WOODBRIDGE – It’s all about how you tell the story.
“Everyone has their own different and unique style,” said Ken Erb, who teaches music in the Elizabeth public school system. “There’s no books; some use props, some dress up as their characters, and some sing folk songs like I do.”
Erb and his wife, Anne Lemay, of Sewaren will join the dozens of people who will descend upon the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton for the 15th annual New Jersey Storytelling Festival on Sept. 30. venues for telling stories to children, adults and general audiences.
“You can listen to 10 different people tell ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and it can sound different every single time,” said Lemay, who is the head of youth services at Franklin Township Library. “I usually use props to get the kids’ attention and get the kids involved.”
The festival will open up with high school storytellers, which is new this year. Two morning seminars will also be offered: “Making Family Memories Into Heirloom Stories,” which is a workshop on preserving family memories, and “The ABCs of Storytelling in the Classroom,” for elementary teachers.
The festival will end with the traditional “lightning” round, where a group of tellers will tell three-minute stories.
Erb and Lemay, who have participated in the festival for about five years, said their stories cater to children.
“One time I was reading ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff,’ which is for kids only up to the second grade, for fifth-graders,” said Lemay. “Fifth-graders are the hardest group to read to, but they liked the troll part.”
The art of storytelling exists in every culture around the globe and is one of the oldest and most diverse of all performing arts.
“Anyone can be a storyteller,” said Erb. “There’s always that one person in someone’s family who is the natural storyteller.”
Lemay, who received her bachelor’s degree in theater arts from Rutgers University’s Douglass College, as well as a master’s degree in library science from the university, said she had the best time teaching a graduate-level course in storytelling at the Rutgers University School of Communication, Information, and Library Services.
“Storytelling is a process, it’s not something you can study ahead for,” she said. “It’s like learning to walk. I teach them techniques they need to tell their stories in sequenced pictures.”
Erb and Lemay said they sometimes hold storytelling sessions at schools or volunteer storytelling sessions through an auction at St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Bedminster, where Lemay is a deacon throughout the year.
The 15th annual New Jersey Storytelling Festival will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton. Festival with park admission is $12. Preregistration for the two workshops is required. For more information and directions, go to www.folkproject.org or call (862) 268-4989.