Learn to tell good stories from those who tell them

Kingsport Times-News, From staff reports

Everyone has a story to tell, and most everyone at one time or another has had to speak in front of a crowd of people.

A storytelling workshop sponsored by the Kingsport Theatre Guild can help participants, first, tell a story in such a way that people will perk up when they hear it, and second, overcome their nervousness.

Led by storytellers Fiona Page of Atlanta, Karen Wanamaker of Columbia, Tenn., and Kingsport resident Debbie Rauch, the five-day storytelling workshop will be held July 22-26, 1990 at the Kingsport Renaissance Center. The event will cover a number of classes for participants ranging in age from 5 to 113, Rauch said.

Page lost 100 percent of her sight three years ago, the freak side effect of a hospital operation, Rauch said. A former schoolteacher, Page has been a storyteller for years. Wanamaker is currently a media specialist in a public school in Columbia.

Rauch, a former schoolteacher in St. Louis, and Hawkins and Sullivan counties, earned her master's degree in elementary education with a specialization in storytelling from East Tennessee Sates University in 1989. She has been a full-time storyteller since March 1989.

Page will lead two workshops, Ghost Tales is for participants age 13 to 113. The workshop will be held from 10-11:30 a.m., each day, with a limit of 40 people. Family Folklore, geared for senior citizens, will be taught from 1-2:30 p.m., each day. There is a limit of 15 participants.

Wanamaker will teach Creative Sensation, a workshop for children age 6 to 8 with a lot of creativity. The workshop will explore creativity through art, music, literature and games using all kinds of materials. Creative Sensations will be taught every day from 10-11:30 a.m. and has a limit of 12 to 20 participants.

Imagination and Me, geared to children age 8 to 12, explores the worlds of magic, treasure hunting and much more. Wear old clothes to both these workshops and be prepared to get messy and do some screaming. This workshop will be taught from 1-2:30 p.m., each day with a limit of 20 participants.

Cultural Heroes, taught from 10-11:30 a.m., each day by Rauch, is a guide to turning stories told by other family members or neighbors into tales tellable to general audiences. This workshop also covers basic storytelling techniques. The workshop is geared to children age 9 to 12, with a limit of 20.

Rauch also will teach Basic Storytelling Techniques each day from 1-2:30 p.m. to participants 13 to 113, with a limit of 20.

A public performance will be held on July 23, featuring two shows. From 7-7:50 p.m., Wanamaker will don her Civil War gown as she tells three Civil War stories for Family Showcase. Page and Rauch will round out the evening from 8:30-9:20 p.m. with Spine-Tinglers for children older than 9 and adults.

From 7-9 p.m. on July 25, Wanamaker will offer a workshop entitled BASIC (Books, Activities, Stories In Classrooms) for elementary school teachers and librarians. The workshop could be titled What do I do tomorrow, and is an introduction of presentations and childrens activities. All patterns and needed materials are included in the workshop packet. All materials used are child-tested materials currently in use by Wanamaker in schools and classrooms. The workshop is limited to 30 people.

The week will close at 7 p.m. on July 26 with Concert Time for all workshop participants, their families and friends. Students from Wanamakers classes will have items on display, while students from the other classes will regale their families and friends with a story they learned to tell during the week.

The fees for the workshops and public performances are as follows: Ghost Tales, $30; Creative Sensation, $35; Cultural Heroes, $30; Family Folklore, $30; Imagination and Me, $35; Basic Storytelling Techniques, $30; BASIC, $25.

To attend both Family Showcase and Spine-Tinglers, the fee is $6 for adults, $3 for children/students age 3 to 20. Those under 2 are admitted free. Family limit is $13. Free to workshop participants.

To attend either Family Showcase or Spine-Tinglers, admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children/students age 3-20, with those under 2 admitted free. Family limit is $12. Free to workshop participants.

The workshop fees are pre-registration fees and are due by July 17. After July 17, fees will increase by $5. Tickets for performances may be purchased in advance beginning July 8 through the Arts Council office or KTG members, and will be available at the door.

The workshops are made possible in part be a grant from the Kingsport Arts Enrichment Program.

For more information, call the Arts Council weekdays at 392-8420. Nights and weekends, call 247-3548 and leave a message.