The programSt. Brigid’s Centre for the arts310 Patrick Street, Ottawa (entrance on Cumberland Street)

Naked Narrative

No books.

No props.

Just stories.

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The OTTawainTernaTiOnalSTOryTelling FeSTival

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The Ottawa

InternationalStorytelling

Festival

Managing Artistic DirectorCaitlyn PaxtonFestival CommitteePatrick Holloway: Chair; Annette Hegel: Publicity; Marie-Andrée Auclair: Volunteer CoordinatorGail Anglin, Jan Andrews, Jennifer Cayley, Kathryn Hunt, Ruthanne Edward, Emily Poupart,Marta Singh

Naked Narrative

Naked Narrative

I would like to welcome all the tellers andlisteners who have traveled from near andfar to participate in Naked Narrative: TheOttawa International Storytelling Festival!This year’s Festival theme is an attempt to express the essence of storytelling as anart form, which is an ongoing challengefor us since creative people in alldisciplines refer to themselves as“storytellers.” But we mean somethingvery specific when we say “storyteller.” We

mean people who tell stories frommemory, people who are continuing theancient art of the oral tradition in amodern and current style. When we say“Naked Narrative: No Books, NoProps, Just Stories,”we mean just that:narrative in its purest form, storiesspoken by one person to another. Wewanted to show what a diverse andexciting range of programs we couldoffer that would convey stories with thestrength of the spoken word.

I would like to thank the FestivalCommittee and the Board of OttawaStoryTellers for all the help and guidancethey have provided to make this Festival asuccess. But even more, I want to thankthe members of the organization and ourstalwart volunteers for all of their amazingsupport. Storytelling is a collaborative art, and weare delighted that you are here to share init with us.

Message from the artistic director, Caitlyn PaxsonThe • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

The Ottawa International Storytelling Festival gratefully acknowledges the support from our partners and sponsors:

In 2009, we hired our first Managing Artistic Director, Caitlyn Paxson. Under herleadership, in 2010, we produced a new-style international festival, to great acclaim. In2011, we moved into our new office space at St. Brigid’s Rectory. Also in 2011, westarted a new series at Collected Works bookstore in the west end, in addition to ourByward market venue at The Tea party. We have regular series at the National ArtsCentre, an open stage series, a children’s festival, a spring and fall show at Billings Estate, and two summer series. In fact, we now have more than a hundred events ayear. In short, over the past few years, we have become one of the busiest arts organizationsin the city. And to cap all this off, we are delighted to present, this year’s Ottawa International Storytelling Festival, “Naked Narrative”, at our new home at St. Brigid’s.We have performers from sea to sea to sea and even across the sea. And, as we have expanded our geographical reach, so too we have expanded our conceptual one, embracing both dance and modern technology. This year’s festival has something foreveryone. We hope that you will enjoy our festival as much as we enjoy bringing it toyou. And please let us know what you think.Patrick Holloway, Chair, Festival 2010

Message from the festival chair, Patrick Holloway

With additional thanks to:

Andrea Mueller: Fine Jewelry/Custom Design •Elizabeth Paxson/Skybirdarts •Betsie

Withey/The Faerie Market • Creativision • Jamie McGlashan • Sharon Lafferty •

NAC English LanguageTheatre, Library and Archives Canada

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085

Ottawa StoryTellers would like to dedicate the 2012 Ottawa International to JanAndrews, in recognition and thanks for her ongoing vision, her support ofstorytelling as an art form, and her nourishing of storytellers.

Stephen Tobolowsky is one ofthe leading character actors infilm today, having appeared in

over 200 movies and televisionshows. Tonight he shares two

personal stories from his popularstorytelling podcast, The

Tobolowsky Files, discussing life,death, squirrels, parrots, and the

possibility of miracles.$25

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5The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

Feature Concert

Stephen TobolowskyLive: Afflictions ofLove and Conference Hour - 7PM

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085

December 7 - Tales of the Seasonlynda Joyce, Kathie Kompass,

elaine O'reilly and Mary wiggin7:00 p.m., pay what you can ($8 suggested)

@ CoLLECTED WorkS,1242 WELLiNGToN STrEET, oTTAWA, (613) 722-1265

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Tales andTunes ofNewfoundlandKelly Russell - 7PM

A professional musician since1975, Kelly spent many years traveling and performing withlegendary Newfoundland fiddlers, learning their music.This performance is inspired bythese experiences, featuring avariety of authentic Newfoundland fiddle musicintertwined with stories and anecdotes about the lives andtimes of these Grandfathers ofNewfoundland Fiddle.

