A Select Sample of Programs:
Stoking the Fire, Stringing the Harp – In this program, I invite the listener to dance with the themes of wandering, feeling lost, appropriate anger, unexpected compassion, artistry and renewal. By doing this through story and in community, we recognize and find meaning in the commonality and uniqueness of our human condition. In this way we become more than just audience, we become participants in this ancient act, feeding our soul with the nourishment gifted by our ancestors.
Leaving the Village: An Evening Storytelling – What does it mean to leave the village, to head off on a sacred quest into the unknown? What is initiation? What gifts can be brought back from the one who left? In this performance, Storyteller Brian Rohr will share myths and stories exploring adventure, initiation and Rites-of-Passage.
Waking the Wild Soul: Adventures Thru Storytelling – Inside each person is a wild man or woman, that wants adventure, that wants connection to some deeper meaning, beyond our ordinary lives. Join Storyteller Brian Rohr as he presents myths and stories aimed to satisfy and awaken our unique wild selves!
Drumming the Mythic Heart – A versatile program, where the listeners and the Storyteller follow the sound of the drum to that complex and mythic heart of the story, where we ourselves live, breath and dance among the ancient tales. I will tell stories drawing from a number of different cultures, some may include: Tibetan, Native American, Jewish, Russian, Bornean, Northern European (Grimms) and more.
Eating Baba Yaga: Myths and Stories of Surviving the Extraordinary Life – This very popular program explores the wonderful archetype of Baba Yaga. While often considered the witch in the Russian Fairytales, and one who seems to want to destroy us, she in fact wants us to become the complex humans we were always meant to be. Shared are the Russian tale “Maiden Tzar” and the Nubian “Necklace” Story. A live DVD of this performance, recorded at the Elastic Arts Foundation in Chicago, was released last year (which is now available through BWI/Follett).
Calling to the Sacred: Stories of Connecting with the Divine – This evening of storytelling draws from Jewish and other cultures, showing the human need for a direct relationship with the Divine, and how so often, that connection comes from the strange and liminal parts of ourselves that we would so often choose to ignore or reject.
Finding Miracles: Stories of Darkness and Light – In this program, the listener is invited to connect with the magic and energy inherent in the holiday of Chanukah. Through stories of miracles, darkness and the hidden light we will be reminded of our own miraculous journeys and learn to celebrate them amongst the ancient tales.
Hearing Lightning, Seeing Thunder – In this performance, we journey with Moses and our ancestors to the base of Sinai, where we as a people have regularly returned for thousands of years, ready to connect with the divine. In this program we will explore ritual preparation, connection, fear and awe as we delve into the meaning and mysteries of a sacred covenant.
From Trickster to Patriarch: Jacob’s Initiatory Journey – In his performance, Brian will lift the story of Jacob out of its usual context of the written Torah and bring it to life in the realm of the oral tradition. During this telling, we will hear about his adventures with his brother Esau, stealing the birthright and blessing, running away from home, falling in love with his beloved, being betrayed by his uncle, his dark night of his soul and ultimately a great reunion. This is his story of moving through his initiation into adulthood, from a trickster to a patriarch. (This is a full-length performance which can also be shared as a shorter excerpt or turned into a more intimate workshop setting)