This week sees storytellers from near and far gathering for the annual Orkney Storytelling Festival.
Organised by the Orcadian Story Trust, the festival features a wide variety of events across Orkney, suitable for all ages, and runs from Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th October.
Details of the full programme can be found on the website www.orkneystorytellingfestival.co.uk. Tickets are available from SAS in Kirkwall, SOS in Stromness, and on the door.
Returning for a second year is Swedish Jerker Fahlström, who delighted audiences last year with his energetic and entertaining stories about Nordic Gods. ‘He was fantastic,’ said an audience member from Jerker’s show in Stromness Town Hall last year. ‘I was weeping with laughter.’ Jerker will be sharing his stories this year in the Stromness Hotel, St Magnus Cathedral, and St Margaret’s Hope, as well as informal events throughout the weekend.
Jerker will be joined this year by Norwegian storyteller Maritha Nielsen, who has visited Orkney before but never had the chance to perform here. ‘ I am looking forward to it very much,’ said Maritha this week, ‘your islands are very beautiful and I am happy to be making the connections with Orkney’s history.’
The Orkney Storytelling Festival has the backing of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, held in Edinburgh every year.
Orkney’s Tom Muir will be performing in the city as part of their programme of events, before travelling home to tell stories here. He explained that part of the festival’s aim is to take the tales to the islands. ‘Last year we did events in Westray and Sanday. This year with Maritha and Jerker we will be telling Viking Tales in Hoy – particularly relevant as I want to show them the beach at Osmundwall where Olaf Trygvasson converted Sigurd the Stout to Christianity. We’ll be holding an event in the Hoy Kirk on Saturday so we’re hoping for a good turnout.’
The theme for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is ‘Scotland and Old Europe’ and a number of performances around the country are playing host to visiting storytellers from all over the continent. The Orcadian Story Trust is delighted to welcome Stella Kassimati from the island of Crete, with her performance partner Geoff Mead. Stella and Geoff will be telling tales of ancient times, featuring Greek Gods and mythical creatures; and they will be performing in Stromness and St Magnus Cathedral. Fran Flett Hollinrake of the Orcadian Story Trust explains: ‘with Stella and Geoff bringing Greek Gods, and Jerker and Maritha bringing Nordic deities, it seemed entirely fitting that we should hold an event for them all in St Magnus Cathedral – the spiritual heart of Kirkwall. I’m sure the Gods of Mount Olympus will love it, and Thor will feel right at home in a Viking cathedral!’
Events for younger audiences this year include a storymaking workshop at Orkney Library, and a walk with a difference round the cathedral entitled Mermaids and Miracles. There will also be a ‘creepy’ tour of Kirkwall, suitable for all ages of 7 and over.
After last year’s successful event at Kirbuster Museum, this year’s festival features a whole afternoon of stories in the barn at Corrigall Farm Museum. Tom Muir says, ‘the idea is to make it a kind of drop-in event. You can come for ten minutes, or half an hour, or stay for the whole thing if you want. It’ll be pot luck who you hear – it could be Jerker, or me, or Lynn Barbour from the Peatfire Tales, or one of our new storytellers; and there’s no charge, although donations are very welcome.’
Since last year’s festival, the Orcadian Story Trust has been busy organising fund-raising storytelling session throughout the year. As well as local storytellers, the events have featured visiting performers such as Bob Wilhelm from the US, Mara Menzies from Kenya, and Audrey Parks from Ireland. Tom Muir explains: ‘we’ve got a good reputation as an organisation – storytellers who are visiting Orkney are now seeking us out, and wanting to perform here, often at short notice. It’s been an amazing year for storytelling in Orkney – we did workshops back in May with Lawrence Tulloch from Shetland and Ian Stephen from the Isle of Lewis, then we’ve have all these events, and now it’s festival time again! I hope the folk of Orkney are ready to be well and truly entertained!’
Storytelling is based on the experiences of individuals, as told to others, and then retold. Orkney has been strategically important since at least Viking times, including during the 2 great wars of the 20th century: direct living experience of the 1914-18 war, has only just very recently passed away, leaving only stories behind. Andrew Hollinrake (who has carried out archaeological surveys of the Ness Battery in Stromness, and other sites), Tom Muir, Fran Flett Hollinrake and Marita Lück will kick off the festival on Thursday with Wartime Tales in the Still Room of the Stromness Hotel, a mixture of history and tales in the former headquarters of Orkney and Shetland Defences.
Details of the full programme can be found on the website www.orkneystorytellingfestival.co.uk. Tickets are available from SAS in Kirkwall, SOS in Stromness, and on the door.
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with queries about performers, events, or tickets.
For urgent queries, and for those for whom email is difficult, phone Sweyn Hunter (07796 952788) for ticket enquiries, or Fran Flett Hollinrake (01856 841689 or 07815 053894) for all other enquiries.
