TELLABRATION!™

TELLABRATION!™
AN INTERNATIONAL NIGHT OF STORYTELLING & MUSIC
November 14, 2018

Please join us for the 11th Anniversary of the Monona Public Library TELLABRATION!™

Presented by The Friends of Monona Public Library and complimentary to you.

4:00 PM Little Wigglers: Stories and fun for very young children! Families welcome. Free. Drop in.
Karen Wendt will present an engaging mix of stories and movement.

6:00 PM Family Audience: Mesmerizing Tales! Interactive stories and music for elementary & middle school age. Families welcome. Sign Language services may be provided. Hosted by the Friends of Monona Public Library and complimentary to you.
Emcee:

7:30 PM Adults & Teens: Intriguing Stories that inspire, educate and are just fun. These are well told stories for adults and high school teens that take you on a journey of experiences.
Emcee:

TELLABRATION!™ is a worldwide celebration of the art of storytelling where for one night storytellers will share their talents in concerts held in different cities and towns all around the world to celebrate the art of storytelling. In 1987 a Connecticut yarn spinner, J. G. Pinkerton, launched his vision of a night of storytelling for adults.

On a local level, the Annual Monona Library TELLABRATION!™ will bring together acclaimed professional and local storytellers from the area to delight, captivate, and mesmerize the audience with their stories. “TELLABRATION!™ a trademark of the National Storytelling Network.”

FEATURED STORYTELLER

Meet Andre' St. Pierre, 18th Century French-Indian fur trader. History has never been so much fun. Andre' will present an entertaining and educational look at the French fur traders and the native tribes they lived and worked with. Andre' is a character developed by Andy Talley. He has delighted and educated audiences throughout the midwest with his portrayal of our fur trade era.

For the over 20 years Andy has worked as a naturalist and interpreter in Museum, Forest Preserve District and Conservation District settings. He has extensive experience with storytelling, environmental education, and cultural history interpretation.

FEATURED STORYTELLERS & MUSICIANS

Kucha Brownlee and Baba Tony Brown, Your Favorite Storytellers
This dynamic storytelling duo combine their talents and experience to bring magical moments to their performances. Their compelling storytelling is accompanied by singing and energetic instrumentation. And, their audience’s enthusiastic responses are always a treat. Their programs are highly entertaining, culturally enriching, and engaging. Their performances are enhanced by audience participation also including drumming, singing, learning, and lots of fun.

Kucha came to storytelling by way of theatre. She toured the Midwest and Canada with several children’s theatre companies. Storytelling is a marriage of her experience and training earning a BA in English and a Master in Business. Baba Tony was a public speaker and trainer prior to storytelling. He is also a certified coach facilitator. He plays an array of instruments. Baba Tony also teaches the primary foundation skills of drumming (Djembe). They have been performing together for over 20 years. Kucha and Baba Tony are traveling artists and they have performed throughout the United States, performing for children, adults and elders.

In addition to telling Kucha and Baba Tony facilitate storytelling, drumming workshops and three day retreats. They have led storytelling and drumming workshops for the Department of Children and Family Services, Umoja, Inc., Alliance Library System, the Spirit Lights Foundation, Inc., and Public Allies to name a few. They believe stories are sacred and love sharing their experiences that have made them sought after to enhance programs across the country. Visit us at: www.KuchaandBabaTonyStorytellers.com

ERIN JOHNSTON
Erin found her voice in storytelling after many years in Traditional Theatre, with a side trip to Environmental Education, and a long detour in Genealogy. She has lived in San Francisco, New York City, and very very very small town in Western Nebraska. Her stories range from her many experiences alone in nature to surviving in the big city. She is also passionate about telling folktales from her ancestor’s homelands and performing historical characters.

CHRISTINE GREWE
Christine Grewe has 28 years of teaching experience in Oklahoma Public Schools for grades K-6.Christine uses puppets to engage her listeners while telling her stories. She enhances her stories with Spanish to engage her children on thinking about the importance of learning a new language. Using puppets and Spanish just makes the stories come alive and it's just fun!

Christine volunteers as a tutor at Bird Elementary where she uses her extra free time to do storytelling for the kindergarten classes. She has also volunteered at Day Care Centers in Sun Prairie. She designs and builds all her puppets for her stories. She performed puppet shows for the Summer Reading Program for the Oklahoma Public Libraries.

KAREN WENDT
Karen Wendt spends her days working with children and their families as the Youth Services Coordinator at the Monona Public Library. She has produced 10 years of Tellabration in Monona. She loves reading books, playing with puppets, and telling stories to kids of all ages. With her ever-expanding repertoire, Karen has told stories for audiences from Wisconsin to Mexico and back again. For personal stories, she shares tales in a straightforward, heart-felt style, however, she becomes active and sometimes rambunctious in performances for children, inviting them to help tell the stories.

TELLABRATION!™

FEATURED STORYTELLERS & MUSICIANS

​TELLABRATION!™SPONSORED BY

TELLABRATION!™SPONSORED BY