Events
WATCH: Sally Pomme Clayton and Sophie Herxheimer talk about The Mighty Goddess at Watkins Bookshop
The Bog King’s Daughter – created for The Hans Christian Andersen Story Centre, New York.
The Little Mermaid – created for the Hans Christian Andersen Story Centre, New York
Storytelling Synchronicity – storytellers Katy Cawkwell, Pomme Clayton, Hugh Lupton, Emily Hennessy, Rebecca Smart share stories about strange events that have happened as they have told stories. Hosted by Katy Cawkwell with Literature Works. Watch the film and add your own story.
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LISTEN:
The archaeology of a story – a masterclass with Sally Pomme Clayton
Saturday 26 October and Sunday 27 October 2024, 10.30 – 16.30pm
The Community Room, West Norwood Picture House and Library, London SE279JU
Find full details here.
This creative, practical masterclass workshop is for storytellers with some experience – it is not a beginners workshop. Storytellers are asked to bring a traditional story they want to work on, develop and explore. Over the weekend, Pomme will take the group through a series of creative approaches and processes she uses to work on a story and make it her own. Pomme has distilled her long practise as a performance storyteller into ’24 Story Seeds’ – elements that range from genre to rhythm, structure to sound, dialogue to character. We will explore some of these potentials, using: writing; telling; improvisation; visualisation; movement; drawing; sound; discussion and sharing. You will break your story open, dig around in it, discover some of its treasures and work on many small parts of it. You will not have finished this work by the end of the weekend, and will not have a complete story when you leave! But you will have some approaches you can apply to the whole story in your own time. Places on the workshop are limited and by application. Full information here.
Persephone – a story walk with secret tour
Sunday 15 September 11.00am – 12.30
West Norwood Cemetery
Join Pomme on a story walk through the cemetery. She will take you on a specially chosen route that ends at the Greek Necropolis. Pomme will tell the ancient Greek myth of Persephone on the walk, stopping every now and then to tell you the next instalment! We will look at the Greek and Roman influence on the graves as we go, from columns to acanthus leaves. Follow Persephone as she travels to the underworld and back. Discover the significance of pomegranates and how the cycle of nature and the seasons depend on Persephone’s journey. At the Greek Necropolis, Kim Hart will take you on a secret tour of the newly refurbished St Stephen’s Chapel. She will let you step inside and look around and marvel at the painted ceiling! The event will last about 90 mins, and during that time we will not sit down, so bring sturdy shoes and waterproof clothing. Tickets free but need to be booked.
The Mighty Goddess – stories, spells, songs
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Saturday October 5 2024 20.00 – 21.00pm
The Boston Tea Party, 45-49 Clarence St, Cheltenham GL50 3JS
The event is free, just turn up! More info.
Sly, subversive, spectacular goddess myths, X-rated and for adults only! Follow the goddess: Creator; Virgin; Lover; Warrior; Mother; Crone as Sally Pomme Clayton entwines myths and memories, spells and songs, comedy and ceremony. Meet: the Mother Goddess who fathered a child; the sisters who rule the worlds above and below; and the fiery virgin who is the Phallic Mother! Enter the pine forest and receive a message from the goddess’s oracle! These feisty, feminist stories expand on Pomme’s latest book ‘The Mighty Goddess – world myths’ illustrated by Sophie Herxheimer (The History Press 2023), the book will be on sale. Join the goddess for electrifying, soulful storytelling.
Tales of Wonder – family fairytales
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Saturday 12, Sunday 13 October 2024
The Story Shack, free sessions just drop in for a short fairytale, sessions between 10am and 2.40pm
The events are free. More info
Harvest of words – a creative writing and walking workshop
Sunday 20 October 11.00am – 12.30
West Norwood Cemetery
A creative writing walk through the autumnal gradual and beauty of West Norwood Cemetery. Pomme will suggest creative prompts to help you notice the surroundings and harvest words as we go – collecting images, histories, impressions, memories, words, fragments of stories. We will explore ideas of harvest, what has grown, and what has been gleaned, gathered in, what shared? Our walk will take us to St Stephens Chapel where we can sit and shelter, develop our writing and share a few words of what we have written if you feel like it. Bring a notebook and pen you like to write with. Wear sturdy shoes and waterproofs incase it rains. Tickets free but need to be booked.
