Have you noticed how personal advertising is getting? Pulling on the heartstrings of emotional connection to elicit sales from you during this “most wonderful time of the year”?
Well, it is a wonderful time of year, but it doesn’t have to be maneuvered by multi-billion corporations. Instead, it should be about taking a break from the mass media hype of our everyday lives to take stock and spend some true, quality time with family and friends – which doesn’t (and shouldn’t) cost the earth.
At Christmas time, we are often so busy out in the crowds trying to find the “perfect” gift that we forget the magic of Christmas time. But it’s easy to reclaim it through the Art of the Storyteller.
Storytellers Beverley Bryant and Heather Yule invite you to leave the crowds and shopping behind, taking some time to remember the sense of wonder you had as a child at this special time of year.
Over the years, these two good friends have gathered a huge repertoire of Christmas and seasonal tales from around the world. They will share their personal stories, passion for storytelling and basic skills for you to utilise this winter at the Art of the Storyteller Workshop (Sat 16 Dec, 4pm).
This session will be followed by an Art of the Storyteller performance at 7.30pm in the welcoming Storytelling Court and promises an evening of Christmas Tales – but which tales will they choose from their sizeable stock?
Come along and enjoy the warmth, wonder and sparkle of an evening in the company of two talented storytellers and discover stories you can share over the festive period!
Further Festive Storytelling
Tonight (Wed 6 Dec), to mark the feast day of Saint Nicholas, Edinburgh’s Burgh Blatherers share an evening of heart-warming yarns and chilling winter tales, accompanied by complimentary mulled wine and mince pies at A Winter Warmer.
Then on Thu 14 Dec, it’s the Centre’s monthly storytelling night, Café Voices: Cold Snap with host Claire Druett sharing tales of snow-capped mountains, the shade of an eclipse and chills of the heart from 7pm, with an open floor opportunity for guests to contribute!
Festive Family Fun
Centre favourite’s Sam and Rosie return for two sessions of It’s in the Bag; perfect, interactive puppetry with songs and rhymes on Sat 9 Dec.
At 10.15am (0-2yrs) and 11.30am (3-6yrs), take off on a Christmas adventure as Sam and Rosie travel to the Outer Hebrides to spend Christmas with Granny and Grandpa!
Then Claire Hewitt, fresh from her stint in the Storytelling Yurt at The Enchanted Forest, entertains all ages with the Centre’s magical Stories Round the Tree.
Wintry tales will be shared around the Centre’s stunning Christmas tree on Fri 22 Dec (3pm) and Sat 23 Dec (11am & 1.30pm).
Festive Theatre
Strange Town Theatre return with their annual Christmas spirit as they showcase three very silly pantos, performed by their 8-10s & 11-14s groups and written by local talents Tim Primrose, Amy Drummond and Duncan Kidd.
Enter Pantasia (Fri 8 & Sat 9 Dec) with Ali Dinn who is sent out of rehearsals for being cheeky, only to discover the wonderful world of panto with a genie in tow. Enjoy a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast (Fri 8 & Sat 9 Dec) brought together by financial disaster – and just who are the Pump Bot duo? Plus, meet Jinglebell Jones: Elf Squad (Sat 9 & Sun 10 Dec) – New Lapland Yard’s top crime fighter is looking for justice with bells on as he tried to track down a missing Santa…
On Fri 15 Dec, we are delighted to host a matinee and evening performance of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play on Stage which sees six actors in a recording studio take on all the characters of this much loved classic film, in a show which has been dubbed a ‘perfectly formed triumph’ (The Tempohouse).
On Sat 16 Dec, Grinagog Theatre bring us two shows of Little Ulla (11.30am & 2pm) performed by Clare McGarry and Steven Rae. This interactive show (3-7yrs) follows Little Ulla – a cheerful, yodelling goat who loves being a postie! But when poor old Mr Hans the clockmaker gets no Christmas cards, the little goat sets out to give him a Christmas surprise he’ll never forget.
