Directory of members
Dawne McFarlane
My first childhood memory of storytelling is sitting around a lakeside campfire in Northern Ontario with my family, my Scottish Grandfather illuminated by firelight and silhouetted by stars as he told stories. An enchanting Gaelic lilt rolled through his powerful voice. With that gift in my heart, I have been travelling a storyteller's journey interwoven with world music and dance, with more than 30 years of artistic collaboration with independent choreographers, dancers, Sign Language Interpreters, musicians, and clowns.
As a parent and teacher, I enjoy telling and teaching around campfires, outdoor bread ovens, kitchen tables, and in classrooms. I have been a featured performer at international festivals in Canada and abroad for many years, including the Scottish International Storytelling Festival since 2013. I was the Artistic Director for Toronto Storytelling Festivals 2019, 2020, 2021. I teach the art and craft of storytelling through the grades to teachers in Canada and abroad.
My storytelling repertoire includes Scottish stories, Celtic legends and myths, Greek and Norse myths, folktales from around the world, traditional and contemporary stories about trees, strong women and respecting each other and our planet. Musicians Maryem Tollar, Sophia Grigoriadis and I have collaborated to create a beautiful storytelling-music performance of the Greek myth Psyche and Eros. The power of storytelling to open hearts and minds and bring people together continues to inspire me.
Fairytales, Families and Forests; storytelling with young children, isbn 978-1-912480-38-8, the book I co-authored with Georgiana Keable (Norway) is now available to order https://www.hawthornpress.com/books/storytelling/fairytales-families-forests/
www.dawnemcfarlane.ca
photo credit: Joe Tamko