Azalea Storytelling Festival starts March 7
Jan. 2 , 2008
Nationally acclaimed storytellers will return to LaGrange this year to create a weekend filled with captivating tales of the real world and make-believe during the 12th annual Azalea Storytelling Festival, which takes place March 7-9.
LaGrange College’s Callaway Auditorium will be the site of this year’s award-winning festival, where professional romancers will spin comic, dramatic and nostalgic yarns.
This year a group of artists whose work represents a diverse range of content and style will take to the Azalea stage to share their tales and talents.
Ed Stivender, a longtime favorite at the annual event, returns again this year.
A professionally storyteller since 1977, Stivender specializes in Anglo-American folklore, literary tales and personal narratives with an emphasis on the humor of life.
Called “the Robin Williams of storytelling” and “a Catholic Garrison Keillor,” Stivender offers affectionate glimpses of his Irish-Catholic upbringing in Philadelphia during the 1950s and early ’60s.
He has been a featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival, the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival in Ireland and the Graz Festival in Austria.
Stivender holds theology degrees from St. Joseph’s College and Notre Dame and taught high school in Hartford, Conn., where he honed his performance skills and learned the art of “controlled foolishness.”
He has written two well-received books, “Raised Catholic, Can You Tell?” and “Still Catholic After All These Fears.”
Award-winning storyteller Elizabeth Ellis also will perform this year.
A versatile teller of Appalachian and Texas tales and stories of heroic American women, Ellis has captivated more than 250,000 children and countless adults at schools, universities and festivals in her 25-year career as a storyteller.
Ellis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains and later worked as a children’s librarian in the Dallas Public Library for 10 years before becoming a professional storyteller.
She was selected as a “Listener’s Choice” at the 30th Anniversary National Storytelling Festival and a storyteller-in-residence at the International Storytelling Center.
Ellis also was the first recipient of the John Henry Faulk Award given by the Tejas Storytelling Association, and she has been inducted into the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence.
Susan Klein, an internationally acclaimed storyteller, humorist and author, will entertain festival audiences this year.
Klein has toured the world performing her one woman shows, and her highly acclaimed storytelling and memoir writing workshops are held annually on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
While she often directs the spoken-word audio projects of other storytellers, Klein’s own CDs have won a number of awards, including Publisher’s Weekly Listen Up Award and the Parents’ Guide Award.
ABC’s Nightline aired a 30 minute special on the Festival of Storytelling on Martha’s Vineyard that Klein founded in 1988, and she has served as guest host and storyteller for Minnesota Public Radio’s “Good Evening.”
In 2001, Susan received a Circle of Excellence Award presented by the National Storytelling Network.
Emmy Award-winning storyteller Bobby Norfolk will exhibit his talents on the Azalea stage.
Originally from St. Louis, Norfolk worked as a comedian, an actor and a national park service ranger before becoming a full-time storyteller.
He is well known for his high-energy performances and lively animation. His stories promote character education, cultural diversity and self-esteem.
Along with the four national tellers, three regional tellers will share their stories with Azalea audiences. Slated to perform this year are Sherry Norfolk, Betty Ann Wylie and Eric Litwin.
The master of ceremonies will once again be Hogansville native Carol Cain, who was named the 2000 Troup Teacher of the Year and was a 2001 Georgia Teacher of the Year finalist.
Cain became involved in storytelling more than 20 years ago when asked to present at LaGrange Memorial Library’s summer story time. Since then, she has performed for numerous school and civic audiences, often as Rosie the Riveter.
The festival officially begins on Friday, March 7, with a 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. storytelling concert. It continues Saturday with the first concert scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by concerts at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The final day of the concert is Sunday, March 9, beginning with coffee and donuts at 8:30 a.m. and followed by sacred storytelling and music at 9:30 a.m. and 10:50 a.m.
This year’s Azalea Storytelling Festival is sponsored by Lafayette Society for Performing Arts, LaGrange College, LaGrange Memorial Library, Merrill Lynch, Troup County School System and West Georgia Technical College.
Tickets are $35 for the full festival, $15 for Friday evening, $30 for Saturday, $10 for Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, and $15 for Saturday evening. Student tickets can be purchased at a discount, and admission is free Sunday morning.
For more information, please call (706) 756-4610, visit the Azalea Web site at www.lagrange.edu/azalea, or e-mail bknight@westgatech.edu.
A four-year liberal arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, LaGrange College is ranked in the top five and as a “best value” among 93 Southern baccalaureate colleges by U.S. News & World Report. The college is the oldest private institution of higher learning in Georgia and has an enrollment of about 1,100 students.
