Entertainment
Storytelling booms in the Northern Rivers
Storytelling booms in the Northern Rivers
The Northern Rivers is set to see the world premiere of Totem, a collaborative storytelling event that will tour preschools throughout our region in October. Totem tells the tale of a boy fascinated by all the little things in life – aka, bugs! – and is the newest addition to the creative library of professional storyteller, Leanne Logan.
“I wrote Totem in February, inspired by my collaborative storytelling work with children at Cawongla Playhouse last year,” Leanne explained. “Our focus was on the concept of ‘home’ and, given so many people in the wider community had lost their homes in the flood, this concept seemed more relevant to explore than ever.”
Leanne said the deeper they went into ‘home’, the more obvious the connections were. “We could see lines weaving from our homes to the natural world – home to so many creatures and sentient beings – and of course to the Earth as home to us all.
“But in that mix I wondered where all the little, often unseen, creatures fitted in? Around that same time, the director of another preschool I work with said: ‘When are we getting an insect story? The kids are nuts about them this year.’ So I wrote Totem, a story that celebrates insects and their vital role in the cycle of life, and incorporated the fact that it is often children who notice them more than anyone else.”
Leanne practises puppetry for Totem
Totem is the 10th tale in Leanne’s residency lineup, which includes an array of captivating stories from goats and unicorns to snakes and space rockets.
“Audiences – adult and child – are hungry for oral storytelling,” Leanne told the Northern Rivers Times. “This year I am Storyteller in Residence at six Northern Rivers preschools. Next year it will be double that number. That means I’ll be telling stories every week to between one and two hundred children and educators. I can’t tell you how exciting this is!
Leanne said the boom in storytelling on the Northern Rivers mirrored a revival worldwide.
“Storytelling hubs are popping up everywhere, and there is good reason for this – stories transform us,” Leanne explained. “Through story we learn and connect. We hypothesise and wonder. And we tap into an age-old, proven knowledge transferral system that dates back millennia. My collaborative storytelling inspires children and educators to become the storytellers that we are all innately meant to be.”
And if recent feedback is anything to go by, Leanne’s onto something.
Melissa Leeson, Director of St Mary’s Community Preschool in Casino, said: “Storytelling honours the power of oral language and when Leanne delivers a story it becomes an interactive experience that speaks to the imagination of every child!”
Leanne storytelling at St Mary’s Community Preschool, Casino
St Mary’s educator, Kristy Murphy, added: ‘I just love the way Leanne engages the audience. It’s not one thing, but rather everything together that makes her stories so special.”
Bentley Community Preschool director, Lee-Anne Gibson, agreed: “The children are invited to fill in parts with their own imagination, making them an important part of the story. After Leanne’s last story, a group of children gathered some resources for themselves and began singing the “Storyteller” song. I love how they utilise elements of Leanne’s storytime into their own play, to become storytellers themselves.”
“To become storytellers themselves” is the theme across many preschools.
Coraki CWA Preschool Teacher, Suzie Carey, said: “Leanne’s stories provoke interest. The children will talk about her stories for hours and days afterwards. This provides the educators with an avenue to extend on the children’s voices following a storytelling session, and encourages the children to engage in their own versions of storytelling.”
Driving Leanne’s work now is a deep desire to grow the culture of oral storytelling within our educational settings.
Leanne telling the tale of Just Brown the caterpillar
“I hear preschool directors lamenting the fact that young educators coming out of training are lacking the skills of oral storytelling that were the norm 30 years ago,” Leanne said. “We are in a screen age where everything a child sees moves. Even reading a book is challenging for some children today. But with oral storytelling, you can use all sorts of props and unexpected elements to hold children’s curiosity and interest. It really is like waving a magic wand over them – they are mesmerised.”
According to Leanne, the key to great storytelling is simple – a good story and the confidence to tell it.
“Eight years ago I would have described myself as a shy person. I was terrified presenting stories at the preschool where I worked. But mastery of anything comes only with practise. I heard recently that it takes a decade to be a true master of any skill. Looks like I’ve got a couple more years to go! And the great thing is, in the meantime, many others are taking up the baton.”
