Won-Ldy Paye, of Connecticut, appears July 7-11.
Storytelling Live!, the International Storytelling Center's renowned teller-in-residence series, continues its summer line-up with a diverse array of storytellers. Each teller appears in matinee and special performances Tuesday through Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall. July includes a children's concert, an evening performance and a workshop.
Storyteller Won-Ldy Paye, of Connecticut, appears July 7-11. Paye is from the northeastern rice-farming region of Liberia and is a member of the Tlo Ker Mehn, the class of professional entertainers who are keepers of the oral tradition. Growing up in the rice field, Paye was trained by his grandmother to remember and retell the stories of the Dan people. He came to the U.S. in 1983 and is known as a renowned Liberian artist and performer, an award-winning children's book author and an unofficial ambassador for the Liberian culture. He has appeared across the U.S. and abroad, with performances that include his native dance and instruments. Paye also hosts a children's concert Saturday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m.
Bil Lepp, of West Virginia, appears July 14-18. Lepp is an internationally known storyteller, author and recording artist whose style has been described as a satisfying blend of Bob Newhart and Jeff Foxworthy. A five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars' Contest, his outrageous tall tales and witty stories are a signature of his repertoire. Lepp has been featured at venues across the nation, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and a recent appearance for Comedy Central. He is the recipient of the NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award, and his picture book, "The King of Little Things," won a Parent's Choice Gold Award and the PEN/Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing. Lepp also performs an evening concert Thursday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m., called "Prom Dresses and the Nerd Herder."
Regi Carpenter, from New York, performs July 21-25. Carpenter's tales celebrate the glorious and gut-wrenching lives of four generations of Carpenters raised on the Saint Lawrence River. Tales of underwater tea parties, drowning lessons and drives to the dump give voice to multi-generations of family life in a small river town with an undercurrent. Carpenter is a recipient of the J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award, a Leonard Bernstein Teaching Fellowship Award, and the Parent's Choice Gold Award. Carpenter also conducts a workshop, "Storytelling and Palliative Care," Thursday, July 23, from 9-11 a.m.
Teller Megan Wells appears at Storytelling Live! July 28 through Aug. 1. Wells' telling is passionate, soulful and warm with humor. A master of the literary tale as well as a long form myth teller, Wells is known for her timing, character portrayals and the theatrical sensitivity she brings to her work. Wells tours her one-woman shows, including Dracula, Psyche and Eros, and historical re-enactments of famous women. Wells has performed as a guest artist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
For more information about Storytelling Live! visit www.storytellingcenter.net; to purchase tickets call 800-952-8392 ext. 222 or 423-913-1276.
