Creekside Tent at the National Storytelling Festival. (Photo by Jay Huron)
In Jonesborough, Tennessee, the storytelling capital of the world, tickets are on sale for the National Storytelling Festival, an annual gathering of some of the world’s top talent. The oldest and most prestigious festival of its kind, NSF offers one-day and weekend passes for regular programming, as well as one-time admission to special events.
The three-day celebration of oral traditions from around the world — one of the top tourist attractions in the nation according to TripAdvisor.com — is the flagship event of its producer, the International Storytelling Center. The festival runs Oct. 4-6, with regular programming scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday. The autumnal celebration of the world’s oral traditions has been an annual tradition since 1973, when the first National Storytelling Festival spawned the American storytelling revival.
The 2019 festival features nearly two dozen storytellers, who take turns performing under big-top tents scattered across downtown Jonesborough, Tennessee. The diverse lineup includes newcomers Simon Brooks, Mara Menzies, Sam Payne, Carolina Quiroga-Stultz and Pippa White.
In a homecoming for some of the industry’s finest performers, this year’s featured tellers also include perennial favorites such as Donald Davis, Regi Carpenter, Bil Lepp and Andy Offutt Irwin. By showcasing oral traditions from the South and all over the world, the festival inspires unexpected connections and promotes cultural understanding.
Other tall tellers include Eth-Noh-Tec, Josh Goforth, Reb. Robert B. Jones, Sr., Barbara McBride-Smith, Antonio Rocha, Laura Simms, Minton Sparks, Tim Tingle and Donna Washington.
In addition to the festival’s signature programming, there’s a handful of special events included in the price of the ticket, such as Exchange Place, a concert featuring new talent; the Swappin’ Ground, where anyone can tell a story; and a Story Slam. Separately ticketed events include two nights of al fresco Ghost Stories; and the Friday night Midnight Cabaret, featuring Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton. Ghost Stories and Midnight Cabaret are not recommended for children.
Two pre-festival concerts are also held on the festival grounds. Wednesday, Oct. 2 features Donald Davis and Thursday, Oct. 3 showcases Jeanne Robertson. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m., and tickets can be reserved in advance or purchased on site, while supplies last. Three festival workshops are held Oct. 3. Presentations include Susan O’Halloran’s “Speaking Without Preaching,” Regi Carpenter’s “Getting Grief: Storytelling in Bereavement” and Dan Hoyle’s “Intro to Journalistic Performance.”
Hoyle also performs “Border People” Oct 4 and Oct. 5 at 8 p.m., at the Storytelling Center. The show embodies 11 residents of various borders – geographic, cultural, religious, psychic and racial – each based on Hoyle’s conversations with immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and border crossers of all kinds. Tickets are $20. Show contains adult contact.
Tickets for the National Storytelling Festival - as well as all special events throughout the week - can be purchased online at www.storytellingcenter.net, at the International Storytelling Center in downtown Jonesborough, or on the festival grounds. For more information or to make reservations, call ISC at 800-952-8392, ext. 221.
In Jonesborough, Tennessee, the storytelling capital of the world, tickets are on sale for the National Storytelling Festival, an annual gathering of some of the world’s top talent. The oldest and most prestigious festival of its kind, NSF offers one-day and weekend passes for regular programming, as well as one-time admission to special events.
The three-day celebration of oral traditions from around the world — one of the top tourist attractions in the nation according to TripAdvisor.com — is the flagship event of its producer, the International Storytelling Center. The festival runs Oct. 4-6, with regular programming scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday. The autumnal celebration of the world’s oral traditions has been an annual tradition since 1973, when the first National Storytelling Festival spawned the American storytelling revival.
The 2019 festival features nearly two dozen storytellers, who take turns performing under big-top tents scattered across downtown Jonesborough, Tennessee. The diverse lineup includes newcomers Simon Brooks, Mara Menzies, Sam Payne, Carolina Quiroga-Stultz and Pippa White.
In a homecoming for some of the industry’s finest performers, this year’s featured tellers also include perennial favorites such as Donald Davis, Regi Carpenter, Bil Lepp and Andy Offutt Irwin. By showcasing oral traditions from the South and all over the world, the festival inspires unexpected connections and promotes cultural understanding.
Other tall tellers include Eth-Noh-Tec, Josh Goforth, Reb. Robert B. Jones, Sr., Barbara McBride-Smith, Antonio Rocha, Laura Simms, Minton Sparks, Tim Tingle and Donna Washington.
In addition to the festival’s signature programming, there’s a handful of special events included in the price of the ticket, such as Exchange Place, a concert featuring new talent; the Swappin’ Ground, where anyone can tell a story; and a Story Slam. Separately ticketed events include two nights of al fresco Ghost Stories; and the Friday night Midnight Cabaret, featuring Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton. Ghost Stories and Midnight Cabaret are not recommended for children.
Two pre-festival concerts are also held on the festival grounds. Wednesday, Oct. 2 features Donald Davis and Thursday, Oct. 3 showcases Jeanne Robertson. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m., and tickets can be reserved in advance or purchased on site, while supplies last. Three festival workshops are held Oct. 3. Presentations include Susan O’Halloran’s “Speaking Without Preaching,” Regi Carpenter’s “Getting Grief: Storytelling in Bereavement” and Dan Hoyle’s “Intro to Journalistic Performance.”
Hoyle also performs “Border People” Oct 4 and Oct. 5 at 8 p.m., at the Storytelling Center. The show embodies 11 residents of various borders – geographic, cultural, religious, psychic and racial – each based on Hoyle’s conversations with immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and border crossers of all kinds. Tickets are $20. Show contains adult contact.
Tickets for the National Storytelling Festival - as well as all special events throughout the week - can be purchased online at www.storytellingcenter.net, at the International Storytelling Center in downtown Jonesborough, or on the festival grounds. For more information or to make reservations, call ISC at 800-952-8392, ext. 221.
