AN INTRODUCTION TO STORYTELLING: STORYTELLING 101 WITH FRAN STALLINGS

Oklahoma's own Fran Stallings, a nationally known storyteller who has traveled the globe sharing tales, will be the workshop leader for a STORYTELLING 101: A Beginning Guide to Storytelling. 

Fascinated by the subject, want to expand your skills, receive quality training information on storytelling?  This event is for you!

The cost for this special pre-festival event is only $10 and is suitable for ages 16 and above.

Reserve your spot online at territorytellers.org under "Events" or pay with cash/check at the door at the event.

The workshop will be held at 4:00 p.m. in the Parlor of the educational building of Stroud First United Methodist Church (corner of N 2nd Ave. and E 4th Street) just one block south of Main/Route 66 in Stroud.

That evening, return for a free and open to the public meet, greet, and tell and mingle with storytellers and fans!
 

"DEVELOPING A FAMILY TRADITION OF STORYTELLING" with Kansas author and storyteller, Rose Cutrer, June 3, 2023 in Stroud, Oklahoma

 

Saturday morning from 9-10:30 a.m. Rose Cutrer will present, at the 17th Annual Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival to be held in Stroud, Oklahoma, June3, 2023,  a workshop designed to give families the tools to enrich the lives of members. 

Rosie Cutrer, a storyteller from Topeka, Kansas, has been telling stories professionally for the past fifteen  years, presenting at festivals, schools, libraries and museums.  

In the past few years, she has been invited to perform at: the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival,  the Kansas Storytelling Festival, The Land Run Festival in Choctaw, Oklahoma, the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska and was a featured teller at the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival in 2011. 

In October of 2010 she made a storytelling tour of Ireland telling in schools and libraries in County Wexford and in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

"Rosie is a tour de force in storytelling. She accommodates all ages and has performed at the national park service for three years now. She was so well received that the principals and teachers have asked her back for a return engagement."   -Amy Garrett - Park Ranger / Homestead National Monument /Beatrice, Nebraska

ALL DAY SAT. PASS will be $35 and a Half Day will be $20.

Additionally, she will be the featured teller in the evening story concert and entry without the above mentioned passes will be only $5.00 per person. Stories for the event are all appropriate for ages 16 and older. 

A Workshop on Sharing Bible Stories for All Ages.

 $35 for all day pass includes access to this workshop or $20 half day pass.

Sat. morning at 10:35 to 11:30 a.m.

Event being held in the Stroud First United Methodist Church

OUTLINE OF EVENTS FOR THE 17TH ANNUAL SPIRIT OF OKLAHOMA STORYTELLING FESTIVAL (June 2-3, 2023)

Location is Stroud, Oklahoma and events will be held at the local First United Methodist Church. Online registration at Territory Tellers of Oklahoma website.

All events take place at the Stroud United Methodist Church, 324 N. 2nd Ave., Stroud OK.

FRIDAY, June 2, 2023

• 4:00-5:30 p.m. INTRODUCTION TO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP.  Nationally-known storyteller Fran Stallings will help you learn the basics of storytelling in this workshop. This workshop is ONLY $10 and is designed for people ages 16 and up. (Marilyn A. Hudson, Host).

• 5:30- 6:30 Supper on your own

• 6:45-8:45 p.m. MEET, GREET, TELL (Chester Weems facilitator). This free pre-festival event is designed for people to mingle with tellers and attendees, play story games, and swap tales. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

SATURDAY, June 3, 2023 ** ALL DAY PASS $35 (CASH/CHECK AT DOOR)L HALF-DAY $20.

Check out the “Photo Opportunity” (for Directory or Prof Use) spot with Chester Weems, displays, vendors, and the Rt 66 backdrop of the speakers is a perfect “selfie” photo memory spot.

• 8:30 a.m. REGISTRATION. (Facilitators: Dianne Fallis and Rosemary Czarski). Cash or check only at door.

• 9:00-10:30 WORKSHOP W/ROSIE CUTRER – (Fran Stallings host).  Festival featured teller Rosie Cutrer will conduct a workshop on Developing a Family Storytelling Tradition. Conference Room.

• 9:00- 9:45 STORY-TIVITIES – (Stephanie Scott, Facilitator/Host). Playing with Stories. Fellowship Hall.

• 9:50 – 10:30 OPEN MIC – (Rosemary Czarski, MC).  An open mic where you can tell a story of 5 minutes or less. Fellowship Hall.

