Romance
and Celebration
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Wine, Women & Stories When your guests thirst
for a classy bit of fun… A potent mix of medieval romance,
heavenly love from Thailand, divinity and death in a Greek olive
grove, and a francophone Devil who learns to loathe lawyers…
Vintage tales from lands of wine and whisky!
Special for wine tastings – a story relating to every label.
(30/45/60/90 mins.)
Tales of Lust & Chocolate Forbidden desire
from the Caribbean, spicy adventure from Cairo, and the shocking
truth about Red Riding Hood’s granny! And more…
Flood your senses with this passionate performance of melt-in-the-mouth
tales – plus chocolate scented candles, plus (by special arrangement)
a golden box of gourmet chocolates to devour as you listen. (30/45/60/90
mins)
Food, glorious Food How can something so wonderful
get us into so much trouble?!
The descriptions are mouthwatering, the action swift and astonishing.
In classic folktales and legends from Britain, Australia, America,
China and beyond we reveal how hunger pushes people to acts of outrageous
heroism. Then of course there’s greed - and heroic stupidity.
A deliciously entertaining show with a distinctively modern flavour!
(30/45/60/90 minutes)
• Perfect served up as a Midnight Storytellers STORY SUPPER
Adventure and Travel
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Beyond Cold Mountain Karen-Eve grew up just down
the road from where they filmed Cold Mountain, in the blue mists
of North Carolina, USA. She learned to bake and sew, tend crops
and animals, stay awake during preaching. And she heard all the
stories…
…From her Scots and Irish heritage came tender tales unchanged
over centuries. Certain wild yarns sound like they evolved out of
excess moonshine! And all the triumphs and tragedies of settlement
and survival - conflict with Native Americans, family feuds, civil
war - are captured in powerful stories. In spoken word and song,
Karen-Eve & Chloë evoke a history and way of life that
are still strong in the landscape and character of its people today.
[In development, January 2004]
Transatlantic Tales A tour of classic myth and
legend from the UK and USA.
Karen-Eve draws on her heritage of Scots, Irish and Cherokee folklore
plus tall and terrifying yarns from the mountains where she grew
up.
Chloë turns to her Celtic ancestry for an authentic demonstration
of blarney, Scots mist and dragon-sized verbal firepower.
Featuring favourite fables that crossed the ocean and changed.
(45/60/90 minutes)
Tales on the Tide A fabulous voyage through the
storms of the human heart.
Adventure on the high seas, magic - and mermaids with attitude!
True love, courage and heartrending choices.
All seagoing, salt-tangy and sure to stir up powerful waves of emotion.
(30/45/60/90 minutes)
• See also Historical + Literary for the Admiral Nelson show
being developed for 2005
Around the World in 8 Tales A sparkling hour of
tall, tender and terrifying tales from every continent and beyond!
Amid all the fun, we remember that humans will be human whatever
their creed or colour – with stories that honour and celebrate
many cultures.
(60 minutes)
Gardens and the Natural
World
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Wildwood Tales An edge-of-your-seat journey through
dark legends of ancient forests and wild yarns from the backwoods…
These are tales with teeth. Some of them really happened.
From the grisly fate of an infamous highwayman to murderous trees,
Midnight Storytellers bring to life a fascinating set of folktales
and dramatically modern stories.
You’ll smell the woodsmoke, feel the chill, see the shadows
closing in…
(45/60/90 minutes)
Midnight Storytellers in a Garden of Verbal Delights
Wit, warmth and wisdom from around the world in beautiful and thought-provoking
stories.
Some of the world’s most moving tales are set in gardens and
the natural world. We offer an extensive repertoire of tales for
outdoor themes or settings. Including… wry humour from the
Garden of Eden, a Maori creation myth, fables of loss and friendship
from northern Europe.
A memorable experience for your guests.
(30/45/60/90 minutes)
The Secret Tree “You must get that wool
to market, or we’ll starve. And mind you stay on the path…”
A young woman sets out on a dangerous journey. The lecherous local
squire forces her off the safe path into the wildwood… There
she must talk her way past the many faces of the Lord of the Green.
And accept a quest to save her loved ones by finding the Trees of
Life and Knowledge.
A darkly enchanting mix of Sumerian, Green Man and West Country
legends.
