Catherine Chadwick
Storyteller

Take a story, any story; myth, legend, folk tale, wonder tale, ghost or fairy story,  personal,  biblical or short story and craft it into a performance, something that draws the audience in and leaves them talking afterwards. That’s what I do; performance storytelling for adults.  

Catherine Chadwick Storyteller

UPCOMING EVENTS

Storytelling

Crafting a story is often a lengthy affair.  I am drawn to stories where there is scope to really develop different elements.  Often they are stories with big characters.  I will tend to do quite a bit of research around the story before I start work on it.   For example, when crafting “Samson and Delilah”, I looked at material by Jewish scholars.  This gives more elements to develop within the story as well as adding depth of understanding. Once I have broken the story down to its bare bones, I will start crafting it out loud and whilst standing up. This works for me. Sometimes, I am out walking when I get an idea to include or a rush of images. Developing characters, their peculiarities, expressive words and phrases, and lush images all find their place within the final offering.   I like to think of it as a work of art.

My interest in oral storytelling actually started  during the five years I attended the public speaking organisation, Toastmasters.  I gave speeches I had crafted on all manner of topics but suddenly found myself exploring storytelling and becoming fascinated by how stories have been used through generations to instruct, teach and heal as well as to entertain.  I was hooked and in 2016 joined Surrey Storytellers, telling short stories regularly at their meetings and longer sets when invited.  My love of and interest in stories has only flourished since then as has the joy of crafting stories for performance in what are, I hope, unique ways.  Attending the "Craft of the Storyteller” course at Emerson College helped me both craft stories better and perform them better. I have also extended my storytelling outside the club. Here are some of the things I have done. 

STORIES TOLD AT CLUBS

Kopakonen’s Skin – a Faroese Selkie Story

The Lorelei – German legend

The Mermaid of Zennor – Cornish tale

Della’s Gift – based on a short story by O. Wilson

Freyr and Gerd – Norse mythology

The Norse creation myth

The Tiger’s First Minister of State

Vasalisa and the Firebird

Invisible Thread – based on the film “Phantom Thread”

Claire’s Resistance – written after reading “The Dressmaker’s Gift” by Fiona Valpy

The Phantom Coach – based on a short story

The Women of Weisenberg

Thorgeir’s Bull

The Masque of the Red Death

STORIES TOLD AT SHOWS

“Narcissus and Echo”
Teddington Arts Festival 2018

“The Necklace of the Brisings”
a 30-minute telling for Surrey Storytellers  (2019)

“Fire and Ice”
a 1-hour set of stories from Norse mythology for the Barbican Library (2020)

“Apollo’s Curse”
The capture of Chryseis by the Greeks and its consequences, a 30-minute telling for Surrey Storytellers (2021)

“Water, Wind and Sky”
An evening of storytelling I curated with 2 other storytellers and a flamenco guitarist to raise money for a charity project based in the Amazon (2023)

“Crowning Glory”
1-hour set of 3 stories on hair symbolism in story (2024)

“The Son of the Moon”
a blending of a Federico Lorca poem with a Spanish folk tale performed at a flamenco dance and music show (2024)

“Samson and Delilah” and “Rapunzel”
45 minutes of telling at St. Mary Abchurch, City of London (2025)

“Crowning Glory”
45 minutes lunchtime recital at St. Mary-le-Bow church, City of London (2025). Samson and Delilah and Rapunzel from this set of stories on hair symbolism in story.