There's a reason they call it...

There's a reason the week before a show opens is called Hell Week.  I know it's not necessarily true a bad dress rehearsal means a good show, but this past week has gone from the depths of the nether regions to heaven last night at opening!

Usually I try to keep out extraneous personal matters from Storytelling + Research = LoiS, but I am more than just storytelling and the research it requires.  My earliest roots and undergraduate degree are in the theater.  During the years as a librarian it was impossible to take part in shows because of my schedule.  It's small wonder storytelling became my outlet.  When I became a full-time storyteller I resolved to do a show a year, although there have been a few times I stretched that a bit.  The two art forms are closely related and serve each other well.  Two years ago I did my first musical since college and loved it!  Dance is my favorite exercise, so musicals give plenty of exercise. 

I knew Sweet Charity was a wonderful show and the Lakeland Players production has had everything it needs to make it entertaining.  Sure there have been curves and chaos, but opening went splendidly!  Here's the facts.  If you can make it, I'd love to see you there!

Something not noted, but you might want to know, is the Wednesday March 26th performance ONLY, if you bring 2 canned goods to donate to the Church's pantry all tickets purchased at the door will be $2.00 off

By next weekend I hope to be caught up enough to bring back another in the Keeping the Public in Public Domain series.  My mind is already working ahead to another research project, so it pays to check here regularly.

Croker - The Wonderful Tune - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Stuck on my Bunny Slope of a hill, a gig postponed by the return of winter's grip.  Let's have an earlier publishing of the promised travel to southern Erin for a story I love to tell.  I do shorten it, but it's here in its original form.  When I first found it, a note only said it was Irish.  To find the original story I had to ask fellow storyteller, Richard Marsh.

Richard left the Upper Peninsula of Michigan years ago for Ireland.  He swears he can't tell a story unless his hands are in the position of sitting at the steering wheel of his bus.  Not true!  I've seen him tell on two different trips back to the Auld Sod of Michigan.  You can tell he regularly tells stories in all kinds of places besides his Legendary Tours bus.  I've mentioned him here before as he's a great resource for lovers of Irish folklore, including the ancient legends.  (He's also a tour guide able to have even American teens enjoy his "blarney" showing Irish historical sites and their lively stories.)  He didn't know this story himself, but knew Irish folklore resources well enough to wonder if Croker collected it.

Thomas Crofton Croker did indeed.  The National Gallery of Ireland states back in 1825 he was the first to record Irish or British oral folk tales in writing.  He's also a perfect model for National Reading Month as he's said to have had little formal schooling, but read widely.  His works were translated by the Brothers Grimm and he could easily be said to have launched European folklore.
Twenty-eight of his works are found online at the Open Library.  This story came from his second book, Fairy legends and traditions of the south of Ireland.  Enjoy, but be careful if you tell it, for it really requires dancing...something I love to include in my storytelling whenever possible!

(The binding was tricky on this book making some line edges less clear than I like.  Without resorting to either my computer's or my browser's ability to enlarge the screen, I was able read or decide what was written, so I apologize, but think this story is worth the bit of bother.  You may prefer to use Magnifier through your computer's Control Panel, or other features to have a larger View.)

 

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This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories. 

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my normal monthly posting of a research project here.  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my monthly postings as often as I can manage it.    

I also want to recommend  an online database of International Folktales,

Yashpheh (Jasper), is a labor of love by fellow storyteller, Dr. Yoel Perez, in Haifa, Israel.  He, too, wants to Keep the Public in Public Domain and storytelling.

Curtin - Four-Leafed Shamrock - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Why won't Ireland ever be known for Rock Bands?

Because they're better known for Shamrocks.

March is not just Dr. Seuss's birthday month and Reading Month, it's also a time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Ireland's contributions such as the Blarney Stone and telling blarney!

Today and in the next post enjoy some Irish folktales with a wee Michigan connection starting with, born in Detroit, Jeremiah Curtin.  A major 19th century collector of Irish folktales, Curtin's focus really was on other aspects of folklore and travels.

Appropriate to the opening Sham-joke, here is his story of the importance of The Four-Leafed Shamrock

My mother used to walk through my yard and find four-leafed clovers.  I wonder if they tried to keep enchantment and devilment from me?  My partner in the children's room back at Mount Clemens Public Library, Marge Kinzy, always had a pot of shamrocks, although I never saw any with four leaves.

This story came from Curtin's Tales of the Fairies and of the Ghost World.  The widest listing of his other works online can be found at the Online Books Page and shows the variety of his work.

Now before I close with my standard comments about Keeping the Public in Public Domain, I want to note an online database of International Folktales,

Yashpheh (Jasper), is a labor of love by fellow storyteller, Dr. Yoel Perez, in Haifa, Israel.  He, too, wants to Keep the Public in Public Domain and storytelling.
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This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories. 

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my normal monthly posting of a research project here.  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my monthly postings as often as I can manage it.