The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will host the “Forest of Wake Storytelling Festival” on Saturday, Aug. 15. Featuring four professional storytellers, along with entertaining workshops and concerts for children and adults, the festival will introduce the art of storytelling to the Wake Forest community and celebrate one of humanity’s oldest art forms.
Audiences of ages 6 and older are sure to relate to the colorful, humorous and inspirational stories shared by the lineup of storytellers, including Cary’s Alan Hoal, Ron Jones and Pamela Alberda from Durham and Raleigh’s Henry Gogel.
Hoal is a highly energetic and animated storyteller who has taken home numerous storytelling awards. He travels throughout the United States telling stories at festivals and retreats as well as at colleges, secondary schools and libraries. He has also shared his talents at church, corporate and civic events. Hoal has a diverse repertoire from the hilarious, to the frightening, to the heartwarming and inspirational. Hoal’s stories are tailored for audiences of all ages. His animated style and familiar themes draw his audiences into his tales as they experience the stories’ events alongside his colorful characters.
For over 30 years Jones has been sharing stories and songs with audiences of all ages telling traditional and original stories. He performs in schools, libraries, museums and at festivals throughout the country, in Canada and in Mexico. Jones has two CD’s: “I’d Rather Be a Dog and Other Stories” and “Do Tell! Cabin Tales from the Mountainside.” His series of original stories, “Stories from Down Home,” tickle the funny bone while pulling at the heart strings.
Alberdais an active member of Raleigh’s Village Storytellers. It’s where she practiced and perfected the story that won her first place at the “Bold Faced Liars Showdown” in January. Her energy and enthusiasm invite us all to pause, chuckle, contemplate and sometimes even tear up a little. She is a storyteller to experience and appreciate whether you are young in age or young at heart.
Vogel started telling stories when his son was very young and decided bedtime stories would be more fun with the lights turned off. Since Henry can’t see in the dark, he made up brand new stories for his son. Later, Vogel’s son asked him to tell some of those stories to his elementary school class. As it happened, Vogel had just as much fun telling stories to the class as the class had listening to the stories. Right then, he decided to become a professional storyteller. Even though his son is grown now, Vogel continues telling stories where ever he can find an audience willing to listen. Before turning to storytelling, he wrote comic books professionally. Currently, he is a published author of science fiction.
The Forest Storytelling Festival will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a “Welcome with Alan Hoal and Pamela Alberda” and a workshop with Dem Bones and Henry Vogel, followed by a variety of workshops and performances. A free open mic session will be offered from 4-5 p.m.
The day-long festival will conclude at 7 p.m. with an evening concert featuring performances by all four storytellers.
A variety of ticket options are available, including a full festival concert pass for $15. Tickets for each event and workshop may be purchased online at www.wakeforestnc.gov/tickets-events.aspx or at the Renaissance Centre Box Office, 405 S. Brooks St.
For more information about the 2015 Forest of Wake Storytelling Festival, including descriptions of all the events and workshops, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/forest-of-wake-storytelling-festival.aspx.
The Renaissance Centre is located at 405 S. Brooks St. in the heart of downtown Wake Forest. For more information, call the Renaissance Centre Box Office at 919-435-9458.
