By IAN MCBRIDE
The art of storytelling is fascinating. For some individuals it comes naturally, while others have to work at it to be able to tell stories in front of crowds.
On Jan. 9 the Baden Storytellers’ Guild hosted Stories Aloud at The Button Factory in Waterloo. Approximately 30 people attended the event.
For the first 23 years the event took place at The Story Barn in Baden, but in 2012 local regulations made it no longer feasible to maintain it as a public venue. So, for the past three years Stories Aloud has taken place at The Button Factory, located at 25 Regina St. S. in Waterloo.
The event takes place the second Friday of each month, September to June, from 8 to 10:30 p.m.
The founder of the guild and Stories Aloud is Mary-Eileen McClear.
The audience was captivated for the majority of the time.
Some of the storytellers were comedic, including Tom Molloy, and other individuals retold stories that had been told by other storytellers like Dawne McFarlane.
According to storyteller Carolyn Wilker, there is variety at each Stories Aloud evening.
“Each evening the stories vary from folk tales, authored stories and personal experience stories, and I find that the audience is tuned in and enjoying the story.”
Anne Busby, who was the host of the Jan. 9 event and is also a storyteller, discussed the long-term goal of the event.
“Our goal is to continue to uphold the traditions of oral storytelling and to develop new audiences,” Busby said.
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