• 9:50 – 10:30 PHOTO OPPORTUNITY – (Chester Weems, Photographer).  Chester will take an individual quarter or head image at no cost if delivered via email. Printed and mailed versions for a fee. Great for using professionally, adding to an online directory, etc. Sanctuary Hallway.

• 10:35-11:30 TT CONCERT - (Valerie Kimble, MC). Tellers: Donna Courtney, Teresa Vail, Tony Hardman and Fran Stallings. Fellowship Hall.

• 10:35-11:30 WORKSHOP W/MARILYN HUDSON.  (Barbara Jones, Host). Marilyn Hudson will present a workshop on using storytelling to share stories of inspiration in Faith and Bible Storytelling.  Conference Room.

• 11:30-1:00 LUNCH BREAK.  You can pre-purchase lunch (until May 29th: See Registration Page), bring your own, or visit a local restaurant. Fellowship Hall.

• Noon-12:50 - TALES & PAILS – (Nancy Matthews MC). If eating lunch on site, enjoy this informal storytelling hour. Drop your name in the “pail” for a chance to tell a story. Fellowship Hall. 

• 1:00-2:25 TTellers GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING President Barbara Jones leading.  The Territory Tellers board membership meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend. Fellowship Hall. 

• 2:30-3:30– STORIES ON ROUTE 66 - (Marilyn Hudson, MC). Nancy Matthews, Donne Le, and others will share a variety of tales in a semi-open mic. (50 min curated; 10 min open mic). Fellowship Hall.

• 3:40 – 4:40 LIARS at the MIC – (Tony Hardman, MC) – Some Open Mic.  Tony Hardman, an award-winning storyteller, will share a “Lie” to wrap it all up! *FREE and Open to the Public. Fellowship Hall. 

• 5:00 to 6:30 - Supper on your own.

EVENING EVENTS - FREE WITH ALL DAY PASS OR JUST $5.00 PER PERSON AT THE DOOR THAT EVENING. APPROX FOR AGES 16 AND OVER. 

• 6:15 – 6:30 - EVENING REGISTRATION.  (Dianne Fallis Facilitating) $5.00 for those w/o  All Day Pass/Route 66 Stamp.

• 6:30-6:55 EVENING PRE-CONCERT MUSIC - Donna Courtney -Native American flute music. Fellowship Hall. 

• 7:00-8:00 EVENING CONCERT - (Fran Stallings, MC). This concert will feature Chester Weems (Facilitator) with a Tribute to Connie Fisher & Pat Kardaleff. Followed by stories from select TT members: Chester Weems, Molly Lemmons, Valerie Kimball, and Eddie Wilcoxen. Fellowship Hall.

• 8:15-9:15 EVENING CONCERT WITH FEATURED TELLER - (Fran Stallings MC) - Featured teller, Rosie Cutrer. Fellowship Hall.

• 9:15 END – We thank our host location for use of the facilities and ask that all who can lend a hand to leave the facility as we received the facility.  (Basically, putting chairs and tables back in place, trash, etc.)

SPIRIT OF OKLAHOMA STORYTELLING FESTIVAL COMING TO STROUD, OK JUNE 3, 2023

Check the Territory Tellers of Oklahoma website for updates on prices, events, and to pre-register! www.territorytellers.com

21 MARCH 2023      *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* UPDATED

STATE GROUP TO HOLD STORYTELLING FESTIVAL ON ROUTE 66 IN STROUD

17TH ANNUAL “SPIRIT OF OKLAHOMA STORYTELLING FESTIVAL” HITS THE ROAD:  STROUD and ROUTE 66 IN 2023.  

Oklahoma’s statewide storytelling organization,  The  Territory  Tellers of Oklahoma,  a  non-profit  501(c)(3) organization,  promoting  the  art  of  storytelling,  announces  that  the  17th  Spirit  of  Oklahoma Storytelling Festival will be in Stroud, Oklahoma,  Saturday, June 3, 2023.   

After zoom-only events for the last year and half there is anticipation for this exciting event. The theme is “ON THE ROAD: STORIES ON ROUTE 66” and performers from across the region.  Featured guest-teller is Rosie Best-Cutrer from Kansas,  (https://www.rosiecutrer.com/). She is a nationally known performer, author, and educator who has shared stories in a host of settings. 

The Stroud event offers the opportunity for storytellers to share, and audiences to hear, a variety of stories against the backdrop of  a  historic  and  classic  highway  filled  with  unique  tales.  Guests and performers are encouraged to be part of the fun of this event by adding a touch of fun with a hat or hairdo (or more) from the long history of the “Mother Road…Route 66.”  A photo booth will be available to create memories of this special journey of stories.

The festival will feature opportunities to hear amateur and professional storytellers sharing in concerts, learning about the art form in  a  variety  of  workshop  sessions,  and  maybe  an opportunity or two for participants to share a tale. 

A PRE-EVENT will be an introduction to storytelling led by nationally known Oklahoma based storyteller and author Fran Stallings (www.franstallings.com). This event will be Friday June 2 at 4 to 5:30 p.m. Cost will be only $10 for this one workshop. A free meet-greet-and story will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. 

The main festival event will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday June 3 with registration, first workshops and concerts begin at 10 a.m.

All events are being held in the educational spaces of Stroud First United Methodist Church at 324 N 2nd Ave, Stroud, OK 74079.  

The cost for the all-day Saturday, June 3, event will be $( coming soon) for adults ($ coming soon -for members of Territory Tellers), and is open to anyone 15 years and over.  Half-day and evening only concert tickets will also be available. Registration and membership options through the Territory Tellers website but onsite registration will be possible. Past festivals have been held in Seminole, Oklahoma City, Guthrie, and other locations with people attending from several states.    

The event features quality storytelling performances, called concerts, fun skill building workshops to find and develop an interest in this ancient and ever new art form. Informal story swaps, mini-concerts and more await. Educators and professional storytellers welcome the continued education the workshops can provide for their storytelling activities.  

Stroud Storytelling Festival 2023 will be 3 June 2023 and marks the seventeenth annual production of this festival. 

Last year, over 20 performing artists presented during a two-day Zoom event with attendance of over 195. People participated from nine states, including Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Minnesota, New York and California. 

As one participant commented, about the event: i “A wonderful, heart-warming experience! It was lovely to witness the pleasure that the audience took in the stories, the warmth of the welcome to friends both old and new, and the exceptional quality of the stories and the storytelling. While this is a small festival, it is one of quality and excellence.”

PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP, Friday afternoon, 4:00 to 5:30, "Storytelling 101" with noted storyteller, Fran Stallings (www.franstallings.com)

FEATURED TELLER FOR EVENT

Rosie Best Cutrer, from Kansas, is a well known author and storyteller and she will present a workshop of using stories within the family and will serve as the featured teller in the evening story concert. (www.rosiecutrer.com)

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For questions or more information, contact TerritoryTellers@hotmail.com ;

Website/Registration: Territory Tellers – Oklahoma's Storytelling Organization  www.territorytellers.com 

the Territory Tellers representative in Stroud Marilyn A. Hudson,  at authormarilynahudson@gmail.com.    

June 3, 2023 Stroud Hosts The 17th Annual Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival!

 

SAS ON HOLD! LOOK FOR SPECIAL "EVENTS" IN THE FUTURE

 The regular monthly meetings of SAS are on hold.

Instead, the focus will be to 

a) Create special storytelling events through the year

b) Visit schools, libraries and other venues to share storytelling with the community.

UPDATED Halloween Stories Event!!

Join us for some FUN and SPOOKY tales! 

The Event will be TWO-PART.

SEASONAL STORIES FOR THE FAMILY From 6:00-6"45 p.m. Thurs. Oct. 27, 2022, stories for families and smaller children. Fun tales and only a few "slight chills" to delight all.  Then, enjoy some refreshments and - maybe - some games and treats!

SPOOKY TALES FOR ADULTS AND TEENS From 7:00-&7:45 p.m. Thurs. Oct. 27, 2022 ADULTS and TEENS can sit in on a session with more chills and shivers - suitable to their ages -  "The Ghost Teller" will be there to share some tales from history, legends and even some personal encounters with things that go "bump" in the night!

Location: The Educational Building of Stroud United Methodist Church.  

TIME TO HAVE A 'TELLABRATION!' (tm) : an EVENING OF STORYTELLING

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 at 7 p.m.

324 W. 2nd Avenue

Stoud, Oklahoma

(Corner of W.2nd Ave and W. 4th Street)

An evening of storytelling suitable for teens and adults. Come enjoy some delightful tales performed by experienced storytellers and those just learning. Storytelling is an ancient art form suitable for many ages and stages. Consider becoming a part of Storytelling at Stroud (SAS)

 

Halloween Storytelling Events - On Route 66!

