PORT TOWNSEND — Master storytelling duo Anne Rutherford and Norm Brecke will explore a fool’s paradise as featured tellers at First Friday StoryNight at 7 tonight.
First Friday StoryNight is held at the Port Townsend Friends’ Meetinghouse, 1841 Sheridan St.
The suggested donation is $10, and all are welcome.
Different takes
In their program “Fool’s Paradise: Tales from a Bissfully Twisted Point of View,” Rutherford and Brecke, of Portland, will speak of famous and not-so-famous iconoclasts, relate folktales that take on new life and remind their audience of how foolish we can all be at times.
Hosted by the Quimper Storytelling Guild, the evening program also includes a set of shorts stories told by a diverse range of tellers who sign-up upon arrival, and a closing story-song connected to the evening’s theme by master of ceremonies Perry Spring.
After many years as individual storytellers, Rutherford and Brecke in 2014 began performing, producing and leading workshops together.
In Portland, they’ve produced Scared in PDX, Personality on Tap and Stories on Tap.
They have performed at the Walters Cultural Arts Center, NW Folklife Festival, National Storytelling Network’s National Summit and The Grapevine in Washington, D.C.
Rutherford is a four-time first-place winner at the Northwest Folklife Festival Liar’s Contest in Seattle.
She was the 2016 Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center in Tennessee, and a 2018 featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival.
Her CD, “The Habit of Joy,” won the 2015 Storytelling World Award.
Artists at work
Besides telling in festivals, Rutherford enjoys working as a teaching artist in schools.
Before becoming a full-time professional storyteller, Brecke was an award-winning teacher who told stories daily in his classroom and taught storytelling skills to students after school.
He’s been a featured teller at the 2012 Powellswood, 2017 Art of the Story and 2018 Stone Soup storytelling festivals. Brecke has narrated for the 2012 Seattle Symphony, told stories at Seattle Art Museum and spoken at both 2017 and 2018 National Storytelling Summits.
Now in its 10th season, First Friday StoryNight is a communal exploration of the art and ritual of the oral tradition, including the old myths, folktales, fairy tales, ballads, family, personal and modern stories.
The Guild also holds a monthly Third Sunday StoryCrafting Story Swap for aspiring and experienced tellers to hone their craft from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Port Townsend Library Learning Center, 1220 Lawrence St.
For more information, visit the Quimper Story Guild Facebook page, email QuimperStoryGuild@gmail.com, or call 360-316-9600.
