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Thu, 17 December 2009
“The Rainbow Crow” is a Native American nature myth from the Lenni Lenape tribe of New Jersey. It's quite unusual for a nature myth in that it simultaneously explains the origins of four phenomena: fire, the rainbow, the crow's black feathers, and the crow's croaky voice. It bears striking similarities to the Zuni story that we call “Coyote and Eagle”, as well as to the Greek myth of Prometheus. We thought it would be an appropriate offering for the winter solstice, since it also deals with the first time the animals had seen snow. That's rather hard to imagine, since they were living in the Northeast, but there's a first time for everything. We come to you from a place where we probably won't have to worry about snow this holiday season: Florida. We'll be here through the end of January, and our tour will include a performance in Miami. If you decide to fly south for the winter, or you're already down here, swing on by! Happy Listening! |
Thu, 19 November 2009
To mark the beginning of winter, we present “Batcha” a dragon story from the region formerly known as Czechoslovakia (it recently split into Slovakia and The Czech Republic). A shepherd strays away from home, discovers a serpents' lair, sleeps all winter like Rip Van Reptile, suffers the consequences of breaking a vow, takes a wild ride, and still gets home in time for dinner.
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Tue, 15 September 2009
Especially for the arrival of the autumn equinox, alias fall, we bring you “Moonlight Over Cassia Peak” a nature myth from China explaining the abundance of cassia trees around Lingyin Temple in the Wulin Mountains. The version we have borrowed presents the legend as a tale within a tale. We come to you from Fall River, MA, where we gear up for another haunting season in Salem. We've completed our 21st summer season, which took us from Monterey, CA to Medford, MA. Along the way, we performed for the American Library Association's annual conference on behalf of Scholastic Books (held in Chicago this year) and biked the Katy Trail in Missouri. And Dennis began writing about some of our travel adventures for examiner.com. Oh yes, and we have a guest star this time who's hardly a stranger to our podcasts or our shows: our son Zephyr, who now lives in Massachusetts and hadn't done a podcast with us since January. Happy Listening! Dennis (De Wing), Kimberly (Narrator, Queen) and Zephyr (Abbot, Wu Gang) |
Wed, 26 August 2009
Part 2 of the Dragon of Krakow - the exciting conclusion! Activatedly Yours,
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Wed, 26 August 2009
A story about a village terrorized by a dragon. Compiled from 4 live productions.
Act!vatedly Yours,
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Sat, 15 August 2009
The Grove A little oasis near Chicago, Illinois where you can explore nature and experience the past. Links: |
Sat, 15 August 2009
We have been trying out our new video camera. Hope you enjoy these new travel videos. We'll be back to our regular podcast schedule next month, in addition to adding new travel videos in the future. A theatrical tour of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
Act!vatedly Yours, Dennis and Kimberly Links: |
Mon, 15 June 2009
"The Brave Little Tailor" is a tale popularized by Disney, who rather appropriately cast Mickey Mouse in the title role. Disney got it from the Brothers Grimm, who got it from several European folk traditions. It's an inspiring story about how a little guy can defeat a mighty giant (or even several of them) with cunning and courage, as well as a cautionary tale about the dangers of tooting your own horn. It will be one of the stories featured in our new production "Triumphant Tales; Stories of Creative Conquest". This version is specially edited for the podcast, and features the guest voices of our nephew Joey (age 15) and our niece Jenny (age 12). We hope the end result leaves you in stitches.We also talk about our recent drive and bicycling adventure down the Pacific Coast, traveling from Seattle through Oregon and past California's own giants, the monumental redwoods. You'll hear us make a reference in the podcast to working on our set in the garage; but no, no, no that does not mean that we have a house somewhere. We're still on the road fulltime, just as we have been for the past 17 years. But we do know other people who have houses, including Kimberly's parents. And it's their garage where we typically have our marathon production week every May/June. Now we're off and running on our 21st summer season. Beginning June 11 in Monterey, CA, we literally tour from coast to coast this year, ending the season in Medford, MA. We hope to catch you somewhere along the way! Happy Listening! Dennis (Narrator, Giant), Kimberly (Tailor), Joey (King) and Jenny (Giant) Comments and folktale requests 206-426-0436. Links: |
Fri, 15 May 2009
"Trittil, Littil and the Birds" is a story from Iceland about an adventurous young man who outwits a troll, and of course wins his good fortune. There are many trolls living under the bridges and in the caves of Nordic folklore, but in this case the troll is female. Which is entirely appropriate, since we have two female guest performers returning to join us.
We were inspired by the famous troll lurking under the Aurora Bridge in the Femont District of Seattle, where we were able to spend a few days showing our guests the sights, including the Experience Music Project, Pikes Place Market, the Chittenden Locks, and Elliot Bay Book Company. None of us got eaten by a troll, but we did get almost dissolved by the rain. Happy Listening, Dennis (Narrator, King, Father), Kimberly (Mother, Trittil, Littil, Princess), Libby (Young Man), and Eddy (Oldest Brother, Troll) Comments and folktale requests 206-426-0436. Links: |
Fri, 17 April 2009
“When April Went to Visit March” is a story from the Ukraine about the seasons, or rather about one season, and how it can be unseasonable, especially in a chilly climate like the Ukraine. The months of spring are appropriately personified to reflect the weather that typically accompanies them: harsh March, airy April and mellow May. Except sometimes May may show the traits of March, so this tale offers a fanciful explanation. We come to you from Sacramento, California, where we are doing a series of library performances for National Library Week. And we're doing stories especially appropriate for Earth Day, which the Sacramento County Library System is commemorating with a green theme. And speaking of spring, we recount our recent visit to Saratoga, WY, which has a hot mineral spring that anyone can bathe in free at any time, year-round. But while we were there, we encountered some snowy weather, as we did during the entire month of March, which seemed to be anticipating the venting of a great deal of wrath toward May. Happy Listening! Dennis (March, Narrator) and Kimberly (April, May, Wind) Comments and folktale requests 206-426-0436. Links:
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