Balkan Fairytale Party – Sally Pomme Clayton and The Magic Violin Trio
Sunday December 8 18.00 – 20.15
West Norwood Cemetery
A Balkan story party, swirled through with enchanting songs, music and sparkling spoken word, taking the audience into a fairytale world! This joyous performance combines live music, storytelling, dancing, mulled wine and mince pies! Two stories will be performed and there will be an interval between for Christmas treats. Songs and stories are drawn from the folk traditions of Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
‘The Cat who played the violin’ is a silly, funny, animal fairytale with a musical cat, a singing rooster and a greedy fox whose hungry daughters need to be fed! Can music save the day? The audience are invited to join in with songs, sounds, gestures, clapping, and a circling dance. ‘The Seven Swans’ was commissioned by The Royal Opera House (2024). It is a magical fairytale where a bold girl sets out to find her brothers who have been turned into swans, break the spell and set them free. The music is drawn from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’, composer and violinist Gundula has turned the melodies into whirling Balkan folk tunes that will set your heart soaring and toes tapping! Come and join the party! Tickets free but need to be booked.
The Three Snake Leaves – Ben Haggarty Hugh Lupton, Sally Pomme Clayton, Sheema Mukherjee.
“A wonderful, intricate performance, based on tales from the Brothers Grimm, about the possibilities of redemption.” The Independent
A father and daughter sit beside a fire in the snow; a bride is bricked up in a tower; marvels gleam in the half-light, and the mysterious snake leaves bring transformation. The dark and unexpected pasts of three dishevelled travellers lost in a forest are untangled in this subtle and beguiling fairytale for grown-ups. Seamlessly interweaving a dozen of Grimm’s lesser-known stories, legendary contemporary storytellers, Ben Haggarty, Hugh Lupton, Sally Pomme Clayton and extraordinary musician Sheema Mukherjee, embark on an enchanted search for truth. A primitive world is conjured, taking the listener on a twisted journey into humorous, moving and cruel stories to find wisdom. Shot through with evocative music and luminous beauty, this is a show about what it is to be a human. “I was spell-bound – I don’t use the word lightly.” The Times
Sat 13 July 2024, 19.30pm
Cranbourne Earth House
Damerham Road, Cranborne, Dorset BH21 5RP
Thurs 14 November 2024, 20.00pm
The Cube Bristol
Dove Street South, Avon, Bristol BS2 8JD
Sat 16 November 2024 19.30pm
Front Room
13 Central Walk, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1FF
Thurs 21 November 2024, 19.30pm
The Story Museum
42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX11BP
Thurs 21 November 2024, 19.30pm
Live Stream
Friday 22 November 2024, 19.45pm
Barnfield Theatre
Barnfield Road, Exeter, Devon EX1
The Three Snake Leaves continues in 2025:
25 January 2025 Kings Place
29 January 2025 Cambridge Junction
SELECTED PAST EVENTS:
The cat who played the violin – Sally Pomme Clayton with The Magic Violin
Sat July 20 2024 11.00am – 11.45am Free performance for families.
This joyous performance tells the story of Ms Puss-Cat, a cat with golden whiskers who plays the violin, Sir Cockadoodle who sings, greedy Mrs Fox and her hungry daughters who need to be fed. When Sir Cockadoodle is about to be cooked, Puss-Cat picks up her fiddle. Can you help her music save the day? In this funny, sweet animal fairytale the audience join in with songs, sounds, gestures, clapping, toe tapping and finally a circling dance. The songs, tunes and story are drawn from the folk traditions of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Gundula Gruen is a virtuosic violinist and director of ‘The Magic Violin’ and has composed and arranged all the music. The audience get to hear and see musical instruments up-close. Come and join the party!