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Naked Narrative Feature Concert

Murder Mysteries • Stories Around the CampfireThe Spirits of the Times

visit www.ottawastorytellers.ca/billings-estate

The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

Man, Woman,Life and Love:Stories fromAfrica, theCaribbean,and BeyondJan Blake - 7PM

Join one of the world’s leadingstorytellers for stories ofshape-shifters, lovers, and thewise and the foolish.Specialising in stories fromAfrica, the Caribbean, andArabia, Jan Blake has areputation for dynamic andgenerous storytelling. Herartistry, humour, andboundless energy make her anabsorbing performer who hasworked with the Royal

Shakespeare Company, theNational Theatre of England, andmany other institutions.

$25

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Feature Concert

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085 w w w . o t t a w a s t o r y t e l l e r s . c a / f e s t i v a l

Michael Kusugak grew up in Repulse Bay, NWT (now Nunavut). Duringhis childhood, his familytravelled by dog sled, living a traditional Inuitlifestyle. Tonight, heshares tales from the Inuitepic of Kiviuq, the eternalwanderer whose storiesare told across the arctic,as well as other traditionalInuit tales.

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Epic Tales of the Inuit Michael Kusugak - 7PM

Naked Narrative

Feature

Concert

every 2nd and 4th Tuesdayof every month at

The Tea Party, 119 YorkStreet, 7:00 p.m.,pay what you can

($8 suggested) for details please go to

www.ottawastorytellers.ca/stories-and-tea

The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085

Friday, Nov. 1610PM

Hunter and Annie

Share a Last Name –

Annie Fletcher

Annie Fletcher is a professionalactor and director from Woodstock, VA. Her dynamicstorytelling debut took place in

2011 with a short version of the story of her brother’s struggle with substance abuse and how it changes their relationship. Tonight we premierea full hour version of this story, in turn both hilarious and tragic.

$15

VernacularSpectacular!

Join us for a celebration of storytelling and the art of spokenword at this late night cabaret extravaganza! This eveningwill include performances by storytellers, poets, and more,with a party-like atmosphere.Featuring musician Kara askwith, storytellers KimKilpatrick, anne nagy, Marta Singh, and Jeff wright, writerand comedian Kalyani Pandya, and poets Brad Morden andKay'la Fraser. Hosted by the fabulous annie Fletcher!

Saturday,

Nov. 17

10 PM

$15

Late Late NightNight

7PMFEATURE CONCERT

Stephen TobolowskyLive: Afflictions of Love

and Conference Hour

$25

9:30 AM until 4pm

Folktale Masterclass

Jan Blakecontact

mad@ottawastorytellers.ca forreservation and info

(at Libraries & Archives Canada,395 Wellington Street)

1PMOPEN MIC

Bring your own Naked Narrative

free admission

7PMFEATURE CONCERT

Epic Tales of the Inuit

Michael Kusugak$25

9AM workshop until noon

The Perfect Story

Michael Kusugak$35/ $30 OST members

1PM workshop until 3pm

The Play’s the Thing: Theatre Techniques for

Storytelling

Annie Fletcher$35/ $30 OST members

7PMFEATURE CONCERT

Man, Woman , Life andLove: Stories from Africa,

the Caribbean, and Beyond

Jan Blake$25

10PMVernacular Spectacular!

Kara Askwith, Kim Kilpatrick,Anne Nagy, Marta Singh, Jeff

Wright, Kalyani Pandya, BradMorden, Kay’la Fraser

Host: Annie Fletcher$15

7PMFEATURE CONCERT

Tales and Tunes of Newfoundland

Kelly Russell$25

10PMHunter and Annie Share a

Last Name

Annie Fletcher$15

The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival • ScheduleT

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Tobolowsky

Kusugak

Blake

Russel

The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085

WORKSHOP at St.Brigid’s Centre for the ArtsSaturday, November 17 - 9 am to noon

The Perfect Story – Michael Kusugak$35/$30 OST membersStories are retold thousands of times over thousands of years in all cultures.Michael will lead a workshop with storytellers exploring the elements thatmake the perfect story. Telling, retelling and animating stories bringing new lifeto timeless stories. He will help storytellers connect the ancient art ofstorytelling, old stories, and storytelling techniques with new stories for amodern world.

