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The 3rd Annual Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival will be held Friday, October 17, 2008, at the historic Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee Street in Waukegan. Ghost Stories at 10 am. Literary Villains at 7:30 pm. Genesee Theatre, Waukegan
Sponsored by the Waukegan Public Library Foundation, the festival includes two performances: Literary Villains at 7:30 pm. for those stalwart types (age 12 and up) who can take the chill, featuring renowned storytellers, Megan Wells, Judith Black and Dan Keding; and Ghost Stories, a 10 a.m. matinee for all ages, specially designed for school field trips and homeschoolers. The matinee unites Emmy award-winning Jim May with all three storytellers in the evening lineup, but ratchets down the scare factor.
Wells transfixed last year’s festival audience with her skin-prickling, Transylvania-transporting telling of Dracula. This year, she assumes the tattooed guise of Mr. Dark, Ray Bradbury’s own favorite villain. Wells will perform the library scene from the author’s masterwork, Something Wicked This Way Comes, eerily set in late October in Green Town, Illinois—Bradbury’s fictional Waukegan. With a BFA and MFA in theater arts, Wells has won numerous awards for storytelling and directing, including the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award.
New to the Bradbury Storytelling Festival, Black is no newbie to storytelling. She’s held the stage at narrative events around the world, garnering critical acclaim and awards such as the coveted “Circle of Excellence,” conferred by the National Storytelling Network. Black will perform The Three Mothers, a funny yet terrifying spin-off of Snow White, told (at last) from the wicked stepmother’s perspective. She wonders, “Are we creating a legacy of ghost women?”
Keding more than tells a story—he strums, bangs and sings it. Revered on the storytelling circuit for his finely crafted tales and musical agility, Keding has entertained audiences of all ages across the globe for over three decades. He holds a unique Master’s degree in the history and performance of traditional folktales and ballads, as well as the “Circle of Excellence” award by the National Storytelling Network. Keding will perform two selections, including a piece by Edgar Allen Poe.
For more than 20 years, May has regaled over one million children and families with his heartwarming folk tales, myths, legends and ghost stories—performing on Chicago-area TV and radio shows, and stages worldwide. May, like Keding and Black, holds the “Circle of Excellence” award for storytelling, and is the author of two books, including an award-winning collection of original stories.
Old radio programs with running storylines used to captivate American audiences. Then TV and video arrived, bearing the heady array of on-screen choices that would lure once-active listeners into passive viewing. Now, storytelling is enjoying a renaissance. Tired of taking entertainment intravenously, more and more people are choosing to direct their own characters and scenes, in collaboration with gifted storytellers.
An ardent storyteller himself, Bradbury has always leaned toward short stories, poems and plays in the oral tradition. His narratives of choice? The suspenseful. The macabre. All things Halloween—a holiday he still celebrates with zeal. What more fitting way to honor Waukegan’s native son than with a hometown festival, spotlighting his favorite genre, set in October. Bradbury month.
Tickets: Literary Villains $17; Ghost Stories $5. On sale at the Genesee Theatre Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online or charge-by-phone at (312) 559-1212. Group rates available by calling (847) 406-3155.
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elizabethstearns[.]waukeganpl.info 
