DREAMS OF A STORYTELLER INSPIRE PRODUCTION AT TECH

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 8, 1993                   TAG: 9304080184
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium
DREAMS OF A STORYTELLER INSPIRE PRODUCTION AT TECH
Once upon a time, the storyteller was more than a Scout leader passing time by the campfire or a weary-eyed parent trying to get a child to sleep.
Once upon a time, long before Hollywood was the breeding ground of popular entertainment, the often-nomadic storyteller entertained all who would listen with the folktales that had been told and retold for generations.
Once upon a time, storytelling became a lost art.
But at Virginia Tech, the art is being rediscovered as professors Barbara Carlisle and Ann Kilkelly bring their love of storytelling and folktales to the stage.
"Such Stuff - A Dream Rummage" opens tonight in the Squires Student Center Studio Theater at Tech.
The play, which celebrates centuries of storytelling from around the world, gives the audience the feel of sitting by the campfire listening to master storytellers practice their craft as the performers act out the folktales.
"It's a wonderful show for people to enjoy together - especially families," said the play's marketing director, Melissa Bartling.
Bartling said that even though the play is a theatrical interpretation of many children's tales, its unique mix of song, dance, humor and drama will entertain people of all ages.
"Some kids' shows are boring to adults, but this one is absolutely not," she said.
As the name implies, the play is about a rummage sale of dreams - dreams which are brought to life through performers who sing, dance and narrate their way through a dozen familiar folktales from around the world.
The setting, which has the charm of a neighborhood antique store, is like an attic of memories. Everything from old dresses and dolls to dilapidated furniture and rustic pictures and signs litter the paint-stained wooden platforms on the set.
Even the performers seem dream-like, outfitted in their bohemian-like T-shirts and overalls, as they act out the scenes of the folktales.
Carlisle, a theater arts professor who compiled the folktales for the play, said the significance of the play comes from the stories themselves - which are as important today as they were when they were first told centuries ago.
"This is what makes our culture," she said. "There are certain qualities these stories have that are universal."
Although Carlisle adapted the folktales to the stage and Kilkelly coordinated the dance routines, both professors worked with all aspects of the performance.
"We both did a little bit of everything," Carlisle said. "It was a very even collaboration."
The 25-member cast also helped in the creation of the play, Carlisle said. She said the play began without a script and was developed over time by all members of the production.
Kilkelly, who is a theater arts professor as well as coordinator of Tech's women's studies program, said the collection of folktales in the play was designed to touch the memories of the audience.
"We live in a world where people lose touch with their past," she said. "This play gets really deep into your memory and brings back the past."
Kilkelly said she and Carlisle had a simple purpose in mind when they developed the play.
"We wanted people to feel really good when they left the theater, not just entertained," she said.
The performance runs tonight through Friday and April 14-17 at 8 p.m., with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. Selected performances will be signed for the hearing impaired. For tickets and other information, call the Squires ticket office at 231-5615.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB