SHAGGYDOG STORYTELLERS

STORYTELLERS

Christine McMahon is the Club Secretary and point of contact for the performers.

A Storyteller, Drama-therapist and Lecturer in drama and psychology. She is the Restorative Justice Co-ordinator at the Calderdale Youth Offending Team. Stories are central to her work with children (and adults!)
Christine has an international reputation, having appeared all around the UK and Ireland as well as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Costa Rica and Canada.

For more info visit christinemcmahon.co.uk

 

Rod Dimbleby is the club Treasurer and started storytelling in 2001 . He has been a member at the club since 2002. As well as having a wide repertoire of traditional stories from all over the world, he specializes in Yorkshire dialect stories when telling to older groups. Rod is in great demand throughout West Yorkshire. He has told at nearly 300 venues in Calderdale, Kirklees, Bradford and Leeds including primary schools, secondary schools, museums, libraries, Probus Clubs, Retired Men’s Forums, Womens’ Institutes, Mothers’ Unions and numerous other clubs and institutions, telling stories, talking about the storytelling scene and thus constantly bringing storytelling to new audiences.

For more info visit roddimbleby.co.uk

He can be contacted at

rod.dimbleby@googlemail.com

 

'Tristan Langlois very confused. Half-French, half-Londoner, the blood of Bretons and Bristolians courses in his veins; and his in-laws hail from Hawaii, the Mayflower and Filey. Ironically, he has specialised in storytelling in heritage for over twenty years, working with English Heritage, the National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, and other historic sites, museums and galleries. He is none the wiser about his own cultural identity, but is still enjoying the journey. His sets are a magpie collection drawn from all over the world, but all stories that make him want to sit down and weep, or get up and dance. His style is irreverent and respectful, provocative and poignant, and always involves his audience as much as they dare.

STORYTELLERS

Everyone is a storyteller, whether you realise it or not. Shaggy Dog Storytellers exist to encourage and support anyone interested in this ancient art form. Come along to the Stubbing Wharf on the last Friday of every month. It could be your opportunity to perform on stage as part of "Tales from the Wharf".

The storytellers listed here are just some of the regulars at the Shaggy Dog Storytellers.

Thinking of telling a story at a Club night? Here is some guidance to help you plan your storytelling.

A Paperback  edition on "HIPPY VALLEY" by George Murphy is due for publication by Fantastic Books around Christmas 2018. It will include lots of new material including  Cautionary Tales, inspired by Hillaire Belloc.

George Murphy is the Club Chair and point of contact for the performers. He is presently specialising in writing and performing his own monologues and songs which borrow from a music hall tradition. He was quickly dubbed the King of the Monologue after starting his Secret History cycle of tales. These use bawdy and sardonic humour to comment on the recent history of Upper Calder. Topics have included Hippy Valley, UFOS, boggarts, nymphs and buskers, floods and Le Grand Depart. George also performs in tandem with Rod Dimbleby in the very popular Rod and George shows. Their audiences have ranged from Folk Festivals and storytelling clubs to U3A, G&S, local radio listeners and dialect, walking and social societies. George has published books for children and is the co Editor of A Story to Tell, a study of storytelling in primary schools

Now available as an ebook from Amazon at £2. 99 and on Kindle at £2.95, Hippy Valley is a collection of George's monologues and songs put together by Pennine Pens. See Hebweb books for details.

georgestories@icloud.com

georgemurphysite.wordpress.com

and 07943 327916

 

 

STORYTELLERS

Ursula Holden Gill iscurrently our publicist. She deals with promoting the work of our visiting storytellers and other related events on social media and throughout Calderdale and Kirklees.

Her contact details are:
07811 646479
ursulaholdengill@gmail.com

As a performer herself, Ursula became a full time Storyteller, Writer and Educator in 2009 having been made a resident member of the Shaggy Dog in 2007. Prior to this she worked both nationally and internationally as an Actress in Film, Television, Theatre and Radio and as a workshop facilitator specializing in Shakespeare, Vocal Technique and Storytelling. Joining forces with one of the most long standing and highly regarded storytelling clubs in the UK (her words) has presented Ursula with a platform to transform her expertise in performance into something unique, pertinent and thoroughly life affirming, to link up acclaimed and emerging tellers and be of benefit to the community. Needless to say, she has never looked back. Ursula eats, breathes and sleeps stories and excels in connecting others to their very essence. In 2012 Ursula was voted Best Newcomer at the British Awards for Storytelling Excellence. For more information on the various aspects of her work please visit: 

For more info visit:

ursulaholdengill.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ursulaholdengillstories

Twitter:
ursulastorynews

 

Richard Hemingway is jack of all trades at the club. Telling the odd story, doing a bit of odd emceeing and now, following an odd turn of events, Richard is the Chairman of the Shaggy Dog Storytellers.

 

Richard is responsible for this website. Emails to this address:

postmaster@shaggydogstorytellers.com

will be answered by Richard.