FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Maryann Maslan 510.444.4755

November 13, 2006 maryann@stagebridge.org

International Storytelling Event Features Bay Area and National Tellers Together for the First Time

OAKLAND (CA) – Storytellers from six San Francisco Bay Area organizations plus national stars Willy Claflin and Gay Ducey will amuse and delight audiences at the fourth annual “Tellabration!” hosted by Stagebridge Theatre Company, 3 p.m., November 19 in Oakland.

“Tellabration!” a concert of witty, charming and adventurous stories, is an annual worldwide celebration of adult storytelling sponsored by the National Storytelling Network (NSN) the week before Thanksgiving each year. The event showcases the oral tradition, folk history and the exceptional lives of ordinary people.

Stagebridge, the oldest senior theater company in the nation, brings together for the first time Bay Area storytelling groups including Contra Costa Talespinners, Delta Word Weavers, Mixed Bag, Story Tells, Storytelling Association of Alta California (SAAC) and Storytelling at the Meetinghouse of San Francisco. Erica Lann-Clark will emcee the show with tellers Lillian Edwards, Jean Ellisen, Ken Foster, Kate Frankel, Mary Norris and Kirk Waller, from the participating groups.

Topping the line-up are Willy Claflin and Gay Ducey, tellers extraordinaire.

Willy Claflin is an internationally recognized storytelling performer, musician and teacher. He has released nine recordings, including “Stones Along the Shore,” “Maynard Moose Tales,” “Willy Claflin and Friends” and “The Uglified Ducky.” His recordings have received numerous awards from the recording industry, plus parent, storytelling and library associations.

Gay Ducey, co-founder of the Bay Area Storytelling Festival and commissioned artist at the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of American History, performs tales from a wide range of cultures and traditions as well as original history-based works.

Stagebridge’s locally hosted “Tellabration!” is funded in part by grants from the City of Oakland Craft and Cultural Arts and Alameda County Art Commission.

“Tellabration!” begins at 3 p.m., Sunday, November 19, at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. (at 27th Street), Oakland. Information, reservations and tickets are available at (510) 444.4755 or online at www.stagebridge.org. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. There is free parking on site and easy access from the #51 AC Transit Bus or 19th Street BART. The performance is wheelchair accessible.

Stagebridge, a non-profit organization, celebrates its 28th anniversary season in Oakland with new classes, performances and its award winning Healthy Aging outreach programs. The professional staff trains older adults in acting, storytelling, dance, voice and improvisation. The company also tours the Bay Area with workshops and performances and runs a nationally recognized storytelling literacy program in the Oakland schools.

PHOTOS at www.stagebridge.org, www.willyclaflin.com – any format by request