Spinning tales

David Novak, one of thte nation's leading storytellers, will bring his bag of tales and tricks to Grand Valley on Saturday, November 9.

Described by Smithsonian magazine as a 'gifted teller who enhances his stories with a bag of tricks' and a dozen different characters, Novak will perform for Grand Rapids inner-city schoolchildren on Friday, November 8, at Wealthy Theatre. He will then conduct classes and workshops, and give a public performance at Grand Valley on Saturday, November 9.

Saturday, November 9
Novak will give a storytelling concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Van Solkema Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Center, GVSU Allendale Campus. The storytelling event is open to the public and targeted for adults and children of middle school age and older. (The richly layered stories may be over the heads of small children; however, they may attend as well.)

Tickets are $5 for all students; $10 general admission; available at the door.

David Novak spins stories that entrance not only children, but adult and even hard-to-please teenage audiences. Recognized as one of the most prominent storytellers in the nation, he is a veteran of the National Storytelling Festival, cofounder of the innovative National Yakkers Theatre Ensemble, and has performed at noted theaters and festivals throughout the country. His concerts combine the simple magic of theater with the evocative movements and voices of the master storyteller and entertainer.

Karen Libman, theater professor at GVSU who arranged Novak's local appearances, called him 'one of the primary movers and shakers in the storytelling revivalist movement.'

'He is phenomenal,' said Libman, who began teaching a storytelling course at Grand Valley this semester. She said that storytelling festivals across the country are gaining in popularity.

'People are hungry for stories. Nowadays, you can get facts and information 24/7 from a variety of sources, but they don't really tell the complete story,' Libman said. 'Storytelling is the form through which we share who we are with each other. It provides that human connection.'

David Novak's local performances are sponsored by the School of Communications, the General Education Theme, and Huntington Bank.