FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Maryann Maslan

October 28, 2005 510.444.4755

PHOTOS at www.stagebridge.org maryann@stagebridge.org

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National storytelling event “Tellabration!” will be hosted locally by Stagebridge in Oakland, November 20

Join the “Tellabration!,” a concert of witty, charming and adventurous stories as told by internationally known storytellers on Sunday, Nov. 20 at Arts First Oakland. “Tellabration!” is an annual worldwide celebration of storytelling sponsored by the National Storytelling Network (NSN) the week before Thanksgiving each year. The event celebrates the oral tradition, folk history and the exceptional lives of ordinary people. The Arts First Oakland concert is hosted each year by Stagebridge, the nation’s oldest senior theatre company. This year’s presentation features tellers Olga Loya, Marijo and David Ponkey. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Gulf Coast victims of Katrina. Headliner Olga Loya is an internationally recognized storyteller, author and teacher. She will share the concert with two Bay Area favorites: Marijo, performer and arts educator who has told stories throughout the United States and Africa, and teller David Ponkey. In addition to performing, Ponkey is a storytelling therapist and works with special needs students using storytelling. He is the author of the award winning audio CD “Anything Can Happen.” The Sunday afternoon program will be emceed by storyteller Erica Lann-Clark and include Stagebridge Senior Storytellers Lillian Edwards, John Lopez, Andy Montgomery, Julie Whitten and Leatha Wilson. The Stagebridge tellers will present “Civil Rights Tales,” a collection of stories told by the people who lived them. “Tellabration” is funded in part by grants from the City of Oakland Craft and Cultural Arts and Alameda County Art Commission.

Stagebridge celebrates its 27^th anniversary season in Oakland with new classes and an extended Healthy Aging program at local universities. The professional staff trains older adults in theatre and storytelling, creates original plays about aging, tours the Bay Area with workshops and performances and runs a nationally recognized storytelling literacy program in the Oakland schools.

“Tellabration!” begins at 3 p.m., Sunday, November 20, Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. (at 27th Street), Oakland. Tickets are $12/advance and $15/at the door and may be purchased by calling Stagebridge 444-4755 or at www.stagebridge.org. Parking is available and there is easy access from the #51 AC Transit Bus or 19th Street BART. The performance is wheelchair accessible.