As Halloween approaches the tales being told at this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival begin to take a darker turn…
On Halloween night (Friday 31 October), storyteller Anna Lehr will present her new storytelling show Dazwischen (Inbetween) which is inspired by the original tales of the Brothers Grimm, especially the story of Godfather Death.
Anna Lehr with the ‘Death Puppet’. Dazwischen premieres at 8pm on Friday 31 October at the Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. Photo credit Jim Dunn
Events on the 31 October:
Anna Lehr’s new tale Dazwischen, about death, birth and what lies in between, is loosely based on the Brother’s Grimm fairytale Godfather Death. It will be performed with German songs, poems, traditions and Anna dancing with Death itself, in the form of a puppet created by artist and wood carver Justina Kasponyte. Anna Lehr worked as an actress for over ten years in her native Germany and is an expert in performance-based interactive and educational storytelling. Her new tale Dazwischen was originally commissioned for the 2024 festival and is supported by the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund.
Also, taking place on 31 October, is The Bewitching Season with guest storyteller Suse Weisse, who is one of Germany’s leading storytellers with a special interest in telling and adapting the tales of the Brothers Grimm, that she grew up with as a child. This storytelling discussion at the National Library of Scotland is presented in association with the Goethe-Institut and takes audiences on a journey through the intersections of folklore and the natural world, at a time when the mystical and natural come close, and the northern winter begins.
Guid Crack Storytelling Session at The Waverley Bar in Edinburgh. This will be a Samhuinn hosted by storyteller Fiona Herbert who will lead a session of spooky stories, and invite audiences to share their own.
Over the rest of the weekend there will also be:
A workshop on Mortality and Making (Saturday 1 November) with storyteller Beverley Bryant who is also a celebrant and death educator. Beverley will be sharing some traditional death stories and ask participants to discuss death, which is often seen as taboo for storytellers. All whilst participants get hands-on and decorate a cardboard coffin and learn the craft of weaving a willow coffin.
To the Ends of the Earth with Monica Madas and Erin Farley which tells the story of Triduana who is part of a small group of missionaries determined to share the Christian faith by taking Saint Andrew’s bones ‘to the ends of the earth’. Triduana’s voyage into unseen waters and mythologies is told through story, song and puppetry.
The Corpse Road with storyteller Daniel Serridge and musician Heather Cartwright which follows the rise and fall, and the twists and turns of those whose final journey was made along the ancient corpse roads. This session will be a mix of stories and songs written about the characters who travelled along these roads on their final journey to the grave.
Finally, as we head into November, there is a Family Samhuinn celebration with the Beltane Fire Society on Sunday 2 November, where families can drop-in at the Storytelling Centre during the day for facepainting, storytelling and songs.
Then, on Wednesday 5 November Moonspinners, with storytellers Bea Ferguson, Selina Graham and Heather Yule, returns, for another full-moon celebration, alongside host storytellers Claire McNicol and Linda Williamson. Together they will be sharing moon myths, lunar legends and cross-cultural stories about creation, fertility, cosmic joy, transformation, death and rebirth. Moonspinners takes place under the energy and influence of November’s Beaver Moon and the session will begin with a community meal in the café at 6pm of haggis neeps and tatties on a pay-what-you-can basis with all donations going to support the Edinburgh Food Project. This will be followed by storytelling in the theatre, and then an informal social and more conversational session in the Storytelling Court.
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival runs until 1 November thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund and Multi-Year Funding from Creative Scotland. The Festival’s Go Local programme runs throughout October and November and includes over 60 of events taking place in village halls, pubs, cafes and gardens across Scotland, from the Borders to Shetland and the Western Isles.
To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visit sisf.org.uk
