Bedtime Stories

When was the last time someone told you a bedtime story?

Let us renew your memories with ‘Bedtime Stories’! Come and join us to hear children from somewhere else in the world, aged between 9 and 12 years old, tell you tales filled with adventure, humour and love.

‘Bedtime Stories’ inverts the paradigm of adults being the ones telling children bedtime stories. Taking advantage of international time differences, children in one country tell bedtime stories to adults in another country in a series of one-to-one livestreamed encounters, connecting the world through storytelling.
By empowering the next generation to share their stories using technology, and engaging with the global issue of safeguarding children on the internet, ‘Bedtime Stories’ celebrates the oral tradition as avenues for preserving the diverse culture of the world we live in.

This exchange starts with children in Montréal (Canada) telling stories to the residents of Norfolk (UK); continues with children in Singapore telling tales to those in Montreal; and ends with adults in Singapore receiving stories from Norwich, completing the nocturnal cycle of ‘Bedtime Stories’.

Sweet dreams …

‘Bedtime Stories’ was created by Joshua Sofaer, 2022. Commissioned by OFFTA, Montréal; co-produced with Norfolk & Norwich Festival, UK and StoryFest, Singapore. Executive Producer, Philippa Barr. Funded by Conseil des Arts du Canada and Arts Council England.

Admittance Rules:

• This is a scheduled one-on-one livestreamed performance.
• All patrons are required to purchase tickets for admission.
• Each patron must have their own ticket.
• All patrons are required to attend an online Introductory Session prior to the actual livestreamed storytelling session.
• Patrons who purchase a ticket will be emailed their individual Whereby link before the scheduled session.
• Patrons will be admitted at each livestreamed session using the name and email address provided when purchasing tickets.
• No refunds, no exchange of tickets.

Photography & Video Recording Rules:

• Unauthorised photography, video and audio recording of this performance is strictly not permitted for this event.

Recommended:

• Use a laptop or computer (rather than a mobile device) for a better experience.
• Please be in a quiet area with minimal background noise or disruptions where possible.
• This programme is for adult audiences aged 18 years and above.

Joshua Sofaer (UK)

The artist Joshua Sofaer works across boundaries, borders and disciplines to develop artworks that engage with all levels of society. Working internationally, Sofaer has presented work at The Science Museum (London), SFMOMA (San Francisco) and Folkoperan (Stockholm), amongst many other venues and institutions. He is currently a Visiting Specialist in the department of Chinese Literature at National Cheng Kong University (Taiwan).

Singapore (StoryFest) > Canada (OFFTA)

The Storytelling Centre Limited is hosting the Junior Storytellers’ Mentorship, led by Kamini Ramachandran, Creative Producer of StoryFest Singapore. During this inaugural mentorship, children will get to hone their storytelling skills leading up to a digital performance offered to audiences in Canada. They will be guided in selecting and sharing stories for a livestream presentation as part of ‘Bedtime Stories’, presented at OFFTA.

Kamini Ramachandran (SG)
Kamini Ramachandran is a second-generation storyteller whose practice is influenced by her childhood growing up in the Malaysian jungles. Known for her Asian repertoire of oral tradition and site-specific storytelling in museums and galleries, she also teaches the art of storytelling in higher education art institutions. Recently her practice has expanded into producing storytelling programmes through the digital medium.

UK (Norfolk & Norwich Festival) > Singapore (StoryFest)

Norfolk & Norwich Festival shares exceptional arts experiences across East England, UK. We lead and support celebration, creativity and curiosity in our community to make our part of the world a great place to live, work and play. The Festival takes place in Norwich and around Norfolk each May and increasingly works year-round on projects, with artists and communities, to explore the physical and cultural identities of our place.

Marion Leeper (UK)
Marion Leeper grew up in a family of storytellers and spinners of tall tales. A weaver of words, conjuring a huge collection of stories from her many pockets, she has performed at storytelling festivals including the UK’s Beyond the Border and Festival at the Edge, and the Tejas Storytelling Festival in the US. With many years’ experience as an educator, she has written on storytelling in schools (Developing Early Maths through Story). She is passionate about enabling children to find their voice through story.

nnfestival.org.uk/whats-on/bedtime-stories

Canada (OFFTA) > UK (Norfolk & Norwich Festival)

Stéphane Maddix Albert, a chiac storyteller from Moncton, New Brunswick, explores ancient tales and rebirths them into our modern world through unconventional and unexpected twists that tickle the brains of both young and old. Collaborating with Valérie Bertrand-Lemay from Théâtre Témoin, he shares his quirky mind by creating adaptations with a dozen young people from Haute-Gaspésie. These collective stories will be shared with festival-goers of Norfolk & Norwich Festival the week before the start of the OFFTA.

Stéphane Maddix Albert + Théâtre Témoin (CA)
Stéphane Maddix Albert (Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick) shares ancient tales in a way that opens up hearts and souls. He performs in chiac crossed with the vernacular of his adoptive Gaspesian Coast. His creative mind – fed by scrap yards, suburbia, activism, queerness, peasantry and sci-fi – sends us into colourful worlds of the casually surreal and absurdly real. It comes as no surprise that his performances are vibrant, funny, charming and arguably psychedelic.

Valérie Bertrand-Lemay is co-founder of the Théâtre Témoin, a traveling live arts company based in Haute-Gaspésie. A self-taught artist, she is a jack-of-all-trader and likes to unravel the art of storytelling. Playful by nature, her creations flirt with storytelling and the documentary form, exploring heritage and slipping into public space.

offta.com/en/evenement2022/bedtime-stories