 Thurs, Oct. 27, 2022 come enjoy seasonal stories for everyone!

This TWO-PART event will have an early evening session from 6:00 to 6:45 P.M. designed to appeal to families with children. ALl stories will be seasonal, funny and or slightly spooky!

At 7:oo P.M. to 8:15 P.M. will begin a session of stories designed to bring chills, shivers, and more seasonal delights.

SPOOKY STORIES TO DELIGHT : FUN ON ROUTE 66, OCT. 27, 2022

At 7 p.m. on Thurs. Oct. 27, 2022, come enjoy some stories to bring shivers, make you wonder, and make you look over your shoulder on the way home!  Storyteller Marilyn A. Hudson, known sometimes as The Ghost Teller, will bring an evening of chills, with maybe some help from friends. The event is sponsored by Stroud's storytelling group, Storytellers at Stroud (SAS).  Stories are drawn from legends, history, real events, and more. 

Time: 7:00 to 8:15 p.m.

Place: 324 W. 2nd, Stroud, Ok (Educ Blg. Stroud UMC)

Target Audience: Teens, Adults, children in 5th grade or above with adult

Cost: Free or bring a can of food for the community food banks

Note: a family friendly event will take place from 6:00 to 6:46 p.m. for families with children. 

 

Join Us for Storytelling at Stroud - July 28, at 7 p.m.!

A free event!  Location is 234 West 2nd Avenue, Stroud, Oklahoma. Educational bldg. of Stroud UMC (corner area of 2nd W. Ave. and West 4th Street).  Come hear some fun stories!!!
 

Another Great Year!: The Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival 2022

For immediate release

Territory Tellers, Oklahoma’s statewide, nonprofit, storytelling group is pleased to announce that their virtual 2022 Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival was successful, due in part to the generous support of the Oklahoma Arts Council, which received support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts. This support allowed the festival to be accessible to the deaf and others with hearing impairments for the first time through American Sign Language interpreters. It also funded a workshop by National Storytelling Circle of Excellence member, Laura Packer, on “How to Tell a Story That Will Make People Laugh, Cry and Connect”.

June 2022 marked the sixteenth annual production of this festival. Over 20 performing artists presented during the two days to a total Zoom attendance of over 195, with people tuning in from nine states, including Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Minnesota, New York and California. Storytellers and musicians performed at a variety of scheduled concerts and an informal story swap.

As one participant commented, “Wonderful, heart-warming experience! It was lovely to witness the pleasure that the audience took in the stories, the warmth of the welcome to friends both old and new, and the exceptional quality of the stories and the storytelling. While this is a small festival, it is one of quality and excellence.”

For more information on Territory Tellers and other storytelling events they produce, go to https://territorytellers.com/

The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides approximately 350 grants to nearly 200 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state’s arts and cultural industry, and manages the art collections at the Oklahoma State Capitol. More information is available at arts.ok.gov.

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Stories Tonight!

Join us for stories tonight at 7 p.m. We are a small group starting to learn how to tell stories. Come listen to stories, come and share a short story or come to learn a little about how to find, develop and share your stories at a future date! 

Where to find stories?  An embarrassing moment can be given a new and funny life through story. A great mistake in cooking can be shared with an emphasis on what you learned to never do again. A moment of true friendship or kindness can be a warming tale for a cold world.

Jokes, Reader's Digest stories, new articles, an overheard conversation can all be places to start.

Think 3 to 5 minutes (shorter is less stressful for the anxious among us). 

Remember, a story is like a car. It works best when it goes somewhere! So have a beginning, a middle, and an end!

Relax, breathe deeply and begin a great journey!

Time: 7 p.m. 4th Thursday (April 28)

Place: Stroud, UMC, Educ. Annex, south side of the building (Parlor Room).

On the Calendar: October 27, 2022: Scary Stories with Storytelling at Stroud!

 

Join us April 28th at 7 p.m. For Storytelling!

We will continue our journey of learning about stories, learning to tell stories, and enjoying listening to stories! Come join us!

Join us TONIGHT at 7 p.m.

 

Join In on March 24 at Stroud To Begin Learning to Tell Stories!

 There is no cost to these sessions.

·         Storytelling 101 – A session devoted to introducing the art, history and basics of becoming a ‘storyteller.’

·         Storytelling 102 – A session devoted to introducing how to find, shape and share a story.

·         Storytelling 103 – A session devoted to learning how to face an audience, tricks to sharing a story, and practice sharing one too!

