Scandalmongers at Tom Thumb Theatre

Friday, November 8th …

It is said that we are all born accompanied by 7 lies and 7 locusts… The King of Syria – obsessed with deception – has prepared a lying contest in his court, and year after year he cuts off the head of anyone who fails to tell him a new lie. With the piles of severed heads growing, performer Clare Murphy enters the fray to do and undo this cruel power play.

Traditional stories from Syria wrapped in a contemporary telling style. Devised from Rafik Schami’s, ‘Damascus Nights’ and inspired by recent events in Syria.

www.claremurphy.org

Originally from Dublin, Clare Muireann Murphy has been a full time spoken word artist/storyteller since 2006.

Clare has played many stages around the world including the Globe, Barbican and Soho Theatres London, the Esplanade Theatre Singapore, and Dramatikken Hus, Oslo.

The King of Lies premiered at the Soho Theatre in London November 2012. It has since played in Canada, the USA and Ireland.

Friday, December 13th …

Internationally acclaimed singer and storyteller, Nick Hennessey leads us on a journey from our own shores to the snow-filled forest of the far north.

With all the magic of the northern lights and the drama of the tundra, these evocative tales will bring warmth to a cold winter’s night.

Expect a remarkable performance of elemental epic.

‘spell binding’ The South Bank, London

‘Compelling’ The Times

www.nickhennessey.co.uk

NICK HENNESSEY. A singer, songwriter and performance storyteller, Nick is a dynamic and passionate performer whose love for the traditional culture of northern Europe forges together the note, the song and the spoken word into a unique, engaging style.

An international performer, he has worked extensively at folk, storytelling and literature festivals across the UK and toured to Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Canada and Japan. In 2000 Nick won the Finnish World Championship in epic singing, performing the Kalevala in English for Finnish audiences.

In 2009 he presented a program on BBC Radio 4 on the relationship Between Kalevala and Finnish national identity. A distinctive singer and harpist, Nick has published three solo albums, the most recent of which, ‘A Rare Hunger’ released on Harbourtown Records, received critical acclaim on BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction.