Telling tales at Isle of Story Festival
Argentinian Marta Singh will be event’s guest storyteller
A storyteller who grew up in Argentina under that country’s military junta rule will be the guest storyteller at this year’s Isle of Story Festival.
Marta Singh will tell stories at a number of events during the festival and will perform her one-woman show, “Landscapes of Silence” at the Highland Arts Theatre on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Admission to this event is pay what you can.
“Landscapes of Silence” is her personal story about how she and her family survived those years.
Born and raised in Argentina, Singh now lives and works in Ottawa. As a solo artist, she has performed in English and Spanish across North and South America. Her repertoire, which includes literary and personal material, is deeply rooted in fairylore.
Renowned for her poetic use of language and her expressiveness, performances by Singh are said to leave audiences spellbound.
From 2005 through 2018, she was a featured artist in the Ottawa Storytellers’ Fourth Stage Series at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, where she was also one of the 18 passionate tellers who performed the 12-hour epic tellings of “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad.”
Singh will also be hosting a storytelling workshop, Stories to Tell, on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Membertou Heritage Park. This workshop is based on the premise that story is our first language and storytelling is an art form. Singh will work with participants on developing this language and cultivating this art. This workshop is free and open to everyone but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Phone the McConnell Library at 902-562-3161 to register.
The Isle of Story Festival will take place May 1-5 in Sydney, celebrating the past, present, and future of storytelling in Cape Breton.
Over the five days of the festival will provide opportunities to attend feature workshops, a story swap with audience participation, storytelling events and more.
All events are free and open to everyone. For more details, go to facebook.com/isleofstory.
The Isle of Story Festival has been made possible by a collaboration of local organizations, including Breton Books, the Cape Breton Regional Library, Cape Breton University’s Beaton Institute, the Centre for Sounds Communities - CBU, and Membertou Heritage Park.