This year the story teller is Jo Blake who will be telling stories in Queen Street Methodist/United Reformed Church from 12:30pm till 3:15pm on Saturday.
There will be three 45 minute sessions starting at 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm.
Joanne Blake
Award-winning bright new voice Joanne Blake has been telling stories throughout the UK for the last 5 years. Her latest performance We Are Pathmakers premiered at The Soho Theatre in London to much acclaim and has since gone on to be performed in Wales, Shropshire and of course her home town of Northampton, returning to the capital once again in September. As one of the winners of the 2007 Young Storyteller of the Year Competition she went on to perform at the two largest international storytelling festivals in the UK, Beyond the Border and Festival at the Edge as well as storytelling clubs throughout the country. 2009 was Joanne’s first time appearing at FatE as a solo featured storyteller where she performed alongside several experienced and established storytellers. Martin Manasse, Chairman of the Society for Storytelling wrote of the festival, “I was asked what my favourite session was and there was no way I could compare since all were different in style and content but, given the company of Jan Blake, Xanthe Gresham, Michael Harvey (hilarious), Hugh Lupton and Dovie Thomason in the Stories of Farewell, I was most impressed with Jo Blake who fitted in perfectly and anyone who did not know how recently she has come to storytelling would have thought she was as seasoned a professional as the others.”
Joanne has also performed with multidisciplinary theatre companies, and has appeared at The Edinburgh Fringe, The Bath Shakespeare Festival, and The National Student Drama Festival, and recently co-directed a 5-star rated production for the Lighthouse Theatre in Poole as part of the Pockets Progression team. She also regular sings with Gregg Cave and the Village Hall Band, and has been attempting to learn the guitar for several years!
Joanne is a warm and animated storyteller, a keen interrogator of the art form, and a maker of work that is intelligent, intimate and relevant to our times. As well as making storytelling performances for adults, Joanne regularly visits schools and colleges to lead workshops and tell stories to both children and teachers. Come and hear Joanne tell stories and expect to stumble into the world of folk tales, fairytales and myths that are strange, beguiling, thrillingly unnerving, both comic and tragic, and that ask more questions than provide answers. You are guaranteed to leave feeling wiser and richer than when you came in!
“Joanne is a captivating storyteller whose abilities far outstrip her years. She displays a masterful control of voice, rhythm and body that serves to create a spellbinding performance. Her preferred genre of folk stories is accessible for young and old alike and will have audiences talking long after she has left.” Lee Bridges, Author and Storyteller
