says, “e.k. doolin and I were considering what unique offerings we could bring to the city. We thought that Miles’ human-centric, flyover-focused, regional story aligned perfectly with Contraband’s mission.”   

Miles recalls how she became fascinated with dramatic story telling. She said, “I was privileged to attend an elementary school that had a resident storyteller on staff who would tell us stories focused on local cryptid family histories.” She shared how she and her classmates would recount, re-tell, and embellish the stories they had heard during recess and after school. Miles said she would go home and have nightmares from the playground elaborations.  

 In 2017 Miles was asked to create a cohesive, full-length story telling show. The show, OZARK PHANTASMAGORIA, was born from the stories she and her classmates created during their free time. 

Miles’ story begins just after engineers completed construction on the Norfork Dam in Arkansas. The construction displaced the local cryptids who lived by the river forcing them to live among the people of Baxter County. OZARK PHATASMAGORIA follows the story of a local girl whose missing brother is presumed dead from the attack of an underwater alligator gar. The girl is determined to seek revenge for her brother’s death.  

Juntunen has seen Miles work before and he says the audience should expect a really captivating story told by a skilled performer. “It is a lot like sitting around a campfire and hearing tales,” he continued, “the lights are on and there is a give-and-take with the audience.”  

Miles agreed. She said, “the most important quality a storyteller can have is alertness.” Miles shared that storytelling is different from a scripted play. “A story has a framework for the narrative, but the individual words are different every time the story is told. I have to read the audience.” She says that each time the story is told that it is tailored to that specific audience.