The Greensboro Opera House will launch a yearlong storytelling series, “Twice-told Tales: A Season of Storytelling,” with a weekend workshop and performance set for Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1.
The series is intended to celebrate the art of storytelling in Greensboro and encourage people to preserve and add to the stories that have been passed down in the community.
The kick-off event will be a storytelling workshop on Saturday, Jan. 31, led by noted Birmingham storyteller Dolores Hydock. The workshop will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., break for lunch, and resume from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Participation is limited to 20 people so that each person will have time to work on a story.
Participants are asked to arrive with an idea or outline of a story they would like to tell at Sunday’s program. Stories may highlight Greensboro’s history, focus on people or events from the community, or draw on the storyteller’s personal experiences.
The workshop is designed for both seasoned raconteurs and beginners, with an emphasis on content, crafting and presentation.
A public storytelling performance will follow on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2:30 p.m. at the Opera House. Family, friends and community members are invited. Workshop participants and Hydock will each tell a short story of about five minutes.
Admission to Sunday’s performance is free, and a reception will follow.
Hydock has been telling stories since childhood and has performed at festivals and special events across the United States. She has been a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival and Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tenn., has worked with the Birmingham Museum of Art and several symphony orchestras, and is the 2023 recipient of the ORACLE Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network.
To preregister for the workshop, contact Buzzy Barnette at 624-6878 or text Winnie Cobbs at 507-7350. There is a $15 workshop fee to cover refreshments and supplies.