WORKSHOP at St.Brigid’s Centre for the ArtsSaturday, November 17 - 1pm to 3pm

The Play's The Thing: Theatre Techniques for Storytelling - Annie Fletcher$35/$30 OST members

Ever wanted to be more vibrant on stage? Ever wondered what makes a trulycaptivating story?Come use acting techniques such as Improvisation and character development to enrich your performances. We will also look at threegreat playwrights and use their individual styles of storytelling to create newways of telling your own stories. Bring 3 stories that contain at least 1 clearlydefined character. Be prepared to play a few theatre games and perform a smallpiece of what you discover to your fellow tellers in the workshop.

Workshops&Masterclass

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STORYTELLINg MASTERCLASS at Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street

Sunday, November 18 - 9:30am to 4pm

Jan BlakeAdvanced registration required (email mad@ottawastorytellers.ca)

How do we take a folktale that has been lying flat between the pages of a book,or dormant in our memory bank, and animate it? How do we breathe life intoits world and its characters, making the listener’s experience engaging andmemorable? Join the award‐winning and international storyteller Jan Blake inexploring the vibrant world of your favorite traditional folktale. Using yourchosen story and those of your co‐participants in the workshop, we will look atwhat ‘storyteller’ means in relation to how you tell and how to develop yourparticular style of telling.

Specific areas covered include:• Engagement with the story• Audience involvement• Rhythm and musicality• Characterization• Vocal dynamics/vocal intonation• Visualization• Poetic and descriptive language• Use of diverse vocabulary• Facial expressions• Eye Contact• Finding freedom in performance.

The workshop is practical, using basic warm‐up, storytelling exercises, and contains teaching and demonstration. All participants will be expectedto be able to communicate in English and should come with their favourite traditional story.

Naked Narrative

Performers’

Bios

Headliners :Jan Blake has been performing worldwide for twenty‐five years.Specialising in stories from Africa, the Caribbean, and Arabia, shehas a well‐earned reputation for dynamic and generous storytelling.Recent highlights include Hay Festival, Kerala and Dhaka, theWorld Wildlife Fund’s One Planet Leaders Programme, and theViljandi Harvest Festival, in Estonia, where she collaborated with theacclaimed Cote d’Ivoire multi‐instrumentalist and vocalist Kouame

Sereba. As well as performing at all the major storytelling festivals both nationally andinternationally, Blake works regularly with the British Council, leads storytellingmasterclasses, gives workshops for teachers, and captivates school children with mesmerisingstories. In 2011, she was the recipient of the biannual “Thüringer Märchen- und Sagenpreis”,awarded to scholars or performers who have devoted their lives to the service of storytelling.This year, as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, she is the curator for Shakespeare’sStories, a landmark exhibition that explores themes of journey and identity, in conjunctionwith the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Michael Kusugak’s family travelled by dog sled, hunting and fishing,building igloos where night found them. He has never forgotten theyears he spent, travelling on the great expanse of sea ice on HudsonBay, living in igloos and sod huts and the stories he heard every night,falling asleep in the flickering light of a qulliq – a soapstone, seal oillamp. Today, Michael writes books for children and travels, telling thestories he heard when he was little. He is the author of seven picture

books, including Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails, winner of the Ruth Schwartz Award;Hide and Seek; My Arctic 1, 2, 3; and Baseball Bats for Christmas; and was co-writer of APromise Is a Promise (with Robert Munsch). Michael’s work has won the Ruth SchwartzAward for children’s literature and has been short listed for various other awards, the most recent being the Hackmatack Award. Some of his books have been translated into French,Japanese, Korean, and Braille. A Promise is a Promise appeared in a Hollywood movie, Leaving Normal, and was made into a play.

Kelly Russell has been a professional musician since 1975 and amember of landmark groups Figgy Duff, The Wonderful GrandBand, The Plankerdown Band, Bristol's Hope, Kelly Russell & ThePlanks ,and The Irish Descendants. Working closely for many yearswith legendary fiddlers Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit, Kellyhas inherited genuine status as one of Newfoundland's leading traditional music performers, appearing extensively on countless

national and international stages. Kelly performs his solo show Tunes & Tales of

The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085

November 18 at Saint Brigid’s - 1pm-3pm

FREE Come to our open mic and share a narrative of your own to help us

celebrate Naked Narrative! Admission is free, and everyone is

invited to come and tell a story and/or listen to the stories. Stories

should be 10 minutes or less and must be told and not read, sign up

is first come, first serve.

