Tag Archives: #shakespeare400

It not (quite) all about Roald Dahl …

Twits islingtonThis summer has been terrific.  As discussed at length in this blog I have been more or less everywhere and few places besides but there is a down side to being Mr Twit.  Now before I go any further I don’t want anybody to think that I’m complaining because I’m honestly not.  I have loved every second of presenting “The Twits”, I’ve met lovely people and the story has opened doors that I thought would remain forever locked but the truth is, there’s more to me than a single 40 minute story.

Having presented “The Twits” almost 130 times and having received pretty much universally positive feedback I have had days when I feel like a sort unofficial Roald Dahl cheerleader.   I used to get a similar feeling when I was presenting Michael Morpurgo’s “Private Peaceful” as part of Cityread 2014.  When you live with a story day in and day out it can take over your life and its easy to forget that you do do others too.

War GameLast week I was invited to take part in Norfolk Libraries’ storytelling festival.  When they contacted me I assumed it was because, like so many other authorities, they’d heard about and wanted me to tell “The Twits” but they didn’t, they wanted me to tell folk tales.  Now to some people folk tales may sound dull but I love them and devised (and continue to research) a tour of Britain where the route is dictated by the folk tale (ie a tale might start in one part of the country and finish in another allowing me to tell a story from another region).  For someone who loves travel, myth and mystery this was a liberating process and it exposed me and my audiences to stories from Norfolk, London, Warwickshire, Wales, Northern Ireland and my homeland, Lancashire.  It also gave me a brand new 45-50 minute presentation which I’m sure will evolve with time.

I have also been approached about a session of spooky Halloween tales and am having a lot of fun reading about ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night.  This only came about because of Dracula which like many of the stories in my established repertoire hasn’t had an airing for a good long while.

SHAKES RBKTAs summer gives way to autumn “The Twits” are taking a well earned rest as I am now involved in library presentations for #Shakespeare400, a national celebration of the life and work of William Shakespeare for which I am presenting All the World’s a Stage!  a 45 minute retelling of Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and A Mid Summer Night’s Dream.  Like #nfkstorytfest and “The Twits”, taking part in a prestigious Arts Council England project has brought me in contact with new audiences, opened doors and created opportunities.

The bottom line is that when I look at the feedback I receive, people use words like spellbound, captivated, engaged and entertained.  Everyday I thank my lucky stars that I have wonderful stories to tell and that people still want to hear me tell them but those words are used to describe all my projects not just the ones with famous titles.