The King with Dirty Feet
Weds 24 July 14.30pm – 15.00pm
West Norwood Library and Picture House1-5 Norwood High Street, London, SE27 9JX
Free 30 minute storytelling performance – suitable for 5 year olds and upwards and their families.
The king has not had a bath for a year and is starting to smell! When the king finally bathes in the river, he can’t get his feet clean. Can you help solve the problem of the king’s dirty feet? Find out about a brilliant invention, the importance of mud, and making things grow! Woven into the story are musical sounds, gestures, lots of joining in, and some teeny tiny shoes! Wear your best pair of shoes to show at the end – Pomme would love to see them! Every shoe tells a story!
The Magician’s Apprentice
Wed 20 Mar 2024 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Our Lady of the Assumption Church Hall, NG9 1AE
With a top hat from a junk shop and mail-order wand, pioneering storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton explores the secret world of the magician. She opens the magician’s suitcase and finds smoke, mirrors, the King of the Jinns and the greatest female magician of all! In this slight-of-hand world, objects talk, girls become doves, the magician goes mad and the audience all get a spell to take home! This intimate, enchanting performance mixes fact with fiction, fragments of myth with antique jokes, dazzling fairytales with snippets of science, forgotten folklore with mysterious images on tarot cards. With a song on her mandolin and a spotted handkerchief, Pomme casts a shimmer of stories, shifting from humour to horror, romance to rumour, come and join her fairytale quest for real magic. Also live streamed. Book tickets here
The Mighty Goddess – stories, spells, songs
Tue, 9 Apr 2024 19:15
Hillcrest Community Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH
Sly, subversive, spectacular, these goddess myths are X rated and for adults only! Follow the goddess: Creator; Virgin; Lover; Warrior; Mother; Crone as Sally Pomme Clayton entwines myths and memories, spells and songs, comedy and ceremony. Meet: the Mother Goddess who fathered a child; the sisters who rule the worlds above and below; the maiden who creates the universe, and the fiery virgin who is the Phallic Mother! Enter the pine forest and receive a message from the goddess’s oracle! These feisty, feminist stories expand on Pomme’s latest book ‘The Mighty Goddess – world myths’ illustrated by Sophie Herxheimer (The History Press 2023), and the book will be on sale. Join the goddess for electrifying, soulful storytelling. Book tickets here.
The Magician’s Apprentice
Friday 24 November, 19.30 – 21.30
Front Room, Weston-Super-Mare, BS23 1FF
I am so thrilled to be taking this show back to its place of origin! This show begins with a true story. I was nine years old and went to Weston-Super-Mare pier and became a magician’s apprentice! The magic went horribly wrong and I have been searching for real magic ever since. Join the fairytale quest for real magic. Tickets £10.00
The Mighty Goddess
Sunday 19 November, 14.30 -16.30
The Crick Crack Club Epic Sundays, The British Museum, Great Russell St, London, WC1B 3DG
Electrifying, soulful storytelling. Follow the goddess from creator to crone. This performance is for ADULTS ONLY – and contains graphic content. Tickets £10.00
The Mighty Goddess
Wednesday 8 November, 19:30 – 21.30
Capstone Theatre, Liverpool Hope University, 17 Shaw St, Liverpool L6 1HP
Sly and subversive, dark and outrageous these myths are for adults only! Tickets £11.50
The Mighty Goddess
Friday October 27 2023, 19.00.pm Grassi Museum, Leipzig, Imagine Festival
Saturday October 28 17.00 Societaetstheater, Dresden, Imagine Festival
Meet the awe-inspiring goddess in electrifying, soulful storytelling. Info and tickets.
Death and the Maiden
Wednesday 11 October, 18.30 – 20.00
St Johns Church, Waterloo Rd, London SE1 8TY
Stories and masterclass – part of Vanessa Woolf and London Dreamtime’s new ‘Space for Storytelling’ project. I will tell stories from the rare gem that is the epic of Dede Korkut, followed by discussion and questions. Let’s explore the rhythms and narrative structures, characters and images of traditional stories together. Info and tickets.
