Author: Tim Ralphs

  • Ana Lines ~ Reflecting Fridas plus workshop and Mexican Feast ~ 14 November

    Something pretty special is going to be happening on the 14th November at Beeston Tales. It’s the return of one of our most popular tellers, the amazing Ana Lines, with her show Reflecting Fridas. “Ana Lines does more than tell stories, she animates them through her performances. Her Frida Kahlo biography, intertwined with inter-generational tales,…

  • Pirate legends will climb wherever they want

    Last Saturday, I was part of Leeds Royal Armouries’ “Legends” programme. They take a character worthy of a whole weekend of events, open up the museum and go to town. For June, they were looking at “Blackbeard”, with events ranging from cannon demonstrations over the dock to pirate courts abiding by the official regulations. Here’s…

  • Introduction to Storytelling Workshop – 14 April 2018

    Hello! Back by popular demand, Beeston Tales will be offering an Introduction to Storytelling course on 14th April, at our usual home, The White Lion. It will run from 10.30 am to around 4pm, with a break for lunch. Maybe you want to tell better stories to your children or grandchildren – or maybe you…

  • From White Lion to LeftLion

    LeftLion ran a recent article on the top literary organisations in Nottingham and we were very excited to see Beeston Tales make the list. Here’s the relevant section in full: “Think you can spin a yarn? Fancy yourself adept at keeping listeners gripped until the very end? Down at The White Lion in Beeston stands…

  • 3Troubadours workshop on 13th April

    Hello all, In April, we have the amazing 3Troubadours visiting us at Beeston Tales. They’ll be performing on the Wednesday night at our regular club night, but we’re lucky enough that they are staying around on the Thursday to run a one day Performance Storytelling Laboratory for us. Performance storytelling Labo with 3Troubadours 3Troubadours is…

  • The Story Forge – passing the baton

    Welcome to 2017. I am groggy with the jetlag of landing back in the UK. It was an interesting New Year’s Eve, midnight rushing West to meet us as we flew East towards the sunrise. It’s a time of change and one of these changes is that I’m handing over the running and administration of…

  • Remembrance of Lost Species

    Last week, I was involved in a special night of remembrance for extinct species, along with the wonderful Nancy Kerr and Sarah Smout. It was a part (albeit slightly late) of the now international event, initiated by ONCA. It is a gift in my work to occasionally get to do things that feel incredibly important…

  • The right story for the right time – The Bed of Arrows

    On 6th February this year, I was in India for the Kathakar International Storytelling Festival. I was standing underneath a Peepal tree, an audience of 400 people were buzzing in an open air amphitheatre that struggled to hold them all. I told the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I hadn’t planned on…

  • Clowning for Storytellers – A Masterclass with Fred Versonnen

    Coming up on the 14th July, Beeston Tales is bringing you the next in its program of masterclasses for storytellers. Internationally acclaimed performer Fred Versonnen is stopping off with us as he travels from Belgium to The Festival at the Edge. Clowning is a beautiful way of making connections. Connections with your audience, connections with…

  • Bringing Myth to Life with The University of Nottingham Classics Department

    Oh my goodness, 2016 has been incredibly busy. I’m just finishing my third project with University researchers. I gave gnomes the gift of speech at Hampton Court Palace. I toured India with the British Council. And I’m in the middle of developing a new show that will premier at the Beyond the Border International Storytelling…

  • Reflections on Autumn, LeftLion reviews and Day of the Dead

    Hi there! A quick update on some of the things that have been happening this past Autumn. My new storytelling club, Beeston Tales, is thriving. Matt Turpin came along to check out a recent show and has written a wonderful review for LeftLion. “simple tales… ..are told luxuriantly, the beat and cadence of the teller’s…

  • The Room Behind the Bookcase ~ Episode 6 ~ Out of the Silence

    Click here to listen! Or subscribe with Feedburner. In this podcast I interview Simon Heywood about the stories of World War 1 conscientious objectors and his show Out of The Silence. The intro music was from Hymir’s Maidens used you as a trough by Prometheus Project. Outro music was sung by Shonaleigh.