Performers’Bios

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Open Mic:

We want YOUR Naked Narrative

Naked Narrative

Newfoundland weekly in summer at The Crow’s Nest, St. John’s, featuring music and theclassic Tales of Pigeon Inlet by his dad, Ted Russell. He has recently appeared in ArtisticFraud’s theatre production of Emile’s Dream and also in studio and on stage accompanyingSean McCann of Great Big Sea.

Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the leading character actors in filmtoday. USA Today listed Stephen as the 9th most frequently seenactor in movies. He has appeared over 200 movies and televisionshows. He is best known for playing Ned Ryerson in GroundhogDay, Sammy Jankis in Memento, Werner Brandes in Sneakers,Happy Chapman in Garfield, and Mr. Bates in Freaky Friday. Ontelevision, he has played Tor Ekland on Seinfeld, Hugo Jarry on

Deadwood, Bob Bishop on Heroes, and is currently seen as Sandy Ryerson on Glee and StuBeggs on Californication. He wrote and performed Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Partythat premiered at the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen. He wrote True Stories with DavidByrne and Beth Henley. He currently performs his stories on the “The Tobolowsky Files” atSlashfilm.com and on iTunes. They are also broadcast weekly on KUOW in Seattle – alsonow in Louisville and Austin. His first book of stories The Dangerous Animals Club is beingpublished by Simon and Schuster in August 2012. Fun fact: he performed with Stevie RayVaughn when Stevie was 14 and cut the first songs Stevie every performed.

Performers’Bios

The • Ottawa• International • Storytelling • Festival

Additional Featured Performers:Annie Fletcher is a professional actress hailing from the United States. She has lived inFlorida, Virginia, New Jersey/ New York City, and now resides in Huntington, West Virginia, teaching theatre arts at Marshall University. She recently toured for 4 years withthe Missoula Children's Theatre where she had the amazing opportunity to act, direct,and teach in 38 states and 6 countries. Her favorite adventure with MCT was a stint inthe Canadian Arctic where she worked in Baker Lake, Inuvik, Rankin Inlet,Yellowknife,and several other vibrant communities in The North. It was there she fell in love with theart of storytelling and was asked to perform alongside master artists at StoryNorth andthe storytelling convention hosted by NACC. She has learned so much from spendingtime with tellers like Ivan Coyote, Sharon Shorty, Ria Coleman, Pat Braden, and BenNind. She hopes her stories will compel listeners to tell theirown and to never be afraidto make art out of the most private, purest, darkest, and sweetest parts of their lives.Anne Nagy has been telling stories in Ottawa and elsewhere for ten years. She is particularlyproud to have managed to stay up late enough for this year's Vernacular Spectacular.Kara Askwith is a singer-songwriter, working musician. She plays in two Ottawabands. She grew up in Ottawa and now works at The Ottawa Folklore Center. Sheloves music, friendship, and community. She is also experimenting with different instruments, including the violin.  In the winter, Jeff Wright tells epic-length Greek epics to Ottawa high school audiences. In the summer he paddles the Canadian north and composes stories abouthis lifetime of adventures in (or in this story -- under) canoes.Kalyani Pandya is a writer and comedian. Her stories draw from deeply intimate material including her family, and her reality as a South Asian gender queer person,seeking and speaking her multiple truths, attempting to make home on stolen Native lands. Brad Morden is a ukelele playing poet and arts community organizer who has performed everywhere from seaside cafe's in Nicaragua to theatres in Sweden. He is aresident musician at Ottawa's Chateau Lafayette and is the director of the Capital Poetry Collective. He aspires to write in third person so that he can hear others praisehim in his own words. Kim Kilpatrick is a storyteller who loves to tell autobiographical tales filled with humour and surprises. She is a professional storyteller performing for audiences of allages on stages, at festivals, and venues of all kinds. Marta Singh grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she learnt as little about the artof narrative as about the art of loving. Thus empowered, in 1999 she proposed to her current ex-husband and emigrated to Kemptville. Little did she know that her story wasbeyond editing. Hence began the rewriting of love and her first lesson in naked narrative.Kay'la Fraser is a quirky and eccentric writer, performer, arts worker, and educatorfrom Brantford, Ontario. She is a wearer of many hats and a purveyor of random actsthat has been known to drop a poem or two on occasion. 