Bentley Preschool Director, Lee-Anne Gibson, is one of those people. “I love the inspiration Leanne gives me to use different storytelling techniques and the confidence to try these.”
At the end of a storytelling session at Bentley recently, one five-year-old told the group: “I’m going to be a storyteller when I grow up.”
For more entertainment news, click here.
Earth Frequency Festival 2024
Earth Frequency Festival is a music, arts, lifestyle and environmental festival based in South-East Queensland, Australia, with a strong focus on arts, education, healing and community spirit.
While drawing from many cultural niches such as transformational festival, tribal gathering, doof and boutique festival, the aim of Earth Frequency Festival is to go beyond these traditional tags and to exist as a multi-faceted gathering focused broadly on creativity, connection, intention and inspiration.
From it’s origins as a small landcare party in 2005, Earth Frequency has now become one of Australia’s foremost transformational gatherings.
At Earth Frequency, you can always expect an amazing mixture of live and electronic music, performance, visionary art, workshops and lectures, a family and kids space, a fantastic food and markets area, and of course a positive community vibe.
Our aim is to create nothing short of a life changing, transformative experience! We aim to provide a meeting place – people from many different backgrounds, ages and walks of life come together with the shared interests of music, nature, technology, culture and peace.
Earth Frequency Festival is held each year at Ivory’s Rock Conventions and Events in Peak Crossing. Ivory’s Rock is a beautiful outdoor venue with top notch facilities, comfortable campgrounds, and it is conveniently located under an hour from Brisbane and just 20 minutes from Ipswich.
Nurtured by the setting of the beautiful Australian outdoors, we gather together once a year to celebrate life with music, art and other creative forms, and to educate, connect, heal and inspire.
EVENT DETAILS:
- When: May 3-6
- Where: Ivory’s Rock Conventions and Events, Peak Crossing.
- Price: From $280
- Tickets: www.earthfrequency.com.au
For more entertainment news, click here.
Black Box – A new Australian Musical based on a true story
You don’t know him, but he may have saved your life.
Black Box is Queenslander Paul Hodge’s ground-breaking new musical based on the extraordinary true story of David Warren, the Australian inventor who created the black box flight recorder that is now on every plane around the globe.
Driven by the death of his father in an unexplained plane crash when he was eight, Black Box follows David as he fights for an invention that could record the final moments of a flight before it crashes – the black box. His obsession around this invention places his career, marriage and mind at risk. It’s a show about memory, and how we hold onto, and let go of, those we love.
Black Box writer and composer, Paul Hodge, said, “David’s invention was inspired by his love of music. I wanted to create a theatre form that was as inventive as David’s idea, which led to the use of recorded voices and music, in the same way the black box gives recordings, to immerse the audience in David’s sound world.”
Black box inventor David Warren will be played by internationally renowned singer and actor Michael Cormick, who has had leading roles around the world, including in Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast with Hugh Jackman. David’s wife, Ruth, will be played by Helpmann Award winner Helen Dallimore who as well as touring extensively throughout the UK and Australia was the original Glinda opposite Idina Menzel in the West End production of Wicked.
The auditory world that inspired David to create his life-saving invention shapes the audience’s experience at Black Box, which utilises pre-recorded voices and instruments to create a world of music and memory to tell his story. While Helen and Michael are on stage, the rest of the cast are present through a history-making audio experience.
Black Box is the first binaural musical with audience members wearing headphones that allow them to be totally immersed in a 360-degree world of sound.
Binaural recording uses two microphones, arranged at the position of human ears to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the recorded actors and instruments. This world-premiere production will be directed by David Berthold.
EVENT DETAILS:
- When: 10-19 May
- Where: QPAC
- Price: From $69.90
- Tickets: Available here.
For more entertainment news, click here.
Free healthy lifestyle program for families in Tweed, Coraki and Grafton
Families in NSW can access support to build healthy habits together, plus tips and assistance with getting active, healthy eating and wellbeing.
