Storytelling Programs by
Sharon Kirk Clifton, Writer and Raconteur
Available for:
Schools
Libraries
Festivals
Churches and Retreats
(Mothers' Day dinners and teas, summer camps, homecomings and heritage events, VBS, dinner-on-the-grounds, Resurrection Sunday, Thanksgiving services, Christmas celebrations, etc.)
Living History Events
One-woman Theater Shows
Educational Workshops and Residencies
Concerts in the Park
Conferences
Etc.
Jack's Mama
Purveyor of Magic Beans and Seeds of Truth
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More about the Stories Jack's Mama Tells
When this country's first settlers came, many arrived with few possessions. The stories that had been such an integral part of their heritage, however, did survive the perils of sea and land, stored securely in the memories of the people.
Most of the stories that make up Appalachia's oral tradition came from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany, France, and Africa. Once in this country, many of the tales - as well as the people - mingled with the Native Americans who already were here, and had their own stock of stories. The Jack Tales constitute an important cycle in this tradition.Many of the motifs found in the Appalachian stories are found in literary works such as Beowulf, the Arthurian Legend, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's works (including King Lear and The Taming of the Shrew), the Bible, and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, to name a few.
Despite the origin of the tales, the characters usually became Americanized as they were passed down in this country. For example, Jack, the Appalachian giant-killer, is likable and easy-going (except when it comes to giants), unlike his English counterpart, who is a cocksure, arrogant young hero.
This program was funded in part by a Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship grant.
With nearly 60 tales from which to draw, Jack's Mama is adaptable to all audiences and ages, as well as a variety of venues, including festivals, schools, libraries, museums, and churches. All of Clifton's shows are family-friendly.
Abigail Gray
Living under the Drinking Gourd
"As Abigail Gray, Clifton kept an audience of about 50 children and adults spellbound..."
~Peggy Vierebome, The Madison Courier"Sharon Kirk Clifton presents a compelling narrative of the Underground Railroad in Southern Indiana." Spirit of Vincennes Civil War Days website
As Abigail Gray, an Abolitionist farm wife of 1859, Sharon will tell true stories of the Underground Railroad of southeastern Indiana and points North and South from there. These stories are full of real adventure, espionage, intrigue, and danger, sprinkled with humor as "Abigail" tells about the tricks played on the Copperheads and other slave catchers by Free Black and White Abolitionists.
The Grays operate a feeding station in northeastern Jennings County, adjacent to Ripley County, for the UGRR. The audience for this program become Freedom Seekers, runaway slaves, as Abigail relates to them other stories she has heard from those who have stopped for a meal and respite at the Gray farm. To reassure them, she will tell about others in the area who support the Abolitionist cause.
While most people are aware of the role many Quakers played in the UGRR, Sharon learned in her research that many of the Abolitionists and UGRR workers in southeastern Indiana were affiliated with other denominations including Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians. The Gray family lives in remote northwestern Ripley County up against the Jennings County line and are part of the Flat Rock Creek Free Will Baptist Church , a congregation that will not even allow pro-slavery folks to be members. The sending party to the Grays is a Quaker Abolitionist in Butler, Indiana.
With the exception of the Grays, all people named in Abigail Gray: Living Under the Drinking Gourd existed, and all events described are a matter of historical record. Sharon also includes some signal songs and spirituals in this program, including Follow the Drinking Gourd, a map-in-song that led Freedom Seekers up the Tombigbee River to the Tennessee and on to the mighty Ohio (known as the Jordan River in may spirituals), which they crossed to relative freedom.
Sharon received a Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellowship in 2004 to develop this important program. She was one of two recipients for the year. Abigail Gray: Living Under the Drinking Gourd premiered in 2004 at the Indiana History Center in Indianapolis.
Of course, Sharon will present this program throughout the year, but it makes an excellent choice for MLK Day in January, February's Black History Month, and any time when the focus is on American history, the War Between the States, real-life heroes, or even the 1849 California Gold Rush, since it played an important role in the slavery issue.
