In February 2023 I was thrilled to play the tile role in Liv Foan’s play. Directed and produced by Liv Munk of Part Of The Main, “The Tinker” is a tense and twisting tale which deliberately leaves the audience to discuss and decide who has been telling the truth? Photos by Clare Hannan, set & costume by Nikki Charlesworth
Here are some events that I’ve been a part of – click on the links for more information or check out my blog where I have written about touring in India in 2016 & 2017 (see below).
In 2012 at the behest of the brilliant Jane & Bernie Latham who founded UCAN Productions, a theatre company for young visually impaired people in Wales I worked with astonishing composer Lloyd Coleman to create a work to celebrate Disability and The Olympics for the Disability Olympiad Cymru. I suggested the story of Pheidippides, the herald, and his heroic runs to mobilise resistance to an invasion by the mighty Persian empire. Lloyd, who is hearing and sight impaired, wrote an orchestral score which was recorded by the BBC Wales Symphonia under Nicholas Collen. I created the narrative concept to which Lloyd wrote music, then, after the glorious music was completed I wrote and recorded this narration
On 11th August 2016, I told the story of AO Hume, 19th century civil servant during the Raj and one of the founders of the Indian National Congress and the founder of the South London Botanical Institute at the National Portrait Gallery.
In 2016 every Wednesday at 11am from 27th July to 24th August 16, I was at the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow telling Indian fairy tales to a packed audience of locals and beyond!
In 2016 I also ran a story making workshop for visually impaired children at the Telling Tales Festival at Shakespeare’s Globe. The RNIB were also involved and quite to my surprise I heard myself narrating from one of their exhibits! This experience led me to approach the Royal Society for Blind Children and throughout 2019 I worked with a group of young blind and partially sighted people teaching them storytelling skills, rhetorical speaking skills, all intended to enhance their abilities to speak for themselves, boost their confidence and enhance their employability. This work was generously supported by Arts Council England. The result? RSBC have told me they now wish to place creativity at the heart of their work with young people and they’ve asked me to help. We were going to but COVID hit. More to come…
In 2018 I was excited to be a part of the first East Anglian Storytelling Festival! I told stories, MC’d, I ran a voice workshop and sampled some rather fine ales…
2016 and we celebrated Festival at the Edge’s 25th anniversary where I ran a voice workshop.
I spent a lovely couple of days in Yorkshire back in June. First I was at York Explore taking a voice workshop and telling the Irish wonder tale Mongan’s Frenzy. Then I took the long, winding bus ride to Hebden Bridge to the Shaggy Dog Storytellers where I told Patched and Mended.
I recorded the Radio 4 Charity Appeal on behalf of the wonderful Snowdon Trust a charity set up to help disabled students in further and higher education who are working towards a professional goal. And they helped me when I did my MA in Voice Studies. Here’s how it all happened.
Story Mayhem at The Imagine Children’s Festival, 2016 – an interactive (and noisy) story making workshop with visually impaired children. Read all about it on my blog!