Read All About It!

So many headlines – so many stories – all happening at VernalUTAH’s 2012 Indian Summer Storytelling Festival. 

Festival Welcomes Back Bil Lepp 

Straight from Comedy Central, storyteller/comedian Bil Lepp returns to Vernal this September with his outrageous tall-tales.  A five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars' Contest, Bil's style has been described as "a satisfying blend of Bill Cosby and Jeff  Foxworthy." However he does it, Bil's hilarious stories and witty insights into everyday life have made him one of Vernal's favorites. Hear a bit of Bil at the festival's Grand Night of Tales on Thursday and then come back for more Friday night for his one-man show Live in Concert Bil Lepp. Details, including ticket prices, on all of Bil's appearances at the festival can be found on the side panel of this blog under the heading FESTIVAL PROGRAM.

Free Night of Comedy and Tales

Once more VernalUTAH's Indian Summer Storytelling Festival offers a free Grand Night of Tales for the whole community on Thursday, September 21, at 7:30 PM. All three of the festival's featured storytellers - Bil Lepp, Kim Weitkcamp, and Antonio Rocha - will step up on stage to share some of their favorite tales, best described by Weitkamp as "stories for adults, but safe for kids." With story bags full of tales, music, mime, and laughter, there's no telling what might happen. Tickets for this special event are not necessary, but free tickets can be picked up at Bitter Creek Books or Davis Jubilee in Vernal. See FESTIVAL PROGRAM side panel for more info. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. No children under 5, please.

Antonio Rocha Opens Festival at The Children's Hour

"The jungles of Brazil and Africa come to life as Antonio singlehandedly evokes the sights and sounds of the rainforest and its wildly entertaining inhabitants." 

"Rocha not only plays his characters, but seems to be possessed by them." 

With precision-paced storytelling, uniquely blended movement, and amazing sound effects, Brazilian-born storyteller Antonio Rocha can take audiences anywhere in the world. Right before your eyes, he becomes a snake, a jaguar, a turtle. Right before your eyes, his six-foot-plus frame rises in the air and floats away. (Honestly, I was there. I saw it. Still don't believe it!) 

Winner of the Parent's Choice Gold Award for his DVD Under African Skies, Rocha has shared his blend of mime and storytelling with audiences at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, and festivals from Austria to Singapore. Internationally recognized, Rocha now brings his tales to Vernal audiences, opening the festival with a free performance at The Children's Hour at Lapoint Elementary on Wednesday night. (Time out. Please read that last line again. That's right. It's not a typo. Our festival opens on Wednesday night this year, making us a three-day event of storytelling for the whole community. Just wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on any of it.) Rocha will also be featured Thursday night at our Grand Night of Tales and on Friday at Late Night Tales. Dates, times, places for Antonio's 3-day tour of Vernal are posted on the side panel under FESTIVAL PROGRAM.

Kim Weitkamp to perform at Golden Age Center

"As a redheaded daughter of exhausted parents, Kim grew up enjoying the role of the middle child." 

If you think there might be a story somewhere in that opening, you're only partially right. Kim Weitkamp is plum full of stories, stories she's been sharing with audiences at theaters and festivals throughout the United States. This year, Kim brings her stories to the Vernal stage, with performances at our Grand Night of Tales and Late Night Tales, as well as a free performance during lunchtime at the Golden Age Center on Thursday for senior citizens and their guests. 

But Kim's storytelling career didn't begin on stage. Before taking her stories - and her guitar - across country, Kim used the art of applied storytelling as a youth advocate working 15 years with at-risk students. Not to discriminate, she also founded the Wrinkles Project, a national campaign to raise awareness of the national treasure we possess in the life stories within our elder communities. Along the way, she learned a thing or two. As one critic put it, whether she's telling stories of penny-candy love or making head bones rattle, "Kim weaves the threads of her individual stories into a single tapestry full of singular characters, fantastic situations, and heartfelt wisdom - all the best that a storyteller can offer." For more information on all of Kim's festival performances, scroll down the side panel - FESTIVAL PROGRAM.

More headlines to come. So stay posted - and Read all about it!