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Monday 9 October 20:30 -21:30
The Hive, Cheltenham
The Mighty Goddess is coming to Cheltenham Literature Festival as part of an event exploring the wisdom in myth and folklore. Tickets £11.00
The Magician’s Apprentice
Thursday 5 October, 19.30 – 21.30
The Story Museum, 42 Pembroke St, Oxford OX1 1BP
Pomme opens the magician’s suitcase and finds smoke, mirrors, the King of the Jinns and the greatest female magician of all!
The Magician’s Apprentice
Talliston House & Gardens, Great Dunmow, Essex Friday 28 July 2023
A secret gig, in a very special place!
The Mighty Goddess with Sally Pomme Clayton and Sophie Herxheimer
Watkins Bookshop
Thursday 13 July 2023, 17.30
Beyond the Border
Friday 7 July – Sunday 9 July 2023 Dinefwr, Carmarthenshire (SA19 6RT)
The Mighty Goddess and The Bog King’s Daughter
The Mighty Goddess – with Sally Pomme Clayton and Sophie Herxheimer
Avant Garden Gig, Brockwell Barn, Brockwell Park
Sunday 2 July 2023 6 – 9 pm
Avant garden spoken word, food and music in the lovely new venue inside Brockwell Park. The event Includes stories, spells poems and papercuts from The Mighty Goddess.
East Anglian Storytelling Festival
Friday 12 – Sunday 14 May 2023, Food Museum, Stowmarket.
The Mighty Goddess for adults and The Bog King’s daughter for families!
All Good Bookshop
Friday 19 May 2023 7.30pm, 35 Turnpike Lane, London N8 0EP
Book launch for The Mighty Goddess with Sophie Herxheimer, stories and spells, poems and papercutting, chat and book signing.
West Norwood Cemetery
Saturday 20 May 2023 part of ChoooseSE27 day
Persephone – a story walk. A story walk through the historic cemetery on a specially chosen route that ends at the Greek Necropolis. Pomme will tell the ancient Greek myth of Persephone on the walk, stopping every now and then to tell you the next instalment! We will look at the Greek and Roman influence on the graves as we go, from columns to acanthus leaves. Follow Persephone as she travels to the underworld and back.
West Horsley Place
One Thousand and One Nights with Olivia Armstrong and Sally Pomme Clayton
Take a tour through this incredible house with two storytellers and hear tales of ghosts, magic and the other world. 20 and 21 April 2023 Performance last an hour repeated at 5pm, 6.30, 8.00pm tickets here.
The White Bear King
Story – Sally Pomme Clayton / Songs – Helen Chadwick
Saturday 17 December 18.30
Exeter Custom House, Exeter, EX2 4AN
Hosted by Literature Works, Quay Words.
Storyteller and writer Sally Pomme Clayton and singer and composer Helen Chadwick weave together words and songs, images and sounds, to conjure the eternal quest for love. They take you on a snowy journey through a dark, Scandinavian fairytale with a polar bear and a princess, and songs drawing on poetry from Rumi to Emily Dickinson. The story is intertwined with Helen’s illuminating songs, that can slow down time, bring images or emotions to life. Tickets
The Magician’s Apprentice
Thursday 20 October 7.00pm – 9.10pm (including an interval)
The Bloomsbury Festival at The Museum of Comedy,
The Undercroft, St Georges Church,
Bloomsbury Way, London, WC1A 2SR
In this perfect tiny theatre, with red velvet curtain explore the secret world of the magician. Tickets
The Magician’s Apprentice
Saturday 30 July 7.45
Omnibus Theatre Clapham
Crow Blood Snow
Friday 22 July 2022, 19.30
Contact marionleeper@gmail.com for tickets and address.
