Performance: The People of the Sea performance 17 November 2018
YARN Storytelling Festival Bray took place for the ninth year from 10-18 November 2018. A highlight of the festival was The People of the Sea event, kindly supported by FEST and Creative Europe. As 2018 is the European year of Cultural Heritage we chose the theme of stories from the sea and cast our net out across Europe to bring together a flavour of this shared heritage. We invited Tom Muir from the Orkney Islands, Abbi Patrix from France (with Norwegian heritage) and Nuala Hayes from Ireland. The result was simply magic! Using authentic seal skin and a wonderful Mermaid as part of the set and with musical accompaniment by renowned Irish flautist Ellen Cranitch, these three tellers wove together a captivating evening of tales that took us to mystical islands and the depths of the ocean. The audience was carried upon the waves from one enchanting tale to the next and was left wanting more! Mermaid Arts Centre specifically focused on inviting community groups to this event as well as the general public. We were keen to create new opportunities to present different and quality European storytellers to share and inspire Wicklow communities.
Audience: 90 people
The following day a special Masterclass took place in the Town Hall Chambers, close to the Arts Centre. Entitled The Musical Skills of the Storytelling, Abbi Patrix shared his wisdom and experience with 11 participants. For three hours they explored, experimented and shared their magic. Holding a masterclass workshop event for storytellers was a new venture for YARN Storytelling Festival and Mermaid Arts Centre.
