latest news
Website updating
I am currently working on updating the website so some elements may be missing. Hopefully all will be remedied soon.
stand & Deliver
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I am delighted to be able to host Stand & Deliver events at the Falmouth Poly again. Our May event was very successful and gives me hope for a brighter future as we emerge from the shadow of Covid. Each month there will be a new theme for the evening which will be decided by the attendees. I will be posting information about each event on Facebook, Instagram and linked in, as well as here on my website. Keep an eye out. On Instagram you can find me at storyteller_garycordingley
I am also available to run Stand & Deliver events for venues, organisations or private functions. Contact me for more details. My email is at the top of the page, above the banner. |
Marketing mentoring
I recently had a little funding from Cultivator Cornwall to help me with my marketing. I am very grateful to them for this, and to Lisa Townsend who was my mentor. She is engaged, interested, enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable, as well as being a very nice person. She helped me with the marketing for Stand & Deliver and filled me with a new found confidence when it comes to spreading the word about my work. Should you need help with your own marketing in anyway at all, then follow this link to find her website. I can't recommend her enough.
Rehearsing Medusa
I am excited to be taking Medusa to Newcastle Upon Tyne on the 2nd of September this year. I will be performing for ‘A Bit Crack’ at the Chillingham Arms. Heaton.
Currently I am busy making some changes to the structure of the story and then rehearsing in this wonderful amphitheatre at the Falmouth University ‘Tremough’ campus. Luckily the weather is holding out and rehearsals are going well. This would be an ideal space to perform this story.
Click here for tickets and more information on the performance in Newcastle or here for more information on the Medusa show itself.
Currently I am busy making some changes to the structure of the story and then rehearsing in this wonderful amphitheatre at the Falmouth University ‘Tremough’ campus. Luckily the weather is holding out and rehearsals are going well. This would be an ideal space to perform this story.
Click here for tickets and more information on the performance in Newcastle or here for more information on the Medusa show itself.
Mask Workshop |
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Some images from a recent mask workshop I ran for the Falmouth Improve Group.
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THE POLY. JULY 7TH. 8PM
Connections is the theme for the next Stand and Deliver storytelling evening at the Poly, Falmouth. Thursday 7th July. 8pm.
Have you got a five minute story to tell that’s loosely based on this theme?
Maybe you missed a connecting flight or train but met a stranger who introduced you to your partner or the greatest business opportunity of your life. Could be you were fixing a plug socket in the bedroom and ended up wedged under the dressing table because you switched off the wrong ring mains. Or perhaps you were desperately lost in the mountains with no signal and then, just when you thought it was all over, your phone connected and you were rescued. Whatever it was we would love to hear it.
Join us and share a story, or just come and listen to others tell theirs.
Tickets available at the Poly or on the Poly website.
Have you got a five minute story to tell that’s loosely based on this theme?
Maybe you missed a connecting flight or train but met a stranger who introduced you to your partner or the greatest business opportunity of your life. Could be you were fixing a plug socket in the bedroom and ended up wedged under the dressing table because you switched off the wrong ring mains. Or perhaps you were desperately lost in the mountains with no signal and then, just when you thought it was all over, your phone connected and you were rescued. Whatever it was we would love to hear it.
Join us and share a story, or just come and listen to others tell theirs.
Tickets available at the Poly or on the Poly website.
Join me for this fun, introductory storytelling workshop on the 24th of April, 10am - 4pm, and let me help you find, shape and tell a short story from your life. Then come and tell it at the Fish Factory later in the evening. A small lunch is provided. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale and include entry to the evening event.
£25 - Low wage
£35 - Medium wage
£45 - High Wage
Click here for tickets and more info.
£25 - Low wage
£35 - Medium wage
£45 - High Wage
Click here for tickets and more info.
International Storytelling Festival. Marrakech. Feb 2022
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I have just returned from the first ever International Storytelling Festival in Marrakech. I connected with over 40 storytellers from around the globe, including Morocco, Iran, North and South America, Canada, Ireland and the UK. Throughout this week we celebrated the ancient art of storytelling in a range of venues throughout the city, including the famous Jamaa El-Fna square, where storytelling has been taking place since the 13th century.
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I was involved in a short project for the British Council where I collaborated with the illustrator and artist, Sabba Khan. We discussed the differences and similarities to our artistic processes and the ways we approached and worked with story. We also talked about Medusa and the importance raising the issues within this story, especially with boys and young men. After this I told the story 'This Too Shall Pass' and Sabba created some sketch illustrations in response as I told.
Sabba also talked about her work for the British Council, the creation of a short graphic novelette that marked the 300th year of the signing of a peace treaty between Britain and Morocco, a treaty that secured the Gibraltar Straights for the British. You can see more of Sabba's work by following this link to her Website. |
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I also had the privilege of visiting one of the schools in the New City, beyond the walls of the Medina. It was a delight to meet the teachers and extremely bright children at this school, and to share some stories with them. Hopefully I will return later this year to do some more, and to share storytelling skills with the teachers.
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Omnicron
Due to the latest Covid variant, all current plans have been put on hold until the situation has settled and we know where we are with the rules etc.
October
Perseus and Medusa are wrapped in a story that has endured the ages. A tale of heroic deeds and terrifying monsters. This re-imagining of the Medusa discusses issues of harrasment and sexual violence against women and asks, 'Who are the real monsters in this ancient myth?'