Go4Fun is a free 10-week after school program for children aged 7-13 and their families, which aims to support their health and wellbeing.
Parents and carers can now enrol their primary school aged children in the Term 2 programs in Tweed, Grafton and Coraki.
Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) Acting Director of Integrated Care and Allied Health Services, Kathryn Watson said the program is for kids and their families who want to get healthier together.
“For many families, the focus is on just getting by on a day-to-day basis, and many don’t have the money to invest in healthy lifestyle programs,” Ms Watson said.
“We know many parents can be overwhelmed by the amount of healthy lifestyle information available. Go4Fun helps by providing easy tips to make healthy changes and involves parents, carers and children in activities to help put these into practice.
“This free program allows families to have the chance to learn healthy habits, and have fun together.”
The program includes games, activities, prizes and a supermarket tour. It also helps families and children to connect with others in their local area.
“Families love that the program is free and that it helps their child’s wellbeing, including their sleep. It creates a space to connect and build relationships as a family,” Ms Watson said.
“For families who are not in the Tweed, Grafton or Coraki areas, the Go4Fun online program is always an option.”
Parents and carers can sign up to the program directly, and health professionals and GPs can also refer their patients.
Places are available for Term 2 in the following locations:
- CORAKI
Aboriginal Go4Fun
Tuesdays 4pm-6pm, starting 30 April
Location: Coraki Youth Hall, 75 Bridge St, Coraki NSW 2471
To register for the Coraki program, call Coraki Campbell HealthOne on (02) 6683 9000 - GRAFTON
Go4Fun
Tuesdays 4pm-6pm, starting 30 April
Location: PCYC, 300 Powell Street, Grafton NSW 2460 - TWEED
Go4Fun
Wednesdays 4pm-6pm, starting 1 May
Location: Banora Point Community Centre, Cnr Leisure Dr, Woodlands Dr, Banora Point NSW 2486
For more information and to register your child, call 1800 780 900, visit here.
For more entertainment news, click here.
The Northern Rivers Times Newspaper Edition 199
Public Invited to Review and Comment on Council’s Draft Budget and Operational Plan
Private Health Insurance Costs Under Scrutiny as Premiums and Profits Soar
Anzac Day Services Northern Rivers – Comprehensive Guide for the Region
Jewellery Design Centre Launches “Tell Our Stories” to Celebrate Lismore’s History
Lifeline Opens Northern Rivers Warehouse and Shop in Goonellabah
A NEW TWEED HEADS
Toyota Supra: Get Ready For A Fully Electric Version In 2025
Northern Rivers Local Health District COVID-19 update
Northern Rivers COVID-19 update
Fears proposed residential tower will ‘obliterate’ Tweed neighbourhood’s amenity and charm
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic now open at Lismore Square
Teenager Charged with Terrorism Offence After Sydney Church Stabbing
Teenager Charged with Terrorism Offence After Sydney Church Stabbing In a significant development, a 16-year-old adolescent has been formally charged...
What do you do if you are the first on the scene of a crash, or arrive before emergency services?
What do you do if you are the first on the scene of a crash, or arrive before emergency services?...
Next major step in reforming emergency services funding
Next major step in reforming emergency services funding The public is invited to have their say on the best...
-
Tweed Shire News2 years agoA NEW TWEED HEADS
-
Motoring News1 year agoToyota Supra: Get Ready For A Fully Electric Version In 2025
-
COVID-19 Northern Rivers News3 years agoNorthern Rivers Local Health District COVID-19 update
-
COVID-19 Northern Rivers News3 years agoNorthern Rivers COVID-19 update
-
Northern Rivers Local News3 years agoFears proposed residential tower will ‘obliterate’ Tweed neighbourhood’s amenity and charm
-
Health News3 years agoCOVID-19 Vaccination Clinic now open at Lismore Square
-
COVID-19 Northern Rivers News3 years agoLismore Family Medical Practice employee close contact
-
NSW Breaking News3 years agoVale: Former NSW prison boss Ron Woodham
