In the following storytelling programs Mariella Bertelli introduces students to the legends and stories from the Ancient Roman Empire, to Italy’s medieval kingdoms as well as versions of Italian Renaissance literature that served as sources and inspiration for a number of Shakespeare’s plays.
Ancient Roman Empire
Grades 3 to 6 | maximum 100 performance or 2 classes/session, maximum 3 sessions/day
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Myths and tales about Rome’s ancient civilization; stories about gods and goddesses, Aeneas and the link to Greece, the she-wolf and the foundation of Rome, Caesar and the republic, Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
From the Alps to the Sea
Grades 1 to 8 | maximum 100 performance or 2 classes/session, maximum 3 sessions/day
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Venetian and Tuscan tales of wonder and magic, legends of ancient kingdoms deep in the Alps, stories of bold girls and brave boys by the Adriatic coast or the Sicilian shore.
Wit, Whim and Soul
Grades 6 to 8 |maximum 100 performance or 2 classes/session, maximum 3 sessions/day
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
From the 14th-16th century a taste of the Renaissance literature of Italy with stories from Boccaccio’s Decameron. Ariosto’s Orlando Raging Mad, and versions of stories used by Shakespeare as source for his plays.
The Folktale Project with Dan Yashinsky
Grades 4 to 8, 9 to 12 | maximum 120
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Folktales and folklore tell us to who we are, where we come from, what makes us unique and how we are connected. Storyteller Dan Yashinsky wants every student in Ontario to know and tell folktales from Canada and around the world. Starting with the roots of storytelling in riddles and rhymes, this performance leads the listeners into the world’s great, suspenseful, mysterious, wise, funny, and unforgettable folktales. Plus, we visit the realm of family and personal stories along the way. Students will leave wanting to become story-keepers and storytellers.
Kirtan: A Musical Meditation Workshop with Jim Gelcer * Pilot program 2017
Grades K to 8 |1 class/session, minimum 4 visits/class, visiting each class once per month | minimum 4 classes | limited availability
Health & Physical Education: Active Living, Movement Competence, Healthy Living
Kirtan has its origins in India centuries ago as an ancient spiritual practice in the form of call and response singing/chanting intended for the practitioner to reconnect with the divine and experience the oneness of all things. Today, this spiritual practice has also become a simple and powerful means of mindfulness meditation.
In this series of monthly visits, Jim artfully uses mash-ups of traditional mantras with all sorts of musical genres from Leonard Cohen to Bob Marley, and even the Black Eyed Peas, introducing students to this meditative practice. Starting with short simple mantras and through repetitive chanting build to longer sustained ones, students learn to quiet their minds in order to connect to their inner selves, and when their voices merge together to become one voice, they also experience the connection they have with each other.
Mediterranean Stories with Marylyn Peringer
Grades 4 to 8 | 150 performance or 2 classes/session, maximum3 sessions/day
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Maltese stories come from centuries of contact with peoples from Italy, Africa and the Near East. Listen to folktales and legends of pirates, princesses, fools and tricksters, and rarely heard versions of favourites like Cinderella and Rapunzel.
Stories From Around The World with Rita Cox
Grades 1 to 8 | 2 classes/session, maximum 3 sessions/day
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Rita is a master storyteller who brings a diversity of oral traditions to her program enhancing our understanding of heritage and that storytelling is for listeners of all ages.
Storyteller At Fault with Dan Yashinsky
Grades 7 to 8, 9 to 12 | maximum 150
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
A storyteller has been condemned to death. He has one last chance to tell one last story. This original story, based on the tradition of Scheherazade in the Arabian Nights, is a great opportunity for Drama, English and Media students to discover the power of “emergency” storytelling, when the right story at that right moment can save your life.
Tales For A Starry Night with Marylyn Peringer
Grades 3 to 8 | 150 performance or 2 classes/session, maximum 3 sessions/day
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Listen to stories of the ancient science of astronomy and conventional knowledge of celestial phenomena. Hear legends of the stars and constellations from world cultures, including those of early civilizations.
Walidad the Grass Cutter with the Puppetmongers (Ann Powell and David Powell)
Grades 4 to 8 | performance maximum 250 | available May 2017 | *requires raised stage
Social Studies: Heritage & Identity, People & Environments
Puppetmongers introduce a stunningly beautiful world of imaginative experience while showing an ancient culture adapting to the modern world, based on their own travels and observations in Iran. Walidad the Grass Cutter is the retelling of a classic Mid-Eastern tale of a poor and peaceful grass cutter whose generosity inadvertently draws him into a world of powerful people and high finance. The play is performed with delicately carved rod marionettes and delightful visual effects inspired by traditional Persian street performance from a visit to Iran in 2004 when the Puppetmongers were invited to the 10th Tehran International Puppet Theatre Festival.