the twisting field

The TWISTING FIELD
EPIC STORYTELLING THROUGH WORDS AND MUSIC

The Twisting Field is an exceptional story, full
of heroes and villains, magic, mystery and fate.
A nineteenth century folktale based on the Irish
mythological cycle, it tells of the time before
the great hero, Lugh Lamfhota, was born.
Four of the UK’s finest professional storytellers
weave the telling of the tale in between nine
original songs. Enjoy an epic night of
storytelling and music, one which will linger
in your imagination long after you’ve heard it.
“Within minutes I was catapulted into
a different world and was captivated.”
“The way the music tells a story, or
continues the story and complements
the oral parts is very beautiful.”
“I especially enjoyed the combination
of four talents and variety within a
single theme. Very gripping!”
Suitable for age 16+

It features four of the UK’s most accomplished storytellers, Shonaleigh, Nick Hennessey, Amy Douglas and Simon Heywood. The story is expertly woven around nine original songs, with music on harp and guitar, sung by the storytellers as solos, duos and quartets. The music draws on folk traditions, the storytelling is dynamic contemporary performance.

Shonaleigh ‘a great interpretative artist of her own culture’ (Derek Reid, Jewish Folklorist) a powerful female storyteller, a Drut’syla from the Jewish tradition who works nationally and internationally. She brings deep knowledge of storytelling traditions to her work as well as an immediately engaging style, comic flair, quick wit, and a rich imagination.

Amy Douglas ‘a brilliant young traditional storyteller’ (Duncan Williamson, Traditional Storyteller Scotland) is rooted in British storytelling traditions, particularly Shropshire stories, and has a warm, open approach.

Nick Hennessey ‘a fine voice, pure and unforced’ (The Times) is an engaging storyteller, as well as an acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician. He is particularly interested in the weaving together of song and story and is the only international entrant ever to win the national singing championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Simon Heywood is ‘a gifted wordsmith who beautifully transposes story to song, combining a healthy sense of humour with a respect for mythology (Ben Haggarty, Storyteller). He is a lecturer in Storytelling and Folklore at the University of Derby and the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition at Sheffield University. He is the originator of The Twisting Field and has composed all the songs and written the lyrics for it.

These artists are being supported by producer Naomi Wilds (Adverse Camber) through an Arts Council funded development process prior to a national tour. They are working with a creative team, exploring new ways to present storytelling in arts venues.