The 1st ever Somewhen Storytelling Festival will take place on 3rd and 4th June at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet for a weekend packed with dark and humorous tales for grown ups, sublime shadow theatre, campfire tales, costumed character stories for kids and so much more!
Saturday will be headlined by Nell Phoenix, an unforgettable storyteller who has toured the world from Soho to Sydney telling traditional tales for grown ups with her unique brand of energy and wit.
Other highlights include Rhubarb Theatre Company, who will be performing two different shows full of music, comedy and general silliness, and Raventales who will interweave speech, song and shadow to tell the stories of two very different dragons from Orkney and China.
Local storytellers, including Marc Tuckey from The Isle of Wight Ghost experience, Greg Chapman, Tistales, and members of the Island Storytellers will be making an appearance throughout the
weekend. More acts will be announced as they are confirmed.
There will even be a chance to develop and show off your storytelling skills with a storytelling workshop for beginners and a story challenge competition open to all abilities and ages.
Holly Medland, one of the organisers, said:
“The Island Storytellers applied for a grant from the Arts Council to develop storytelling over the coming year and we are delighted to say that we have been given £18,000.”
The local group, which formed in 2007, has hosted several visiting storytellers over the past years.
Holly continued:
“There is a growing audience for storytelling of all ages on the Island and it’s great that we can now announce the Somewhen Storytelling Festival as the first of a whole host of events over the coming year.”
Whether you spend the festival watching performances by master storytellers, hearing stories about Island history, sharing tales around the fire, developing your storytelling skills, enjoying music by local artists or simply soaking up the unique atmosphere of Havenstreet Railway Station you are sure to have a wonderful weekend.
Tickets to the festival stages can be purchased in advance through the festival website or at Havenstreet on the day. Tickets include entry to Havenstreet station. For those who would like to
enjoy a train ride, usual operating fares apply as a separate purchase from the Isle of Wight Railway.