Cambridge
Saturday 23 July 2022, 8pm
Stapleton Farm Barn, Aylsham, Norfolk NR11 6GR
Tickets £10, email hughlupton@gmail.com to book tickets
Black as crow, red as blood, white as snow are colours seared into many fairytales summoning creation, destruction and redemption. This performance takes the audience from: sparkling creation to a bloody battle between the birds and the beasts; hints of Snow White to the terrifying Valkyries; crazed tricks to lust gone wrong; utter destruction to regeneration. This darkly humorous performance weaves poetic language with song, strange musical sounds with a toy crow! Crow was there at the beginning, creates the Universe, warns of dangers, plays the fool, makes love, urges war, flies over the battlefield, brings peace, keeps memories, counts time, waits for doom, is the matter of the land itself. Discover dangerous, devilish, divine Crow. Adults only.
Girls and Goddesses
Saturday 5 March 11am -12.00 & 14.00pm- 15.00pm
Ealing Central Library
103 Ealing Broadway Centre London W5 5JY
Celebrate International Women’s day with storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton. Meet bold and gutsy heroines in stories from different parts of the world.
Tickets for 11am – 12
Tickets for 14pm- 15pm
Flowing Words – Outdoor riverside creative writing workshop.
Sunday 26 September, 11.00am- 12.30pm Wapping
Waterside Gardens, 104-106 Wapping High St, London E1W 2PR
For adults and children aged 12 upwards (children must come with an adult.) With the Thames Festival Trust. A creative writing journey using: observation; walking; the senses; memories; histories; dreams; imagination, to give voice to the River Thames and its stories. The workshop is also about helping you get into a creative flow, which allows thoughts and images to arise, so you can make your own river of words.
Once Upon A Time – How Fairytales Travel
Tuesday 18 May 2021, 11.00 – 12.00, Online
Hosted by Brent Library – Reading Friends
A performance/talk/workshop all rolled into one hour! Discover why fairytales are living literature. Sally Pomme will tell you some stories, introduce you to the idea of the oral tradition and talk about how versions of similar stories can be found across the world, and how, and perhaps why, the human imagination creates and re-creates these ancient stories. The session will end with a small creative wriitng exercises where you can explore your own memories of fairytales and what they might mean to you. Free but booking needed.
TALES FROM THE STATUE – a radio programme I made with producer Arlene Gregorius.
BBC Radio 4 Extra March 9th 2021 2.30pm, 10th March 2.30 pm
You will also be able to listen on BBC Sounds afterwards.
Tales from the Statue was made in 2003 it is about the Hans Christian Anderson statue in New York’s Central Park. For over 40 years there has been storytelling beside this statue, started by US storyteller Diane Wolkstein. The programme interviews several tellers from the US who have performed at the statue, including Laura Simms, and discusses the value of listening and imagining with UK storyteller Ben Haggarty. Diane died suddenly, doing what she loved, collecting stories. You can read more about her here. Diane has left behind a lasting legacy of stories she collected and translated. And the storytelling at the statue continues, and is now being programmed by the inspirational Laura Simms.
The Phoenix of Persia
Edinburgh Book Festival
August 12 10.30 am
Stories of the Simorgh, including the story from Sally Pomme’s latest book ‘The Phoenix of Persia’, and a snippet of The Conference of the Birds. The illustrator Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif will be doing special live drawing during the performance!
Mother Danube
June 7 2019, 19.30
Cutty Sark Theatre, Ground Level, Lower Hold, Greenwich.
Sally Pomme Clayton and musician Emma Clare take a magical journey across Europe evoking the River Danube. A mythical meander along the Danube listening to stories, songs and music celebrating the vibrant, histories, cultures and heritage of the river. With Olivia Armstrong evoking tales of the River Thames and the history of the Cutty Sark itself, this evening celebrates Mother River, Father River.
The Phoenix of Persia – Book Launch with Tiny Owl
May 30 2019. 14.00
The British Library
Celebrate the launch of stunning new picture book The Phoenix of Persia with a spellbinding family storytelling event from author Sally Pomme Clayton. A legend from ancient Persia, the tale of Prince Zal and the Simorgh is a mythical exploration of forgiveness, family and what it means to be truly wise. This magical story is accompanied by an original musical performance, played on traditional Iranian instruments. Children can try out the instruments for themselves and experience their unique sounds. Followed by a book signing.
