Top storytellers come to Topsham

Two of the finest storytellers in the UK will be performing in Topsham this spring: Ben Haggarty and Martin Shaw are world-renowned within the storytelling community, bringing their richly entertaining mythic material to audiences across Britain and far beyond.  The performances are being organised by Katy Cawkwell who has recently moved to the town and is a well-regarded teller in her own right.

Katy will start the series on the 11th March with a show called Rhiannon which is a gripping, emotional performance, following the story of a woman who comes from the Otherworld for love and the journey she makes, learning what it is to be human, both the suffering and the joy.  The tale is drawn from Welsh mythology and is deeply rooted in the landscape of South-West Wales.

On 15th April Ben Haggarty will be telling The Blacksmith at the Bridge of Bones, a dark and full-blooded story of power, knowledge and alchemy.  The evening explores the relationship between a teacher and an apprentice and asks the question: if knowledge equals power, then what is the responsibility of such power?  Evocative, unflinching and beautiful by turn, this is a performance to lure you into a world where rules aren't broken lightly.

You’ll need to book early for a ticket to hear Martin Shaw on 13th May.  Martin runs the School of Myth on the edge of Dartmoor and has amassed a devoted following of his work. 

Combing the Hair of Dragons – Betrayal, Desire and the Underworld is an extraordinary wonder tale, one of the great secrets of the fairy tale tradition: three hunters search for the exiled daughters of an ancient king. At the bottom of an abandoned well they wait in the darkness, with the heads of three dreaming dragons resting on their laps, combing the hair that pours from their skulls. This is how they stay alive. But there is a time to comb and a time to cut.  Martin takes a story from thousands  of years ago and make you feel it happened to you this morning.

All three performances will take place at 8pm in the intimate, upstairs room of The Matthews Hall, Topsham, EX3 0HF and are not suitable for children under 12.  Tickets are on sale from Topsham Bookshop and on the website: www.storytellingintopsham.moonfruit.com. 

Already those in the know have booked tickets and they are coming from Dorset, Somerset and even Wales… come and find out why people will travel miles to drink in the power and the wisdom of these ancient tales: a great shared experience that has its roots back in the beginnings of what made us human.

For more details or for more photos, please see the website above or contact Katy Cawkwell: katycawkwell@gmail.com  0776 246 9059 / 01392 969 907.