STORYTELLING REPERTOIRE

2010
Ordinary Things by Wendy Edey
First performed at Compassion House Retreat for Breast Cancer Survivors
The easiest way to start an extraordinary life is to start with ordinary things. Take this washboard, for example.

Lost In The Frozen North by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story cafe
Sir John Franklin set sail from England in 1845 in search of a sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the coveted northwest passage. Other northern explorers kept better records and are far less well known. There was Perry, and Collinson, and McLure, and McClintock, and me.
Yes me. I too have been lost in the frozen north, in the days before cell phones and gps, in that inscrutable suburban land of islands and dead-ends and circles where so many have been lost despite the stars, the maps, the compasses. This is the story of what I learned, and am still learning from the experience.

Welcome By Wendy Edey
First performed at Spcy Tales Concert
The first time I ever tried simosa I made myself a mental note: “In future, be careful about spices!”

2009
Humour Studies by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story Cafe
Had I not set out to study humour I might never have discovered the difference between humour and odour. And if it wasn’t exactly fun studying humour at university, it did raise some interesting questions about the nature of the relationship between humour and higher education.

Princesses by Wendy Edey
First performed at Canada Concert sponsored by Unitarian Church of Edmonton
Robert Munsch’s Paperbag Princess helps tell the stories of Alice Walker Hogman and Dr. Mary Percy Jackson, two remarkable professional women determined to have their careers and their princes charming too.

The Water Dragon’s Gift by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story Cafe
In the year 280 B.C. a despairing Chinese poet threw himself into a river. This is the story of how that tragedy gave voice to 21st century women with breast cancer.

Good Sport by Wendy Edey
First performed at Alberta Provincial Archives Concert
For as long as history has been recorded, men have been throwing whatever is handy and calling it a sport. We tend to think a sport is a better sport if you play for a lot of money, attract sponsors, or watch it on TV. Now when was the last time you heard a story about the game of horseshoes?

Boom by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story cafe
I’ve got news for you. There’s going to be a real estate boom in Edmonton. Prices will skyrocket. We don’t know when it will be, or exactly how it will start. But one thing we know for sure is that when it gets going, people will do crazy things. This is the story of two booms, one in 2007, the other in 1912.

Would A Minister Tell A Lie? By Wendy Edey
First performed at MWUC Christmas Jam\
That long-loved poem Twas The Night Before Christmas was written by a theologian. Or was it?

2008
Mr. Andrews by E.M. Forster
First performed at Ardrossen United Church
A Christian and a Muslim meet on their way to Heaven. This tale is as relevant today as it was when Forster penned it in 1914.

Stream, Wind, Desert (a Sufi tale)
First performed at Alberta College of Social Workers Annual Conference
A stream tries to hold its shape while crossing the desert.

Burnout and Rekindling by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Audition
How do you inspire a group of social workers after a presentation that tanked, sank and went all the way down the toilet?

The French Invention by Wendy Edey
First Performed at T.A.L.E.S annual concert
Louis Braille made it possible for blind people to read and write. All he needed was support from the school for the blind. But few people know how long it took for Louis to get any respect.

Learning To Play Jacks by Wendy Edey
First performed at Early Education Conference, Edmonton
At last I had found a game I could win. It was a story that seemed too good to be true.

Singing Country Music by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story Cafe
Everything I ever needed to know about moonshine I learned before the age of six. I learned it while sitting on the edge of the bed with my sister, singing country music.

How High’s The Water by Wendy Edey
If the North Saskatchewan River could talk it would have some stories to tell. It would tell about the floods that changed its banks forever, and the people who had to change their plans.

Little Mary Ann (adapted from a tale by Donna Lively)
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story Cafe
Jane thinks it would be just about impossible to be as good as little Mary Ann.

The Woman With Many Names by Wendy Edey
First performed at the Edmonton Welsh Male Voice Choir concert
In the 19th century pipe organs were springing up in American churches. There was a demand for American hymns, and there were many writers to meet that demand. This is the story of the amazing life of one writer, Fanny Crosby.

The Sword Of Wood (a folk tale adapted by Doug Lipman
First performed at the Seniors Outreach Program, Ridgewood Baptist Church
A King sets out in peasant’s clothing on a quest to understand the people of his kingdom.

2007
Miracles and Wonders by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story Cafe
Mother couldn’t perform miracles, but she could do wonders. When she seemed the most helpless, she showed us all what a simple hope-opotamus could do.

The Words the cat took by Wendy Edey
First performed at Stroke Recovery Confrence
59,995 words is a lot to lose in a single night. On the day after the big stroke Harry still had five good words, and a message he wanted to deliver.

I Could Use Some Help Up Here by Wendy Edey
First performed at Alzheimer Society caregiver training
Even a damsel in distress will try just about anything before she admits she can’t do it on her own.

Lawrence Gives A Hope Talk by Wendy Edey
First performed at FASD Forum
Only a desperate person would seek public speaking advice from somebody who would rather eat carpenters’ tools than make a speech.

Knitters by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S Story Cafe
“Murdering her is not a good idea,” he said. “We’ll send her to Gramma for knitting lessons.”

2006
The Wedding of Dame Ragnell, A Tale Of King Arthur
First performed at Edmonton Women’s Prison
King Arthur searches the land to find out what women want.

The Street That Got Mislaid by Patrick Waddington
First performed at T.A.L.E.S annual festival
Who could imagine that a treasure lay behind that ordinary-looking brick wall?

Felicity’s Fortune by Wendy Edey
First performed at T.A.L.E.S annual festival
We know that a chicken was found in Dawson Park. What we wonder is how she got there.

Comb Concert by Wendy Edey
First performed at Alberta Teachers’ association Guidance Conference
This is a story about Kathryn Tucker Windham, Selma Alabama and the transformative power of audacious hope.

2005
The Berlin Wall by Wendy Edey
First performed at Alberta Children’s Services Training
Back in the 1960’s, when we were practicing for the end of the world, we never imagined what might be happening in 1989.

Put On Your Own Mask First by Wendy Edey
First performed at Alzheimver Society caregiver training
They give you a lot of advice on airplanes. Some of it is more valuable that you think.

My Financial Career by Stephen Leacock
First performed at Alzheimer Society Caregiver Training
A bank is a scary place when you’re “rattled”.

Good-by Grandma by ray Bradbury
First performed at National Storytelling Network festival, Bellingham
Grandma organizes the family for her final exit.

The Cat Who lived A Million Times by Yoko Sano
First performed at T.a.L.E.S annual festival
Sometimes it takes a million tries to learn the most important lesson.

2004
The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate by Margaret Mahy
First performed at a birthday party for Audrey
A man and his mother set out on a voyage to find the sea.