“The Folktellers":
Barbara Freeman (left) and Connie Regan-Blake. |
It's a summer night in Philadelphia, and some 20,000 people
are seated on quilts or blankets before a large outdoor
stage on which two women are standing. A hush falls over
the crowd as one of the women steps up to a microphone
and, in a low, melodic voice, says, "I'd like to
tell you a story . . . "
For the next 15 minutes the audience is mesmerized as
the woman vividly recounts a tale about a mother - who,
thought to be dead and buried, comes home from the grave.
When she knocks on the door, her shocked husband and children
refuse to let her in until they hear the family's two
white horses neighing a welcome after recognizing her.
"Two White Horses" is just one of about 100
stories that "The Folktellers" - Connie Regan-Blake,
39, and her partner and cousin, Barbara Freeman, 42 -
have been telling audiences around the world for more
than ten years. The pair is part of a revival of one of
the world's oldest professions: storytelling. Today there
are more than 400 professional storytellers in the United
States.
Twelve years ago, when both women were librarians in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, they started telling stories to
children's groups. They were such a hit at local libraries,
schools, and benefits that in 1975 the women decided to
take their act on the road (they were both single at the
time).
With only $2,000 and a pickup camper between them, they
traveled from town to town, telling their stories at community
festivals, state fairs, and other functions.
Getting established wasn't easy. During their first year
of performing they earned just $400. To make matters worse,
someone broke into their camper and stole most of the
possessions they had with them. That was the only time
the two broke down and cried.
Despite the setbacks, Connie and Barbara were determined
to continue. "We knew that in storytelling we had
stumbled onto something really special," Connie explained.
After a while the duo began accepting invitations to
appear at major folk festivals and concerts. Other offers
followed, and by 1978 they were performing regularly –
about 150 times a year. Since then they've given shows
in more than 40 states and 12 countries, produced three
storytelling albums - two of which won awards from the
American Library Association - and have remained active
in the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation
of Storytelling, which they helped found.
Their latest venture is Mountain Sweet Talk,
a play they've co-written and produced, which celebrates
life in the Appalachian Mountains and includes many of
their stories. Both Connie, who recently married, and
Barbara now live in North Carolina, and working on the
play lessens their time on the road and lets them stay
home more.
But their performing career is far from over. "Stories
are too powerful to die," Connie says. "They've
always been with us, and while we may have turned toward
other forms of entertainment, the stories are still there.
So we're not really changing, we're just coming home."
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