©2000-2010 Diane Wolkstein / Cloudstone Productions, New York City. All rights are reserved.
Work in Progress
Anita Ratnam & Diane Wolkstein
Directed by Richard Armstrong
LaGuardia Community College Performing Arts Center
31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, New York
(view travel directions or Google Map)
Thursday and Friday, October 29th and 30th, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Internationally celebrated storyteller and author Diane Wolkstein and the great dance/actor of India, Anita Ratnam, presented a special evening of performance in preparation for their full production of Journey to the West. Work in Progress marked the first public performance of the project which was in preparation for two years and on two continents.
These two remarkable artists told the beginning of the great Chinese epic — an adventure story of the impetuous superpowerful Monkey and the devoted, fearless (but not always) Tang priest, who journey from China to India to bring back the Buddhist scriptures. Through gorgeous, unexpected movement and song, Diane Wolkstein and Anita Ratnam threw the text back and forth and took the audience on a Journey of the Soul no one will ever forget.
A question and answer period moderated by Rebekkah Ross followed each performance.
Contact: (718) 482-7200
Visit the Monkey King Epic website
Monkey King Epic for Families
Queens Borough Public Library — International Resource Center
41-17 Main Street, Flushing, New York
(view travel directions or Google Map)
Saturday, September 26th, 2009, at 2:00 p.m.
Diane performed a section of the Monkey King Epic (also known as Journey to the West) for families.
The impetuous Monkey King wants to be immortal. Soon enough, he causes so much trouble in Heaven that he is banished under Five Element Mountain for 500 years. The Goddess of Compassion (Gwan Yin) offers him a chance to be freed if he will accompany the Tang Priest from China to India and protect him with his magic powers.
Musical accompaniment by Jeff Greene on drums and stringed instruments added to the excitement of this mysterious and thrilling story.
Contact: (718) 661-1200
Visit the Monkey King Epic website
Journey to the West
A New York Mythology Group Discussion
Hayko’s Turkish Carpets
857 Lexington Avenue (at 65th Street) - 2nd Floor, New York City
Saturdays, September 12th and November 21st, 2009,
from 7:30 p.m. to end
Visit the New York Mythology Group Online
(Meetup registration required)
The New York Mythology Group is sponsored by Roomful of Sky and
the Joseph Campbell Foundation.
Step on "The Path" with the Editors of Parabola
Orchard House Café
1064 First Avenue, New York City
Saturday, August 8th, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Orchard House Café patrons came to step on "The Path" with master storyteller Diane Wolkstein, novelist Gioia Timpanelli, author Roger Lipsey, Jeff Zaleski, Bob Doto, Tracy Cochran, and other editors and friends of Parabola. We told stories, played music and otherwise explored the theme of "The Path" (the theme of the Fall 2009 issue of Parabola), seeking our way to the top of the mountain and the center of ourselves.
Contact: (212) 317-1170 or orchardhousecafe@gmail.com
Sacred Stories from Around the World
Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church
201 East Market Street, Johnson City, Tennessee
Monday, June 8th, 2009, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Contact: (423) 461-8076, extension 202
Sacred Stories Workshop
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee
Sunday through Wednesday. June 7th-10th, 2009
This workshop was an exploration of both content and technique in the telling of sacred tales from many traditions. We encountered stories from Biblical, Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, Hasidic, tribal, and Sufi backgrounds. Class members told stories from their own birth and adopted traditions, and also one anothers'. We also considered the universal and culturally specific aspects of particular tales. What outward and inward facets of a story make it Christian rather than Taoist, Hasidic rather than Sufi? What are the teller's responsibilities towards the traditions reflected therein?
Contact: (423) 439-7863 or sobol@etsu.edu
Stories at the Statue of Hans Christian Andersen 2009
Central Park, 72nd Street at 5th Avenue, New York City
(West side of Conservatory Water)
Saturdays, June 6th & 20th and September 12 & 26th, 2009,
from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Mt. Kisco, New York
Friday through Sunday, May 22nd-24th, 2009
Diane told from the Monkey King Epic (Journey to the West) on the first night of the inaugural Sunflower Story Arts Festival in Mt. Kisco (about a one hour’s ride from New York City). Other performers during this three-dau event included Laura Simms, Regina Ress, and Ron Sopyla.
Contact: (914) 248–0880
Dive into "Water" with the Editors of Parabola
Orchard House Café
1064 First Avenue, New York City
Saturday, May 9th, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Diane joined forces with musician David Rothenberg, singer, Therese Folks Plair, Jeff Zaleski, Bob Doto, Tracy Cochran, and other editors and friends of Parabola Magazine to tell stories, play whale and water music, and otherwise dive into the theme of "Water” - itself also the theme of the Summer 2009 issue of Parabola.
Contact: (212) 317-1170 or orchardhousecafe@gmail.com
Look Toward "The Future"
with the Editors of Parabola
Orchard House Café
1064 First Avenue, New York City
Saturday, November 14th, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Diane joined singer/songwriter Phil Robinson, Jeff Zaleski, Bob Doto, Tracy Cochran, and other editors and friends of Parabola, in exploring the theme of "The Future" (the theme of the Winter 2009 issue).
Contact: (212) 371-1170, or email orchardhousecafe@gmail.com
Stories at Scandinavia House
The Vinlander Saga
Diane Wolkstein and Jeff Greene
American Scandinavian Foundation
Heimbold Family Children's Learning Center
58 Park Avenue at 37th Street, New York City (View Google Map)
(MTA subway: 6 train to 33rd Street or Grand Central Station,
4/5/6/7/S to Grand Central Station;
MTA buses: 1/2/3/4 up Madison Avenue, 1/2/3/5 down 5th Avenue)
Saturday, November 14th, 2009, from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Diane was joined by multi-instrumentalist/composer Jeff Greene (of the bands
Port o’Monkeys and TriBeCaStan) on the nycklharpa (a keyed violin from Sweden) in a performance of the Vinlander Saga for families.
