Danyah Miller Creates Four New Stories for YORKSHIRE FESTIVAL OF STORY

Surrey-based, International Storyteller and writer, Danyah Miller has created four new tales inspired by her own childhood for the Yorkshire Festival of Story running online throughout August.

Miller, artistic director of award-winning theatre company Wizard Presents, has created and filmed four stories for international storytelling festival, Yorkshire Festival of Story.

This year, being held entirely online, the Festival features over 80 events involving over 60 artists, including household names such as Joanne Harris, Dame Jenni Murray and Ben Okri. Danyah's bedtime stories can be seen every Friday throughout August.

Settle Stories, producers of Yorkshire Festival of Story, invited Wizard Presents to bring their adaptation of The Secret Garden to the festival however due to C-19 this show isn't yet fully rehearsed, so Danyah offered to write and film stories to be included in this unique event.

She has spent the past few months reflecting on her Yorkshire childhood, re-imagining stories in her own unique way. Filmed at her own home in Cranleigh, Surrey, the stories range in theme from an effervescent York monk, a young farmer lad from Swaledale, to a cheeky wasp living in Baildon in West Yorkshire.

The stories will be featured as part of the Yorkshire Festival of Story every Friday evening at 6.30pm as a 'bedtime story' series, as an extension of the Danyah's Bedtime Stories, launched and shared by Danyah on You Tube since the start of lockdown.

• Friday 14th August - Wilfred Wasp

• Friday 21st August - Brother Haynad

• Friday 28th August - Gormless Nesbitt

Danyah said 'I'm absolutely thrilled to participate in this Festival. I have huge admiration for the work of 'Settle Stories' and love that the events are all free to audiences who will be able to enjoy the programme wherever they live, in this country and internationally. Both my parents were born and raised in Yorkshire, as was I, so I have a strong connection with the land, I know it in my bones! I believe firmly that we're all storytelling beings, sharing stories all the time. Stories are beneficial in so many ways not least that they teach us to value ourselves, respect others and care for the world. Stories can inspire us to achieve more than we believed was possible. In education stories bring facts to life, underpinning literacy skills including fluency, vocabulary, writing and recall."

Settles Stories said, "We are thrilled to have Danyah and Wizard Presents involved in Yorkshire Festival of Story! Danyah's love of Yorkshire and passion for stories make her an asset to our programme. We're all excited to see what her bedtime tales have in store, I think they'll be great for the whole family not just the little ones!"

Danyah is a solo performer, storyteller trainer and writer. Recently she was commissioned by Oxford University Press to write and perform 'Meet Pippi Longstocking' by Astrid Lindgren, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the publication of the books this year. She has written or adapted and starred in five Wizard Presents solo shows: Meet Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, Kika's Birthday, Perfectly Imperfect Women, Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo and I Believe in Unicorns also by Michael Morpurgo. She is also a writer and storytelling trainer, including over 10 years as a course leader at The International School of Storytelling. She trained in drama, dance and English and later studied at Lecoq in Paris. She is currently working on an adaptation of The Secret Garden by Hodgson-Burnett

'Danyah's one of the great storytellers in this country... she brings stories to life in the most enchanting way.' Michael Morpurgo.

You can enjoy Danyah's stories every Friday at the Yorkshire Festival of Story at 6.30 pm between 7th and 28th August.

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