box office:Ottawa Festivals 47 William St./613.233.1085 w w w . o t t a w a s t o r y t e l l e r s . c a / f e s t i v a l

Storytelling is an ancient art form that connects people from across cultures andbackgrounds through the power of spoken narrative. Ottawa StoryTellers is a proudleader in the international revival of this art, which seeks to share the stories of the worldwith modern audiences. Founded in 1983, Ottawa StoryTellers is a not-for-profitorganization whose mandate is to:

• Promote the art of storytelling in our community• Nurture and inspire both beginning and experienced tellers

• Provide tellers and listeners of all ages with opportunities to come together to share and enjoy stories

• Offer training and instruction in the art of storytelling

Ottawa Storytellers is involved in over 200 events every year in Ottawafrom our National Art Centre concert series to community outreachprogramming. For more information, visit www.ottawastorytellers.caor call 613-322-8336.

OTTawa ChilDren’S STOryTelling FeSTival

november 10, 2013 at the library and

archives of Canada,

activities all day, admission Free

Quality family and children’s storytelling in a

free, one day event! This Festival is sure to

be fun for everyone!

brought to you by

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310 St.Patrick Street

(near Byward Market)

oCTranspo route 1

exit at Murray &

Cumberland

(eastbound) or

Saint Patrick and

Cumberland

(westbound)

Naked Narrative

Tickets to all concerts Thursday -Sunday are available at the following outlets:

online: ottawafestivalstickets.ca

advance box office:

Ottawa Festivals office,

47 William Street on the Byward Market. , (613) 233-1085

and at the door.

Festival Pass for Feature and Late Night Shows November 15-18 are

$110/ $90 oST members.

Workshops are $35/$30 oST members.

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December 13, 2012 swindles, scams, and snake oilTom Lips, Mary Wiggin, and Kathryn Hunt Join us for stories and songs about fictional and real-life swindles and rackets. is humorous set of stories exploresthe shady side of schemes to get rich, take advantage, and come out on top.

January 17, 2013 Flying in the DarkKim KilpatrickSo, she was born blind! For those of us who are sighted, Kim would seem to be hemmed in by dark. But that’s nothow she sees it. For her, the darkness is no barrier - it’s the refusal of others to acknowledge her competence thatweights her down. Laughter, language, and relish for living have freed her - that and her trusty guide dogs! Join usfor a story of gentle adventure to send you chuckling into the night.

February 21, 2013 beyond the railroad - black history in canadaRuthanne Edward and Greg "Ritallin" FranksonStarting in 1608 with Champlain's guide and translator Mathieu da Costa, the contributions of Black Canadians tothis country's history are long and rich. Unfortunately, they are also often forgotten or neglected. Celebrate BlackHistory month with stories from the lives of some amazing Canadians.

March 21, 2013 harpers in the hall: irish myths from beneath the hollow hillsGail Anglin, Daniel Kletke, and Nicole LavigneBe transported to the ancient hills of Ireland, where the ancient gods and heroes rule and harpers sing the tales.Tonight we tell Irish myths as written by James Stephens, contemporary of W.B. Yeats and James Joyce,accompanied with traditional music by harp duo Acacia Lyra.

April 18, 2013 Granddaughters speakMarta Singh and Sherri YazdaniTwo storytellers explore the stories of their grandmothers, using history and folktale as context. From Argentina toManitoba, we explore the stories of the women who first told us stories.

May 16, 2013 the way: walking the caminoPhil and Anne NagyA couple sets out to walk the Camino, walking a thousand year old pilgrim trail through the mountains ofnorthwestern Spain, and finding plenty of adventure along the Way.

June 13, 2013 r/evolution begins within

D’bi YoungChange must begin with self; any critique of society must start with a critique and analysis of self within society.d'bi.young's storytelling is a mirror in which she views herself reflected through and by the village. She is aJamaican–wombanist–warrior–artist; internationally celebrated for her unapologetic explosive consciousness on andoff stage. www.dbi333.com

Single Tickets from $20 - Subscriptions, Student, and Senior Discounts Availableat the NAC Box office, 53 Elgin Street or nac-cna.ca

SPeaKing OUT/

SPeaKing in

2012/2013season

at the naC