New Hampshire Theatre Project & The Music Hall Present the 5th Annual NHTP Storytelling Festival

New Hampshire Theatre Project's Annual Storytelling Festival is coming to The Music Hall's Historic Theater in the heart of Portsmouth, NH. On Saturday, April 10 at 8pm for one night only, five captivating storytellers will share personal and traditional tales inspired by the theme "What Are You Waiting For?"

NHTP's 5th Annual Storytelling Festival will feature Diane Edgecomb, Pat Spalding, Simon Brooks, Sharon Jones and Maya Williams. Stories of personal trials, overcoming adversity and finding joy in even the darkest of times will be hosted by Genevieve Aichele and woven together through the music of Randy Armstrong, a virtuoso musician with decades of experience in world fusion music. Both in-person and livestream tickets are available.

British storyteller, humorist and raconteur Simon Brooks will share a traditional tale from northern England. "Sharing tales in the current moment is so necessary as people have been in, and in many cases still are in, isolation," says Simon. "Stories bring a community together, creating connections we so need right now." Diane Edgecomb is one of America's leading storytellers, winner of the ORACLE award for Storytelling Excellence in the Northeast, the National Circle of Excellence award and five Storytelling World awards. Diane will make a unique storytelling dive into her early acting career about earning her chops in the belly/basement of Boston's notorious Medieval Manor. Diane says: "I feel humbled and shy to be meeting an audience once again and so look forward to experiencing the magic of this exchange where walls disappear and shared truths and laughter are found."

Sharon Jones is a legendary performer and native of Portsmouth, NH, where she shines as an original stand-out of the Seacoast music scene. Also a powerful storyteller, Sharon will share a moment onstage at Portsmouth High School when she stopped waiting and stepped forward to make history. Long-time Seacoast favorite Pat Spalding, who emcees True Tales Live at Portsmouth Public Media TV, will tell tales of her adventures as a majorette with the Leftist Marching Band. Maya Williams is a Black Mixed Race poet currently residing in Portland, ME whose work has been featured with The Kennedy Center's Arts Across America series and The Peace Studio's 100 Offerings of Peace Campaign. Maya will weave together a collection of spoken word poetry about suicidality, racial identity, religion, and healing. "In the current moment," Maya says, "sharing stories means reminding ourselves to sit with ourselves as well as sitting with others through storytelling."

Musical interludes will be provided by Randy Armstrong, a master of world fusion music, on guitar, sitar and other instruments from his eclectic collection. The Festival will be hosted by NHTP's founding director and storyteller Genevieve Aichele. She and Randy will perform a traditional story from India, featured in their award-winning World Tales collection.

NHTP's 5th Annual Storytelling Festival is made possible through sponsorship by JCM Management Company, Enterprise Bank, CherylAnne Williams, and Tradeport Counseling & Mediation Associates, along with support from the NH Charitable Foundation, NH Humanities, NH State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information about the artists and work in New Hampshire Theatre Project's 2020-2021 season, visit nhtheatreproject.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.