Discover what it’s like to see the world through a wolf’s
eyes.
(60 minutes)
Fantasy & Fable
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Seven Delightful Sins Pride, Wrath, Envy, Lust,
Gluttony, Avarice, Sloth – a tale to have you helpless with
laughter for every one. And yes, there’ll be scary ones…
Above all the Devil is defeated in a variety of ways, wondrous to
behold.
Classic traditional stories plus exciting new adaptations. Wicked!
(45/60/90 minutes)
How To Catch and Keep Dragons In perfect parody
of the eccentric professor, Chloë delivers a ‘lecture’
complete with legends, defence strategy diagrams and veterinary
advice.
But the bumbling academic turns out to be a feisty adventuress –
dragon-proof leather cloak and all – who has charmed, saddled
and flown some of the most dangerous dragons on earth.. and beyond…
In an eloquent tirade against dracophobic prejudice, the First Lady
of Dragon Charming tells the tragedy of the Last Princess, and reveals
the grim truth about so-called heroes of dragonslaying.
Even if you’re a stranger to Middle Earth and Hogwarts, this
is an original and breath-taking fantasy entertainment – resonant
with truths for our everyday world.
(45/60 minutes)
Cinderella Rose She had a name. They took it away.
They systematically destroyed her life, reducing her from a beloved
daughter to a kitchen skivvy. It’s the nastiest case of workplace
bullying you’ve ever heard…
Naturally things aren’t as simple as you might think. The
stepmother is scared. The sisters copy her ugly behaviour in a desperate
bid for approval.
But why didn’t the father put a stop to it all?
Was Cinderella really a winner – or just a wimp?
And what happened when the Fairy Godmother gave Cinders assertiveness
training?!
Discover the love, laughter and family tragedy behind the fairy
tale.
(Created and performed by Chloë. 30/55 minutes)
Winter and Christmas
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Festive Fables Making mincemeat of Christmas clichés!
Including a genie suffering from global economy, King Arthur in
hilarious trouble, the secret love story of the world’s First
Winter and Baboushka as you’ve never heard her before.
If you’re in the mood (or we get snowed in!) and by special
permission from the author you can hear the gorgeous Xmas Eve tale
of the Mousehole Cat (Antonia Barber, based on the Cornish/Breton
fable of Tom Bowcock).
(30/45/60/90 minutes.)
21st Century Scrooge It’s Christmas Eve
in the City. A workaholic businesswoman bullies her secretary Roberta
Cratchit. Four spectacular ghosts appear. A spinechilling scene
in the Underground warns this 21st century Scrooge of a terrifying
fate. The result is joyously life affirming!
Chloë parallels the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol in a
powerful and moving adaptation.
(Approx 50 minutes plus interval.)
Valentine’s Day
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We recommend Tales of Lust & Chocolate but
you can commission a show from our large selection of romantic,
good-humoured and thought-provoking stories suitable for today.
Also available… Confessions of a Chocoholic
Discover the dark side of Britain’s best selling stimulant!
Revel in this bitter-sweet assortment of stories – with glimpses
of chocolate’s blood-drenched history.
Chloë gets her teeth into these tales. Probably an even stronger
anti-depressent than a whole box of your favourite vice… And
definitely not suitable for children.
(30/45/60 minutes)
Spring
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Tales on Fire Kindle your imagination with stories
of renewal and triumph over bad times.
Losing an inheritance proves to be the start of a great adventure;
an owl who can’t fly at night creates a whole new lifestyle;
and when winter darkens the world you party ‘till the sun
comes back! Plus an exquisite creation story.
We believe in happy beginnings. This show will put a twinkle in
your guests’ eyes and the spring back in their step.
(30/45/60/90 minutes)
Mother’s Day
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Mum’s the Word Tales of devotion, daftness
and delicious dilemmas.
Appalachian-born Karen-Eve gives a taste of southern belle motherhood,
and of caring and nurturing in some unexpected forms. Chloë
tells bitter-sweet fantasies… Warm and moving stories for
our time.
(45/60/90 minutes)
Summer
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Midsummer Dream Tales A sizzling,
sassy, spicy feast of stories old + new for dreamy summer nights.
Including... A steamy romance of sun-scorched passion; exotic adventure
in search of mystic love; chaos and comedy in the DreamTime.
(30/45/60/90 minutes)
Autumn
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FableFeast A sumptuous harvest of legend, folktale
and lively modern stories to keep you warm all winter.
Including… An artful thief who shames the Emperor of China;
a Swiss apprentice who eats his way into and out of trouble; and
the computer-age couple who think they’re communicating.
You might also meet the world’s most charming son of the desert
– who just for starters wrecks his friend’s expensive
clothes then risks life and limb doing the laundry!
A magical mix of humour, tenderness and intelligent entertainment.
(30/45/60/90 minutes)
Hallowe’en
(31 Oct)
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Tales of the Dark Be careful what you ask for
– you might get it. We can give you wolves with a sense of
humour, home-loving ghosts and spirits in need of TLC, quirky adventures
in an Irish mist.
But if you really want your guests to be scared…
…Chloë’s version of horror classic The Monkey’s
Paw is the most vivid and spinechilling of its kind. Then there’s
the dare that leads to terror and death. Oh yes, we bring to life
the legends of long ago.
And some things happened just the other day. Just down the road.
Some people say that stories have a life of their own. We say, beware
the hungry little story that follows you home…
Make your choice. Enjoy the entertainment. Be prepared for the consequences.
Bonfire Night (5 Nov)
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Verbal Fireworks Get ready for lift-off! We’ll
light your fuse with a sparkling array of performance storytelling.
The most outrageous mix of tales and tunes and verse and creative
craziness…
Suitable for adults and children old enough to enjoy Lord of the
Rings and Harry Potter.
(45/60/90 minutes)
Bonfire of the Stories From every age and land
come tales and verse in which someone has to eat humble pie.
It might be an arrogant storyteller – outdone by a child!
It could be a bullying baker, a captain of the guard, an important
scholar, a wicked pirate, or the devil, or Death himself.
Everyone who ought to gets their just desserts in this hilarious
and thought-provoking show. Except for one poor innocent chocolate
cake…
(30/45/60/90)
Historical and Literary
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Country Tales from the Cotswolds Charming, scary
– and true! From the landscape of wide horizons and horizontal
weather…
Hear the grisly fate of the Minchinhampton Highwayman. Thrill to
the Legend of the Rollright Stones – far older and stranger
than Stonehenge… Find out how a clever Cotswold woman trapped
the devil, and how a Gloucester shipwright survived strange goings-on
in the Forest of Dean. Plus – unique to Midnight Storytellers,
we’re the only people who know – the secret of the Feline
Phantom of Bibury!
Suitable for adults and children old enough to enjoy Tolkien and
Rowling.
(30/45/60 minutes)
The Song of Roland The medieval French epic retranslated
and performed in full-on thud and blunder style by Chloë. (In
preparation, January 2004)
150th anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s birth, November
2004
Yes, we’re going Wilde about Oscar this autumn! There’ll
be plenty of picking over his colourful lifestyle, so we’re
going to feature some of his less well known and very beautiful
stories. Details tbc.
The Astonishing & Scandalous Romance of Horatio and
Emma
- In development for 2005 Battle of Trafalgar 200th anniversary
Family Entertainment (suitable
for age 7+)
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Nine Lives - including The Tale of the Cat's
Tail and the Monastery Moggie who really makes the fur fly!
With impressive mimicry of feline communication up to and including
full battle yowl! (Patiently taught by Jasmine and Junipurr over
15 years.)
This show is the cat’s whiskers in purr-fect entertainment
for family audiences.
(25-45 minutes or 60 minutes plus interval)
A Child’s World of Stories Howl like a wolf,
meow like a cat, hiss like a snake, squeak like a rat…
Young listeners will be enchanted by a colourful parade of characters
and adventures, from as many cultures as we can cram in to the time
allowed.
And they have to help bring the tales to life! (We aim for a balance
of audience participation, with sitting up and listening well).
Stories have always helped children understand how the world works.
So we include a dragon who is not at all what you’d expect;
a boy who grows up and forgets how to play; a pirate who looks and
sounds all fierce but suffers from a really embarrassing problem...!
Featuring children as the heroes and heroines of many tales, from
a brave little boy who won’t be bullied to a practical princess
who rescues her friend.
(25-45 minutes or 60 minutes plus interval)
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