Folktale Productions

I tell stories to see the happiness and joy that can be shared through the oral tradition. No fancy electronics, just teller and listener. When I tell stories, I like to use all my physical resources to pull my audience in. Vocal sound effects help to enhance my stories such as the creaking of a chair, or the slamming of a door. Storytelling is such a versatile art form since it gives me the opportunity to combine poetry, humor and theatre into my own special package. Today what I like best about telling is watching the responses on the faces of my audience. Time almost seems suspended when I am performing. It is wonderful to see the rapt attention listeners give to me as I tell a story. The energy level I receive from the audience also helps me to enhance the story even more!

I believe that the whole world is one powerful story made up of many stories by many people for many generations. I have been transformed many times in my life by the power of the written and spoken word. I love being a part of performing the lives of historical characters as well as stories that help transform and inspire the audiences I perform for across the country. Stories help us to laugh when we cannot laugh , cry when we cannot cry, be angry when we can not express our feelings, and gives us the courage to change when we see there is a better way. To tell a story is to immortalize and event,a life, or a myth. This is the medicine of community. This is the medicine of humanity.

As a boy, I loved telling stories to my friends and acting out skits to make them laugh. I loved arts and crafts and making things with my hands. After my mission in Holland and Belgium I discovered puppetry was a wonderful way to combine all the things I enjoyed doing. My wife made me a dragon puppet as a gift and my career was launched! I have over 30 years of professional performing experience. My ventriloquist act of Randel McGee and Groark (the dragon) has taken me all around the USA and Asia sharing live performances with family audiences. Groark and I have two award-winning DVD series on character education for elementary school children. I also have an act portraying the world-famous author Hans Christian Andersen that has taken me to storytelling festivals and cultural events around the globe. I have written 12 books on paper crafts for the holidays for children to share my love for arts and crafts with others.

I believe that students learn through engagement and experience and that positive reinforcement is extremely important. I also believe that humor is highly underrated and that everyone deserves to reach their full potential as a learner. I subscribe to life long learning and to teaching the whole individual."

Stories work: we learn in the form of stories. The human brain is a story-seeking-creating instrument. When we say we cannot make sense of something, we mean that we cannot find the story in it or make up a story about it. We look at life in terms of stories, even when there is no story to be told. That is the way we make sense of life: by making stories. What is important here is that stories are not one way we make sense of the world—they are the only way we make sense of it. — Keiran Egan

I feel alive and connected when I tell stories! This dynamic art form shares ideas, values, customs, lessons and adventures from the world around us. I am humbled by the power of stories to teach, engage and to entertain

I am a culture worker. I do what I do to expose people to the part African-American culture which is storytelling. Through stories audiences reconnect with the personal and cultural pride which is their birthright. Stories also teach us valuable lessons and promote character traits such as respect, responsibility, honesty and self-esteem.

“A story eclipse is what I'm after. When the ordinary world gives way to the light of the imagination. In the outer space of the inner mind, human beings become wise.”

I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is through Imagination that human beings change. I tell stories in order to populate the imagination with myth maps, and legendary memories, folktale wisdom, personal connections, and character’s both lost and brave. These story images expand the repertoire of our imagination, so that in times of decision, in times of crisis, in times of loving – we have a deep well of story experiences to influence our actions.

For me, storytelling is a dance. I like to refer to it as “mind cinema.” An audience is entrained by the storyteller’s words, voice, gesture, emotions. In that safe sharing, each audience member experiences an inner screen. On the screen, characters and places begin to come alive. What a thrill! To be in two places at one time – in the audience with fellow listeners and a gifted teller AND in our own imaginations watching an inner movie of our own making. Storytelling is time travel at its best. To my fellow Dr. Who fans, I would say that Storytelling is very Wibbily Wobbly Timey Wimey.

And fun.

Did I mention it’s very very fun?

In 2005, I started working at the Saint Louis ZOO as an educator, interpreter & storyteller. It was there that I met Professional Storyteller, Diane Moran. We quickly forged a rapport and she suggested that I branch out on my own and pursue storytelling. I had done theater for several years and was comfortable speaking in front of a crowd and ever since I was very young, I had always been interested in history. Storytelling combines the best of both worlds for me & I have always admired actors in costume. I wear a costume for every one of my historical performances because it allows me to transport the audience to the time and place of the story before you ever say a word. The moment you walk out on stage, the audience is curious about the clothes you are wearing and are interested in the story behind it. Historical storytelling allows me the platform to pass along this rich history in an unconventional way that I hope will leave a mark.