Storyteller Biographies
STORYTELLER BIOS
For the past eleven summers, Richard Rowberry has been working with local students to create and perform plays based on Kootenay history. He has also produced, directed, and/or acted in a number of productions in Nelson while serving as administrator of The Nelson History Theatre Society and Artistic Director of TNT (The Nelson Theatre Company). As a storyteller, Richard has presented a program in schools as a member of The Kootenay Storytellers, and appeared frequently at The Proctor Storytelling Festival.
Richard’s play Frank and the Elephants won the 2004 Sybil Cooke Award (Play for Young Audiences) at the Canadian One Act Play Competition in Ottawa. He will be telling stories from the history of our region.
Ray Stothers was co-founder of the Vancouver Society of Storytelling, the Vancouver International Storytelling Festival, and the Kamloops Ceiliegh Club. He has been a featured storyteller at the British Columbia Festival of the Arts, the Vancouver International Storytelling Festival, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, the Magherafelt International Festival of the Arts, the Isle of Skye Festival of Gaelic Arts, and the Belfast, Dublin, Derry Yarn Spinners. Ray will be taking whatever stories out of his bag seem appropriate to the audience in front of him.
Taress Alexis is the President of the Smum Iem Society, sits on the board of directors for the Sinixt Nation Society, and is an Aboriginal Support Worker for SD 20. She has told stories in schools and at community events all over the East and West Kootenay. Taress is a member of the Northwest Indian Story Tellers Association and has worked to improve her story telling skills and develop her collection of traditional stories not only from her Sinixt heritage but representative of other aboriginal heritages as well.
Marilyn James is a spokesperson for the Sinixt Nation. Her repertoire of stories is based upon Sinixt traditions, culture and creation stories. Marilyn has presented her stories at community story telling events and has utilized her peoples stories to develop curriculum for the local school districts and featured on line with the ministry of education. Marilyn will share two of her Sinixt stories that will reflect audience pick.
Natasha Edney is a mother of two children, who moved to Nelson B.C. from England in 2004. When she was very young her Mother would make up and tell her simple, sweet stories about animals and birds. Inspired by these lovely memories Natasha continued this tradition with her own children, and experienced herself the rapt attention and delight of her children as she wove a simple tale for them at bedtime. Her stories always begin with the age old “Once Upon a Time …..” which serves to give her that moment to think of which creature or wee folk character will be the centre of her story that night. In Natasha’s spare time she is a psychotherapist in private practice in Nelson. She will be telling about The Little Mouse and the Halloween Scarecrow.
Simone Varey is a puppeteer and harpist. Oddly enough, Simone’s puppets let her out on her own today which is something they don’t often do. And you thought she pulled the strings! Born and raised in Winter-Peg, Mani-snow-ba, Simone spent lots of glorious summers in Gimli and it was there that her love of all things Viking began. She will share some of her favorite Viking stories with you. Think of cold dark nights, warm crackling fires, a mug of mead and you are half way to being there!”
Taylor Lewis grew up in and around Nelson, where he performed in many Capitol Summer Theatre Shows and Christmas Pantos. His most recent works in Nelson include “Fools” and “Comedy Quickies” for the TNT Theatre, which he also directed. Taylor has just graduated from UVic with a BFA in Theatre and English. His stories will be Lazy Jack, The Fools of Chelm and the Foolish Carp, Hans in Luck, by the Brothers Grimm, and When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw.
Joe Pierre was raised on the St. Mary’s Indian Reserve and is a citizen of the Ktunaxa Nation. He attended the University of Calgary in the Fine Arts where he collaborated with several other First Nations people to form the Crazy Horse Theatre Company. The company mounted several productions written by Aboriginal writers. He also worked for a season with the CBC production “North of Sixty”. Joe was a storyteller at the very first Proctor Storytelling Festival and he has presented at several other festivals throughout the Kootenays. Currently he is employed by School District 5 Southeast Kootenay, is a Councilor for the St. Mary’s Indian band, a member of the Board of Governors for the College of the Rookies, a husband to wife Jennifer and a father to three-year-old Jude.
Barry Gray has been telling stories around the Kootenays for more than twenty years. He honed the art during his time as a Waldorf School teacher and went on to tell at festivals, seniors homes, libraries, public schools, etc. He was the founding storyteller of the Kootenay Storytelling Festival in Procter and sat on the board during its nine years of existence. For this event Barry will be telling Trickster tales from around the world. Parents bring your children, don’t send them.
Prudence-Elise Breton was born and raised in the province of Quebec, on the south shore of the St-Lawrence River. She moved to BC three years ago to undertake a master’s degree in environment and community organization. She moved in June to Nelson that she considers being one of the best places in BC: for its landscape, its strong community fabric and its rich cultural and artistic life. She works for the francophone association (AFKO) and co-animates a francophone radio show on Kootenay Co-op Radio. It is always a pleasure for her to share the French language and culture. She will be telling traditional stories from France.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Alexandre Bailleul started as a storyteller when he was working at the Orford Arts Center located in Eastern Quebec. Alexandre performs regularly at special local event for youth audiences. He is using storytelling as a way to express is passion for nature and aboriginal folklore. Alexandre moved last summer in Nelson, BC. He is currently working at the French Association of the West Kootenays (AFKO) and will be telling traditional stories from Quebec.
Barbarah Nicoll is a lover of stories, and has a deep belief that a good story is food for the heart and soul. She will be telling a few (4 to 6) stories from different cultures about trees. Barbarah has an MA in Integrated Studies – The Heart and Learning, and is Director of Self-Design – International School of the Kootenays.
