Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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Telling stories Azalea Storytelling Festival returns to LaGrange for sixth year By MICHAEL
BOYLAN The art of story-telling is passed down from generation to generation. The stories that are told keep a living history as they continually evolve. LaGrange College will play host to a number of story tellers this weekend for the sixth annual Azalea Storytelling Festival. They will tell a variety of stories in a variety of styles, each one sure to have an effect on the audience. The festival, a winner of the National Storytelling Membership Association Leadership Award, will feature six nationally acclaimed story tellers along with a bit of music and magic. The story tellers are Ed Stivender, who has recently performed at Carnegie Hall in new York City and will travel to Austria following the festival in LaGrange; Mary Hamilton, a featured story teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., who tells a variety of folk stories, fairy tales, myths and legends; Michael parent, a juggler, story teller, musician and mimic that is hailed as a "festival in himself"; Eric Litwin, a performer at last year's festival that combines his stories with blues, country and children's music; Cynthia Watts, who tells stories based in fable and family history; and Betty Ann Wylie, a Georgia native who accents her stories by dancing hands and eyes and the voice changes of an actress. The festival begins Friday, March 1 with registration at 5:30 p.m. A light supper and story-telling sampler begin at 6 p.m. Preregistration is required. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 2. The first concert featuring Stivender, Hamilton and Parent begins at 10 a.m. There will be a lunch break from noon to 2 p.m. There will be close-up sessions with the featured tellers at 2 p.m. and the second concert featuring Watts, Litwin and Wylie begins at 3:30 p.m. The evening concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday begins with coffee, donuts and entertainment by the dulcimer trouper at 9 a.m. A session of sacred story-telling and music begins at 9:30 a.m. followed by more of the same at 10:35 a.m. Tickets for the event, which takes place at LaGrange College's Callaway Auditorium, are $30 for the full festival, $15 for students, $15 for Friday night, $7.50 for students; $20 for all day Saturday, $10 for students; $5 for Saturday morning or afternoon, $2.50 for students, and $10 for the Saturday evening concert, $5 for students. Sunday morning sessions are free. Phone 706-880-8246. |
