Upcoming event the Bardic chair

Hi all  we are  hosting a Bardic chair competition  at the Hub nub on Thursday 6th December.
This year is going to be a smaller event for  open storytellers and family to come along to support .
 If  you are interesting in telling a  story please contact our office info@openstorytellers.org.uk so we know how many people  are telling . 

Best wishes
Katie

Performance of Fanny Fust at Glen side Hospital Musem

On Monday 15th October  we  performed  Fanny  Fust  at Glenside  Hospital Museum  in  front of the  Misfits  and  other people.
Everybody enjoyed the performance  and asked questions  about  Fanny Fust. There were  about  35 people  came  to watch us at the performance.
 People said " I quite enjoyed the  enthusiasm and optimism that the actors showed, it added to the atmosphere and made it fun. I liked the creativity around the props, especially the wagon wheels.! Joshua
" Really good, the actors were really into it and really could tell they had practised a lot.! Chris
" They  put  heart  and souls  into it and it was very informative!' Heather
"I like that they had done so much research and it was interesting that Fanny might actually  have had  Downs Syndrome.! Dave


We are looking forward to taking  Fanny  Fust  out on tour to various places. I have enjoyed doing Fanny Fust

project.

Katie Branch
 15.11.18

Fanny Fust Performance at The Merlin Theatre

Thank you for coming to see our performance in Frome Festival, we are still buzzing from our show at the Merlin theatre on Friday 13th July 2018.
We worked really hard on our performance, we were well rehearsed and gave the best show.
 The reaction of the audience was so powerful. Our confidence grew as the play went on. We were able to share what we learnt about 18th Century life. 
Our family and friends enjoyed the story of Fanny Fust and joined in with the song, they found it funny, touching also very moving.
we all couldn't do it without our helper's so thank you for their help.
we are hoping to take Fanny Fust on tour to reach different people in the audience.

We really feel like our theatre company is as professional as any other. This story has helped us to share our experiences of having a learning disability, which is something we live with and it makes us better storytellers. 88 people came to our performance and 70 people said we should take it on tour.

  

Trip to Taunton to get the cheque

On  the Tuesday  1st May 2018    Katie went to  Taunton  county council with Emma  and Jade  to receive a cheque  from William  Wallace, as we were one of his chosen charity.  We had a lovely surprise of how much  he raise  much more than we  expected . We also meet Carol James  who work as William"s PA  told her all about what we do the Open storytellers. William  Wallace  told us that the  new chair of Somerset County Council  is David Forthergill  and  that William would  recommend Openstorytellers to David to be his chosen charity!

By Katie  Branch

19 .7.2018

Fanny Fust's trip to Clarks museum in Street

 This is Robins visit to Clarks museum in Street Somerset, with his Fanny Fust to look at 18th century shoes, in the 1780 style which had strap-ons with low-heeled slippers which Fanny Fust would have worn in Bristol, when she was kidnapped by Henry Bowerman.

The shoe collection had a set of buckles which were made by the Clarks brothers when they were young men in the 1780s.
They were shoemakers in a old house in Street, Somerset who might have worked with the Bath and Wiltshire cloth makers. They made the clothing that Fanny Fust might have worn in those days. 

 

Heritage Lottery Fund Visit

Today we had a visit from Johnathan and Rebecca from Heritage Lottery Fund. They very kindly funded the Fanny Fust project.
They came to find out what we have been doing. Rob talked about his illustrations.  Brad and Sue talked about playing the characters Henry and Fanny.We showed them some of the show. The bit where the Plotters formed their dastardly plan and …..well, you will have to come and see our show and find out on Friday 13th July at the Merlin Theatre.

The Bishop's barn

The Bishop's Barn Wells

We've got a story to tell... are people all the same?

or are we different?

If you want to find out  more about the stories please come and see us

on the day

at the

Bishop's Barn Wells

Silver street Wells

the stories we are telling:

King of the goblins

and

Silly Jack

on

Monday 14th May

time of the show is

1:30-2:30pm

Open StoryTellers is coming to Frome Festival

 Open Story Tellers are going to perform the Fortunes and Misfortunes of Miss Fanny Fust at the Merlin Theatre in Frome on Friday 13th July 2018.
A Story that will make you think, and question, who has consent. Find out about the dastardly deeds of Henry Bowerman. 
Save the date in your diary, this not to be missed!

Mrs Ann Fust and Miss Fanny Fust

  Illustrated By Robin Meader

Tobacco Factory Bristol
We were the curtain raiser support act for Devils violin at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol.
and we had 125 people in audience which is loads biggest  audience we ever preformed for.
Ceridwen was the story we told    Tim "i was nervous,but excited about performing",
Bradley "I was surprised to see how many was there  as soon as I started I lost myself in the story
and forgot How big the audience was" Katie "I felt nervous before performing I was pleased and happy about the peformance after  telling the story."
Ceridwen is a story about a  sorcerer who has two children a daughter and son
Ceridwen's  son is called Avagddu   who  is disabled and left alone in the dark
Ceridwen gets sick and tried that the local village was taking the mick out of her son because he was different to everyone else so Ceridwen thought if I can't make Avagddu, better I make him wise so
Ceridwen goes off collect some items  to make a magic potion then Ceridwen steals a boy from the village to help make the potion that eventually went wrong. Throughout the rest of the story people forget and forgot about Avagddu, that's why we tell our stories, so we can be included and not forgotten or left alone in the dark or left alone without friends and family .
The audience thought we were amazing. We had a really good technician  who got the lights perfect for us. We like to see our audience when we performing so we know  they can see us .
The audience was moved and understood our message once we told our story I/ Bradley think some people started looking at us differently afterwards the way we want be respected and treated hopefully they can see a different picture and a  life story in people with learning disabilities and communication difficulties. We have a voice and story to tell to you all.
The End.

Telling Stories from around the world at Fosseway School

Thursday  8th  March  Storytelling  performance at Fosseway School.

We were  very pleased to be invited to go to Fosseway school  for their World Book Day .

Bradley  said ' I  managed to   tell the story of  Thor  at a slow  speed  so everyone  could hear me  using  actions  in the story  really helped. People thought it was  really funny, the pace was good I have improved and felt confident.'

  We met another storytellers called Stu Pacher,he wants to come and watch us doing storytelling .

Katie said ' It was lovely to get invited back to my old school. I enjoyed telling Anansi and the tug of the war  to the  young children, they were very interactive- it was a good experience, the teenagers were interested in the Thor  story.  Listening to Tim, Robin and Sue telling the story Stone Soup and the Snot Nose Boy were magical to the young children.'

Sue  said ' It was  challenging and experience .I enjoyed telling  the story Snot Nose Boy to  young children ,I was very nervous  telling the  story Stone Soup. It was  different working with  young children but I'm  looking forward to doing it again.'

By Katie Branch- 22-3-2018

National Storytelling Week

Clemma

Openstorytellers think stories are very important because they have a sparkle, and have character in them, and it makes us all very inspired. They are exciting to listen to, it changes our lives in the way we tell the stories, and it brings people from the outside inside to enjoy and listen to them all.

Robin 

There are people from all over the world with thousands of stories, storytelling goes back to prehistoric times. People used their voices and gestures- its powerful, it makes people have visions and understand the outside world, it makes friendships and brings people together.

Katie

The stories are important to us it reflects on our disabilities and gives us a sparkle, and gets us out of our shells.

Tracey

Stories are fun and exciting

Ruth

Stories are important because it makes people realise that we all have stories to tell, which makes us who we are.

Tim

Stories are important because everyone has a story to tell and that it gives your sparkle a chance to shine.