David Heathfield is Interviewed by His Son
David Heathfield and Tom Heathfield, UK
David Heathfield is a freelance interpersonal skills trainer, storyteller, storymaker, actor and writer. He also teaches English and runs workshops for teachers at Exeter University, UK. He is the author of Spontaneous Speaking: Drama Activities for Confidence and Fluency (DELTA Publishing 2005). www.davidheathfield.co.uk
Menu
Background
The Interview
PS
David Heathfield is interviewed on instant messenger from the room next door by his eldest son Tom, 13, about his recent trip to the international storytelling conference and festival ‘Cantos de Cores e Sabores’ in Braga, Northern Portugal.
Did you learn any new stories from the storytelling festival in Braga?
Sam Canarozzi told me so many tales that my head was spinning – a man with the perfect story for every occasion.
I also exchanged magical tales about the stars with Kamel Guennon, a French-Algerian storyteller. He seems to focus very much on metaphors for exploring our humanity and resolving conflict in a profoundly spiritual way. Told to me in the simple beauty of the French language, I found his storytelling poignant and truly magical.
Sounds good. Could you give me a quick walk through of the tale he gave you?
In the time before the creation of life on Earth, an aging star sends her children, the sun, the wind and the moon to a feast on the far side of the universe. On their return she finds it is only the moon who has remembered to bring her back some delicacies. The other two have been greedy in their all-consuming gluttony. The mother star foresees that for this reason the moon will always be cherished gently in the hearts of men and women in songs, poems and art, while the power of the sun and the wind will always be feared as well as revered.
Are you going to tell that story in the future then?
Most certainly.
Which stories did you tell at the festival?
In local Portuguese schools I told The Girl who was Sold with the Pears, an Italian folk tale, and also Quillatoa, a narrative based on my own experience of being lost in the Andes. For the final show I told The Childe Rowlande and was thrilled that the largely Portuguese audience were so willing to participate in the choral lines.
Being an EFL teacher, one of my greatest thrills is to make stories told in English accessible to English learners.
And what did you learn from telling those?
That the most important thing is transmitting the story using whatever techniques I have at my disposal. Whether I incorporate props, percussion, choral lines, predictions from the audience, the key thing is that the audience are engaged in the story.
Which country did you feel had the most interesting stories to tell?
You know, Tom, that there are fascinating stories from every country and that many are trans-global! People weren't just telling tales from their own cultures, but there was no doubt that their own background and mother tongues influenced their choices of materials as well as their telling.
Even though I can only follow Portuguese to a very limited degree, I could appreciate its music and rhythms. Antonio Fontinho, the best-known teller in Portugal, drew the audience into his tale with a spellbinding gentleness I've rarely heard in the UK, while Jose Craveiro’s telling was full of warmth and jovial charm. I was privileged to perform alongside Thomas Bakk, whose outrageous facial expressions and physical behaviour underlined the driving rhythms and rhymes in his Brazilian-Portuguese telling. There I was, completely engaged even though I didn't understand the plots!
Did you learn any special techniques from any of the other tellers?
I learnt from every one of them. James Hennessy’s performance reminded me of the power of holding a still posture. While he described the horrifying image of a man tied to a tree while birds pecked out his eyes, he stood rooted to the spot as if tied to that tree himself. Physical storytelling at its stillest and most powerful.
Did you learn a lot about Portuguese culture?
Yes, the event was run by the French Department of the Faculty of Languages at the University of Minho and the three lecturers behind it, Marie, Eduarda and Sophie were incredibly hospitable and supportive. We were wined and dined in the most superb style. I also learnt the traditional Northern Portuguese nursery tale of the Old Woman and the Pumpkin in its original language 'Corre Corre Cabacinho!'
What was the most important thing for you personally?
As an EFL teacher trainer and writer I have often travelled abroad to conferences and run workshops on storytelling in language teaching, but to perform as an international storyteller in my own right is a wonderful and important new experience.
Thanks for that! I think that going to Portugal was definitely worth your time. You learned so much! Adeus!
You can view and listen to several performances at the recent international storytelling festival 'IX Jornadas do Conto da Univ. do Minho' in Northern Portugal by visiting
www.memoriamedia.net/canal/canal_memoriamedia.html
|