Contact: (212) 879-9779 or hca@amscan.org
Tales for Our Time
The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folk Tales
New York University Education Building (Room 303)
35 West 4th Street (just east of Washington Square), New York City
(MTA subways: A, B, C, D, E, F, or V trains to West 4th Street,
no. 6 train to Astor Place, or N, R, or W trains to 8th Street)
Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Diane told stories of grit and survival, wisdom and humor from one of the world's great living oral traditions. Collected on her many trips to Haiti, these wise and witty stories for all ages reveal a culture dealing with the nitty and the gritty of life and teach us how to survive and thrive in a very tricky world.
Contact: (212) 998-5867 or ed.theatre@nyu.edu
Monkey King - Journey to the West
Diane Wolkstein with Geoffrey Gordon
Rime Buddhist Center
400 West Pennway, Kansas City, Missouri
Saturday, April 18th, 2009, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Diane Wolkstein and composer/performer Geoffrey Gordon met in the middle of the country to tell the first seven chapters of "Journey to the West." Later, Geoffrey Gordon led a kirtan, or community singing.
A portion of the proceeds went to support Tibetan refugees.
Contact: (816) 471-7073
Visit the Monkey King Epic website
Inanna
Diane Wolkstein with Geoffrey Gordon
All Souls Unitarian Church
4501 Walnut Street, Kansas City Missouri
Performance: Friday, April 17th, 2009, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Workshop: Saturday, April 18th, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Through voice, gesture, and song, Diane and composer/musician Geoffrey Gordon brought to life the 4,000 year old epic of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, fertility, and the Morning Star. This riveting presentation has been given on five continents and has performed to sold–out audiences at the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, and the British Museum in London.
The workshop held on April 18th drew on the rich metaphors inherent in the myth, as Diane discussed the heroine's journey, the claiming of sexual power, the anima / animus, maturation, death, and rebirth. The workshop also included interactive storytelling training for those interested in it.
Contact: James Mayfield Smith at (816) 645-2600
or jamesmayfieldsmith@gmail.com
This event was sponsored by Kansas City Friends of Jung.
Monkey King Marathon
Journey to the West
La Salle Academy Annex
38 Second Avenue (at Second Street), New York City
Friday through Sunday, March 20th-22nd, 2009
Twenty-seven storytellers from the USA and Canada joined together in this three-day epic telling of Journey to the West. Each teller explored his or her own section in their own voice and style. Diane Wolkstein drew the map and assembled a honorable group of tellers to journey with the Monkey King. Many thanks to all who joined us!
Visit the Monkey King Epic website
Stories of Hans Christian Andersen
Scandinavian House
Heimbold Family Children's Learning Center
58 Park Avenue at 37th Street, New York City
Saturday, March 14th, 2009, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
(Suitable for children of ages 5 and up)
Contact: (212) 879–9779 or hca@amscan.org
The Story of Purim
Congregation Shearith Israel — The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue
8 West 70th Street, New York City
Monday, March 9th, 2009, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Diane told the story of Purim — the story of Esther, a young Jewish orphan who is chosen to be queen by the King of Persia. At a certain moment she must choose between her life and the lives of her people. A story of humor, courage and wisdom.
Contact: (212) 873-0300, ext. 209 or alana.shultz@shearithisrael.org
Stories for the Fertile Goddess
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn New York
Saturday, March 7th, 2009, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Diane told excerpts of Inanna, Ruth, and Judith, to accompany artist Judy Chicago's depiction of The Fertile Goddess at The Dinner Party (as part of Women's History Month).
Contact: (718) 638–5000 (voice) or (718) 399–8440 (TTY)
This event was part of the Target First Saturdays series.
Journey to the West (for families)
New York Public Library — Sedgwick Branch
1701 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (at West 176th St.), Bronx, New York
Friday March 6th, 2009, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Contact: (718) 731-2074 or sedgwick@nypl.org
NYPL Chatham Square Library
33 East Broadway, New York
Thursday, March 12th, 2009, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Contact: (212) 964-6598 or chatham_square@nypl.org
NYPL Parkchester Library
1985 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, New York
Thursday, March 26th, 2009, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Contact: (718) 829-7830 or parkchester@nypl.org
NYPL Countee Cullen Library
104 West 136th Street, New York City
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Contact: (212) 491-2070 or countee_cullen@nypl.org
Diane Wolkstein
at Palm Beach County Storytelling Guild
Luis Hernandez Salon & Art Shop
142 Southeast 5th Avenue, Delray, Florida 33483
Thursday, February 12th, 2009, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
During this special evening, Diane talked about the art of storytelling, and illustrated her talk with stories from different cultures.
Contact: mzmirtha@aol.com
A Taste of Love
A Valentine’s Day Special
Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Militart Trail, Boca Raton, Florida
Saturday, February 14th, 2009, at 12:30 p.m.
A special day of stories and exquisite food, part of the series “A Cultural Feast: A Deliciously Different Performance Event.”
Contact: (561) 347-3948
This event was sponsored by the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters
at Florida Atlantic University.
Storytelling Workshop with Diane Wolkstein
Boca Raton, Florida
Sunday, February 15th, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact: cneile@sau.edu
Storytelling Workshops
Telling the Story from the Body
New York City
Sunday, January 18th, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 15th, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
We were investigating the story from the body. We concentrated on the stories from Journey to the West, but all were free to bring in other stories they are working on — or simple enjoy listening to stories.
Contact: wolkstein.publicity@gmail.com
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Diane telling Monkey King at the Rime Buddhist Center in Kansas City, Missouri