·         Storytelling 201 – Sharing a picture book with a group or a child. Devoted to helping emerging storytellers learn story structure and parents/caregivers to learn best practices in sharing a picture book with a young audience.

·         SAS  is a cooperative partnership between the Oklahoma Territory Tellers, the Stroud Arts, and Stroud UMC to enrich local community life through stories.

 

DATE: MARCH 24, 2022  (4^th Thrs.)    

PLACE:  MEETING ROOM, STROUD UMC

TIME: 7 P.M. – 8:15 PM.

Moderator: marilynahudson@yahoo.com

See "SAS"– ON FACEBOOK AND 

At https://stroudokstorytellers.blogspot.com

STORY GAMES: A GREAT ACTIVITY FOR HOME, SCHOOL OR WITH ANY GROUP!

 Story Games

STORY DOODLES (*)

Definition:  A doodle is an unfocused or unconscious act of drawing; used to refer to a simpleton (i.e., ‘Yankee Doodle’) and an activity to allow the mind to think about something else.  A “Story doodle” is an activity to help tap into the unconscious creative by telling stories through impromptu story segments, word/action games, and improvisations.

Activity 1: A Great Chain of Story

A leader begins a story leading to point of action or response (and then Joe opened the door to see a…). This ‘cliffhanger’ activity encourages quick thought, builds integral understanding of story elements and character development, and reaches deeper levels of creativity, practices speaking and vocalization to gain comfort and skill in oral storytelling.  Do it quickly with many laughs and a sense of fun.

Activity 2:  Action and Reaction

Storytellers break into groups of two people. Teller “A” must share an action (I went to the store) and Teller “B” must share a reaction (He forgot his wallet). Each new adventure of Teller “A” should be mundane and ordinary. Each new response by Teller “B” should be more and more extreme, outlandish, or incredible.   Do this one time and then switch roles for another round.  Any teams wishing to share their ‘tale’ can demonstrate their accomplishments.  This bit of improve helps develop a sense of character as one is sensible, not easily ruffled and somber minded, while the other is a bit ditzy, ‘air-headed’ or naïve.  Do not overplay or overact.  Keep the characters within normal levels of conversation, action, and body language.

Activity 3:  Look Ma! I’m Moving!

Storytellers can break into teams or do the activity individually.  Have a selection of actions on note cards for storytellers to use.  Audience (and other tellers) must try to identify what the actions represent (just like in charades.  Actions may include swimming, dancing the tango (specific dance!), filing folders in a cabinet, typing, starting a prop airplane, painting a picture, hitting a baseball, sawing a log, rolling hair in curlers, making a sandwich, etc.   The purpose of this activity is to integrate the body into the story process and to get comfortable in being in front of an audience.

Activity 4: Cue the Swoon: Old Fashioned Melodrama

Just like the early silent films copied the oversized actions from the theaters of the time (had to been seen in the peanut gallery!) and used big actions, big emotions, and prolonged responses to convey story to the audience, here storytellers will do the same.  A) The scene is one well-known: Little Red Riding Hood will enter her Grandmothers bedroom, see the poor figure in the bed, grow suspicious and then alarmed.  The Grandmother/Wolf will jump up and threaten the poor girl. B) The Emperor, whose new clothes are the finest, and the most invisible, clothing of the land, goes for a march through the village where a child (who knows nothing of fine clothes but a lot about invisible ones!) expresses his puzzlement at the appearance of the ruler. C) The boastful Rabbit enters a race with the slow Turtle, feels so confident he pauses, slows down, rests, while Turtle trudges steadily on to win the race. Employ large actions: Arms thrown up to shield the eyes, hands out as if pushing something away, large swinging motions of arms of legs, pantomime like actions, etc.  The scene may be done silently or with large, overly dramatic (i.e., bad acting) or overly energetic motions. (think Errol Flynn swinging into a forest scene and then standing with his fists on his hips as he laughed…or any of a number of examples!)

--- “Story Doodles”. C2013.  Marilyn A. Hudson,   marilynahudson@yahoo.com  [Permission to use / reproduce granted if this line attached.]

Get The Year Rolling!

 This informative image can be shared. 

It outlines some of the ways that storytelling can begin to come to life in our Community and area. Contact me via the form on this page and we can discuss a class visit, a library story time visit, speaking or sharing to your small group (business, church, community, etc.). Let's see what we can make happen! Everyone has a story to share! 

Join the storytellers this year: It's 2022 and We are Talking to YOU!!