The Ark’s 25th Annual Storytelling Festival
Each year for the past quarter-century, raconteurs from far and wide have converged on The Ark in Ann Arbor to entertain and inspire through the primal art of storytelling. In collaboration with the Ann Arbor Storyteller’s Guild, previous year’s festivals have attracted some of the world’s most renowned tale spinners, and this year’s event promises to be one of the most diverse ever, bringing bards from very different walks of life together to share their stories and songs with young and old alike.
Headlining this year’s festival is veteran entertainer, Willy Claflin, whose combination of original and traditional tales and songs, along with an entourage of hand puppets, makes him equally engaging for both adult and child audiences. His musical repertoire includes more than 1,000 ballads from the British Isles and Appalachia, along with a healthy dose of blues and rock and roll. But his most endearing role may be as the voice of puppet sidekick and award-winning author, Maynard Moose, who is known far and wide as “the only authentic Native American Moose currently on the festival circuit” and “the last known teller of ancient Mother Moose Tales.”
Known as “The Multicolored Lady,” Hungarian storyteller Zalska Csenge Virag has been entertaining audiences in English, Spanish and Hungarian ever since forgoing her college-studies in archaeology in 2004. After studying at Trinity College in 2008, Virag began traveling the U.S. and internationally, sharing traditional Hungarian folktales with audiences, young and old, all over the world.
Returning after her triumphant appearance at last year’s Moth Mainstage at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, singer/songwriter Allison Downey will unleash her dynamic storytelling presence at this year’s festival. It has been said that her energetic and intimate persona “can make an audience in a 500-seat theatre feel like they’re in her living room,” demonstrating her natural charisma and formal training as a theatre performer.
Rounding out this year’s lineup is Lyn Powrie Davidge. A retired librarian and an active member of the AASG, she is a longtime local resident of Ann Arbor and a favorite of her colleagues at The Guild’s annual Tellebration concert. According to the AASG website, “Lyn’s original stories are often built around everyday adventures or exceptional people.”
As always, The Ark Storytelling Festival will feature an adult concert on Saturday, February 18 and a family concert on Sunday, February 19, with shows starting on both evenings at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online at TheArk.org. For more information about this year’s festival performers, visit the AASG at AnnArborStorytelling.org.