This program was funded in part by a Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellowship grant. It is suitable for general audiences and a variety of venues, including festivals (Civil War and historical), schools, libraries, museums, and churches. All of Clifton's shows are family-friendly.
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At Home and in Harm's Way
The Role of Indiana Women in the Civil War
Portraying Elizabeth (Eliza, also "Mother") George, a member of the U.S. Sanitary Commission from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Clifton tells the true stories of her characater and those of other Hoosier women during the Civil War, including the Sisters of Providence, Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods; Susan Brown of Hagerstown; a young Huntington woman who disguised herself as a man and joined the Union Army, and others.
This program was commissioned by Storytelling Arts of Indiana and the Indiana Historical Society as a part of the "Sharing Indiana History through Stories" series. Clients have the option of the full program (two hours, which includes an intermission, during which many clients like to serve a Victorian tea to guests) or a shorter one hour version. but this one deals with some difficult issues. It is set at the conclusion of the Civil War and includes descriptions of battlefield and field hospital conditions.
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Cries of Faith and Family
This collection of stories comes from many sources including literature, oral tradition, God's Word, and the storyteller's life and experience. Venues include Christian ministry events (women's meetings, retreats, senior gatherings, homecomings, centennials, VBS programs, Bible studies, outreach ministries, day-away events, Mother's Day gatherings, etc.) Within this gathering of tales and true accounts are:
"Hadassah, a Woman for Such a Time as This"
"The Boy Who Loved Music" (written by Dr. Steve Brown and told with permission)
"The Manger is Empty" (written by Walter Wangerin Jr. and told with permission)
and many others.
Of Patriot Dreams and Tory Schemes
Hear the true stories of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, accounts of the well-known and the unknown. Heroes all! Stories from this collection are great for patriotic and historical celebrations, political gatherings, and Tea Party events.
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Awake Again, America!
Meanwhile, somethings was stirring in the halls of eastern Ivy League colleges. A rebellion was afoot, one that would alter the course of a nation. Hear all about it from "Sarah Farley," a Logan County settler who experienced the Second Great Awakening, and listen to her plea: "Awake again, America!"
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A Very Merry Literary Christmas
Cradle your hands around a steaming cup of spiced cider, hunker down against the early winter chill, pull your wrap a little tighter, and gather close into the glow of the Storyteller's tale. Christmas is coming! Stories hang in the air, awaiting their turn to be told.
Historically, Christmas is a time for friends, family, and congenial strangers to gather to hear tales. Journey with master storyteller Sharon Kirk Clifton as she leads you through meager, scantily furnished lodgings, into a magical forest; through the doors of a crowded, raucous inn, or beside an empty manger. Some of the stories in this collection may have a familiar ring to them, others could be new to listeners, but all share one element: they are based on literary tales. The stories in this collection come from the pages of literature and include works by Charles Dickens, O. Henry, Henry van Dyke, Oscar Wilde, Walter Wangerin Jr., and others.Your audience will not hear a recitation, however, as Sharon skillfully translates literary language into oral language.
This program is recommended for adult and family audiences. All of Sharon's programs are "family-friendly," but not all are targeted at children. A Very Merry Literary Christmas usually runs about 45 minutes, but can be altered to fit clients' needs.
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East of the Equator and South of the Sun
"Global Children" Susan Tolonen, Illustrator
This program is a tapestry of tales gathered from around the world and told in the energetic, interactive style of a master storyteller. The far-flung collection is sure to please all ages, especially since Sharon can tailor a program to your needs? Want international variations on the Cinderella theme? She can do that! Favor a focus on south Asian folktales? Just let her know! Something from south of the border sound scintillating? Say so! An ark full of animal tails . . . er . . . uh . . . tales answer your needs? Ask! (Custom crafted programs need at least 30 days lead time.)
And let the telling begin!
