It’s Orcas StoryFest time again! Since 2005, Eth-Noh-Tec has produced the Orcas StoryFest every other year, and this summer, it is the eighth Orcas StoryFest on Orcas Island, supported in part by Orcas Friends of the Library.
Four different concerts will weave words to conjure the imagination. Four different concerts over one weekend will cast a spell with stories sung with fun!
The festival started with an idea sprung from a conversation between founders Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo while floating in Cascade Lake over 16 years ago:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have all our friends come and play with us on Orcas?”
“It would be great!”
“Hey, why not have a storytelling festival on Orcas?”
“Why not?”
And so it began. Each time, the producers have invited talented artists from their professional national community of storytellers. Past festivals have presented a plethora of storytellers representing diverse cultures of Europe, First Nations, Asia and Africa.
This year, besides Eth-Noh-Tec, national teller Sue O’Halloran and songwriter teller Gary Lapow, local storyteller Antoinette Botsford, Rumi lover Anji Ringzin, and Beth Dixon will join the festival.
Schedule and locations
Friday, Aug. 23, 1 p.m.: “Wit and Wisdom,” Orcas Senior Center. This potpourri of myths and folk tales, personal stories and a song or two will offer pearls of wisdom (sprinkled with humor and wit) drawn from traditions around the world and “side street” America. Free to the public.
Friday, Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m.: “In the Spirit of Stories and Songs,” Emmanuel Episcopal Hall. Spiritual stories to enlighten, uplift and inspire may come from far, wide and the eclectic. Suggested donation is $15-$25 at the door.
Saturday, Aug. 24, 1 p.m.: “Family Fun,” Orcas Library (outdoor patio). Tickle your funny bone, chortle and chuckle your way through a delightful hour of storytelling and songs. Have fun with audience participation! Free to the public.
Saturday, Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m.: “Shadows, Secrets and Other Stories,” Orcas Center. Between shadow and light, stories illuminate our past and offer a glimpse of the future. Stories of social justice, murder mysteries and who knows what else lurks to find your ears! Tickets, $15-$47 and available at Orcas Center.
Eth-Noh-Tec was founded in 1981 by Wang and Kikuchi-Yngojo. As an Asian American kinetic storytelling nonprofit, their mission is to create art that “heals the divides within us and between us.”