This is a short trial run (work in progress) to get feedback in order to develop the show for a full tour in the spring of 2022.
“Gary Cordingley takes an ancient Greek myth of power and betrayal and drags it by its hair into the 21st century. This is a brave, searching, extraordinary storytelling performance, don’t miss it.”
Lisa Schneidau, South Devon Storytellers. Saturday Oct 2nd.
St Day Old Church. Sunday Oct 3rd The Acorn Theatre. Penzance Friday Oct 22nd The Old Library. Bodmin Friday Oct 29th The Poly. Falmouth |
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Slowly moving towards a new normal
I am very happy to announce that as the year moves on work is beginning to pick up and things are slowly getting back to normal, though what that normal will be remains to be seen.
During the months of April and May I have been very busy taking part in and running workshops with Coppice Theatre as well as running online storytelling workshops and telling stories at various online events around the world. Jasmine Cole, of Coppice Theatre, and I have been working on an and have submitted an Arts Council funding application for 'Medusa' which, should we be successful, will begin touring Cornwall in late September 21. The application was very strong so we are quite hopeful. Watch this space.
I am beginning to work on recording a number of stories that I came across during the last 12 to 14 months that, I felt, spoke to the situation we found ourselves in and that I found inspirational and hopeful of a new and better way of being when the world unlocked. We have to have learned something from all of this, or what was it all about?
As well as getting ready to create and tour Medusa, I am busy getting the storyslam together and already have dates booked in for August and September at the Old Library in Bodmin, the Poly in Falmouth and hopefully the Acorn in Penzance (tbc). As soon as this is all firmed up I will post the details here.
In the meantime, have a good summer
During the months of April and May I have been very busy taking part in and running workshops with Coppice Theatre as well as running online storytelling workshops and telling stories at various online events around the world. Jasmine Cole, of Coppice Theatre, and I have been working on an and have submitted an Arts Council funding application for 'Medusa' which, should we be successful, will begin touring Cornwall in late September 21. The application was very strong so we are quite hopeful. Watch this space.
I am beginning to work on recording a number of stories that I came across during the last 12 to 14 months that, I felt, spoke to the situation we found ourselves in and that I found inspirational and hopeful of a new and better way of being when the world unlocked. We have to have learned something from all of this, or what was it all about?
As well as getting ready to create and tour Medusa, I am busy getting the storyslam together and already have dates booked in for August and September at the Old Library in Bodmin, the Poly in Falmouth and hopefully the Acorn in Penzance (tbc). As soon as this is all firmed up I will post the details here.
In the meantime, have a good summer
online storytelling
workshops and mentoring for the zoom zone
With so much of our work lives taking place online these days, knowing how to use the zoom space to communicate your stories and ideas is a vital if you want to Impress your viewers and stand out. I can help you with your presence online, whether it be a storytelling performance, delivering a paper at a conference or sales pitch, knowing how to command the Zoom Zone will give you confidence and make you memorable.
Messing in the zoom zone
Zoom has transformed the world of storytelling and we have tapped into global networks in ways we could never have imagined just 12 or so months ago. But has our storytelling adapted to meet the new world standards or are we just telling stories in the same old way?
In this 3 hour workshop I will show you ways to transform your storytelling techniques so you stand out in the Zoom Zone.
You will see how to improve your online presence through staging, lighting and sound.
You will learn fun and dynamic ways to interact with your camera, and ultimately your audience.
I will show you how to identify moments in your stories that will bring them bursting into your viewers living rooms.
You will also have the opportunity to share some of your findings with the other participants in the workshop.
Here is what some workshop participants have said.
It was a fantastic session today. I know that I learned a lot and I think everyone had great fun.
Robert Cloney. Workshop organiser. Montreal Storytelling Guild.
Thank you so much for this workshop. I enjoyed it very much and learned several new ways to use Zoom. I also became more courageous with experimenting.
Jane Amro. Workshop participant.
I enjoyed your workshop very much. You are positive and inspiring. I picked up a lot of good information, which I am already applying. I especially liked the approach to the zoom box as a space to play in and not simply as trying to capture what we used to do live.
Elinor Benjamin. Workshop participant.
You will see how to improve your online presence through staging, lighting and sound.
You will learn fun and dynamic ways to interact with your camera, and ultimately your audience.
I will show you how to identify moments in your stories that will bring them bursting into your viewers living rooms.
You will also have the opportunity to share some of your findings with the other participants in the workshop.
Here is what some workshop participants have said.
It was a fantastic session today. I know that I learned a lot and I think everyone had great fun.
Robert Cloney. Workshop organiser. Montreal Storytelling Guild.
Thank you so much for this workshop. I enjoyed it very much and learned several new ways to use Zoom. I also became more courageous with experimenting.
Jane Amro. Workshop participant.
I enjoyed your workshop very much. You are positive and inspiring. I picked up a lot of good information, which I am already applying. I especially liked the approach to the zoom box as a space to play in and not simply as trying to capture what we used to do live.
Elinor Benjamin. Workshop participant.
Mentoring
I offer 1 to 1 mentoring sessions where I will help you improve your storytelling, public speaking techniques and online presence, or just help you develop a story, speech or presentation you might be working on. The mentoring can be one off or a series of online sessions. My rates are negotiable and suited to your situation.
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In the meantime. Why not join me and storytellers from just down the road or as far away as Bangalor for a twice monthly online event via Zoom.
Email me for the link. |
