Bobby Norfolk
Storytelling Live!, the International Storytelling Center's celebrated teller-in-residence series, continues its season in August. The program features 26 of America's best-loved storytellers, one each week May through October. Each teller appears in matinee performances Tuesday through Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall.
Teller-In-Residence newcomer Noa Baum of Maryland starts off the month with performances from Aug. 2-6. Born and raised in Israel, Baum is an award-winning storyteller who uses her art to build bridges of peace and understanding. Her stories, drawn from diverse cultures but primarily from her own Jewish heritage and personal experience, highlight our similarities, celebrate our differences, and encourage curiosity, awareness and acceptance. Baum has performed in Turkey, Sweden, Israel, the U.K. and across the U.S., including the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and the National Storytelling Festival. Baum is the winner of the Storytelling World and Parents' Choice Recommended awards.
Award-winning storyteller Bobby Norfolk of Missouri appears Aug. 9-13. An internationally known teaching artist, actor, TV host, recording artist and professional storyteller since 1975, Norfolk's life path is reflected in his humorous and animated stories. With tales rich in creativity, lively sound effects, high energy and vibrant 3D characters, his performances promote cultural diversity, self-esteem and character education. Norfolk's multiple storytelling CDs have won 10 prestigious Parents' Choice Gold awards. He has co-authored eight award-winning children's books and received three Emmy awards as host of CBS's television series, "Gator Tales" and is an NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award recipient.
Aug. 16-20 brings four-time Grammy award winner David Holt from North Carolina as Storytelling Live's resident storyteller. Holt is a musician, storyteller, historian, television host and entertainer dedicated to performing and preserving traditional American music and stories. Deemed "the best minstrel storyteller" by Vogue, Holt plays 10 acoustic instruments, including banjo, slide guitar, harmonica, bones and spoons. In addition to making numerous critically acclaimed recordings, he is host of popular television programs including the PBS series David Holt's State of Music, Folkways, and Great Scenic Railway Journeys. He was featured in the film "O Brother, Where Art Thou," and performed with Doc Watson for 14 years, which he calls a highlight of his career. Holt is an NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award recipient.
Storytelling Live! welcomes beloved First Nations (Lakota/Kiowa Apache) storyteller Dovie Thomason of Pennsylvania Aug. 23-27. In her original stories, she weaves historical facts, personal experiences, humor and vivid imagery to promote understanding and respect. Her ability to craft tales that not only enchant audiences but also carry invaluable lessons about human nature and indigenous cultures has garnered her international acclaim. The wry humor and subtle graces that infuse Thomason's work enable her broad and modern appeal, while a lifetime of study and tradition bearing ensures that the cultural roots of her craft remain intact. She is an NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award recipient.
Rounding out the month of August, Aug. 30-Sept. 3, is Emmy award-winning storyteller and writer Jim May of Illinois. May's stories are hilarious, touching and filled with the many characters who populated the Illinois farming community where his family has lived since the 1840s. He has performed for more than one million folks in the Chicago area over the last 30 years. His story collection, "The Farm on Nippersink Creek," won a best book award from the Public Librarian Association, and this year Parkhurst Brothers Publishers release his new book, "Trail Guide for a Crooked Heart, Stories and Reflections for Life's Journeys." May has shared his work throughout the U.S. and abroad, and is the recipient of the NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award.
For more information about Storytelling Live! or to purchase tickets call 800-952-8392 ext. 222 or 423-913-1276.
