Cat Weatherill – Storyteller & Author

From Saudi to India…

Cat — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:26:42 +0000

What a whirlwind adventure the second half of 2011 turned into! Four foreign trips and wonderful work at home here in the UK too.

The first foreign trip was to Saudi Arabia – the first International Children’s Cultural Fair in Riyadh.

Bedtime Stories @ 40 Winks Hotel ‘Tales from the Deep’

Cat — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:07:08 +0000

After a little break over the Summer, our fantastical and fabled Bedtime Story Nights are resuming this month with a magical night of nautical naughtiness cleverly concocted by two of our most popular performers, Katrice Horsley and Cat Weatherill. Mermaids, selkies, sailors and sirens will all be brought dramatically to life in ‘Tales of The Deep’ on Thursday the 29th of September. Guests are invited to pack their finest nightw…ear and book their passage before we cast off and set sail for the make believe world that lies beyond the lofty portals of 40 Winks. For one night only!!

Our whimsical and intoxicating evenings always end with some music. Our chanteurs and chanteuses over the coming months include Tricity Vogue, Oli Deakin, Christina Coronel, Mee and Anne Low. All fabulous, all beautiful and all extraordinarily talented.

General Wisdom
Times: We open our doors at 7.00pm, and start the performances at 8.15pm. We aim to return guests to reality by 10.45pm.

Tickets: Still a very modest £25 per head, including unusually nice cocktails provided by our kind and generous benefactors, Hendrick’s Gin, and some nutritious nibbles.

Where: 40 Winks, 109 Mile End Road, London E1 4UJ

Nearest tube: Stepney Green (a three minute stroll in slippers)

Dressiquette: A dress code of jimjams and nighties is strictly enforced by our highly trained pyjama police, but with Benefit Cosmetics sponsoring our ‘Most Glamorous Nightie Award’ (the prize is worth a staggering £300), it is well worth making an effort to impress and seduce. We are also very excited to announce the launch of the ‘Daintiest Toes Award’, sponsored by our lovely friends at LK Bennett. The prize in September will be a very stylish handbag worth £345! We suggest guests bring along something to cuddle up to, such as a friend, lover or teddy bear.

Background: ‘Bedtime Story Nights’ were created by the marvellous Mr Carter and have been running at 40 Winks since June 2009. They are a much loved institution, bursting with good humour, irreverent intelligence, charm and glamour, and will leave guests squealing with delight for months to come.

For further information on Bedtime Stories, 40 Winks or indeed Mr Carter, please email us at info@40winks.org.

Cat for Adults

Cat — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:18:11 +0000

Fiery Female

Cat Weatherill is an extraordinary storyteller. Strong and sexy, playful and passionate, her performances excite on the night and linger long in the memory. With her fiery female energy and theatrical style, Cat gives a gloriously feminine voice to an ancient art.

Cat is currently offering five full length shows, four for adult audiences and one for families. The running time is generally 2 x 50 minutes plus an interval. All the shows contain live music. Cat can provide lighting. Most shows are performed acoustically. A PA is provided when necessary for Pebbles & Pennies.

Storytelling is VERY flexible! Most of these shows can be reduced to a one-hour version for festivals. Cat also has a range of tales suitable for all types of event, both public and private. And although she is an A-list teller, her fees are often affordable for weddings etc so please ask!

How to be Glorious

Cat — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:12:53 +0000

‘The second time it happened, she wondered if she was becoming invisible…’

HOW TO BE GLORIOUS is an inspirational feelgood show about making things happen in your life, finding a second chance at happines in middle age and seeing a way out of the shadows into the sunshine.

Cat tells the story of Faye, a restless 44 year old housewife who finds a trapdoor in her house with a secret staircase beneath. She escapes suburbia into a world of fantasy lovers, dark forests, moonlit lakes and glowing lanterns. Her desire? To be glorious. And for a feisty heroine in supermarket knickers, that’s quite an adventure…

HOW TO BE GLORIOUS is something different – a compelling, deeply personal show that touches hearts and moves minds. Funny, sexy, joyous, fiery, uplifting, but rooted in the reality of midlife, this is truly entertainment for grown ups.

‘I am 44 and am in need of a trapdoor! Thank you for making me feel glorious!’

‘Absolutely fabulous – love it.’

‘Thank you for taking me on my own adventure!’

‘A fab story and a glorious evening’

‘A wonderful show! Happy to have come. Such a presence! It was a marvelous tale told in a delicious way: it reminds people how it is beautiful to become yourself by your own and with love.’

‘What a splendid title! And an insightful reflection. Thank you for your contribution to empowering women to feel special and valued. The father-daughter importance was poignant. How hard for those who never knew that… How do they manage to pick up the pieces? And you do look glorious!’

‘What a wonderful evening’s entertainment! Wow! What can I say? All sorts of truths, feelings stirred up. Beautifully spoken and absolutely fascinating.’

‘Merci pour ce conte de Fay! Formidable.’

‘Heartfelt. Incredibly well observed and experienced. Thank you for saying exactly how it feels. Cat – you have great passion. Your delivery is empowering and leaves your fortunate audience feeling ‘normal’ but ‘gloriously’ so.’

Saudi Arabia – October 2011

Cat — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:47:50 +0000

I have been invited to perform in Saudi Arabia! I will be working for the British Council in Riyadh, telling stories at the inaugral International Children’s Fair. HUGE crowds are expected.

It’s going to be quite an experience…

Kiss and Tell

Cat — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:47:51 +0000

Announcing a second UK mini-tour for this show in Spring 2012

KISS & TELL

with CAT WEATHERILL and KASPER SØRENSEN

A fun and flirty show featuring two of Europe’s leading performance storytellers.

Storytelling doesn’t have to be about kings and queens and Once Upon A Time! Cat and Kasper take to the stage for an evening of stand up storytelling, with contemporary tales and a playful approach. Expect mischief, humour, enchantment and glorious singing as Kasper’s assured masculine energy meets Cat’s seductive feminine charm.

This is a rare opportunity to see Denmark’s premier storyteller KASPER SØRENSEN, visiting the UK from his base in Copenhagen. Kasper has a contemporary, improvisatory style and has led the Danish team to victory in the Nordic Story Slam Championships.

This show is intended for adult audiences (16+)

Reviews from the tour Spring 2011:

‘Stunning, fantastic, superb, scintillating – an amazing night out. Cat & Kasper were just wonderful in every way. We need more and more of this kind of entertainment!’

‘Amazing! I was enthralled, captivated and carried away. I feel alive again – my spark is back!’

‘Worth missing the England-Wales rugby match for!’

TOUR DATES AND VENUES

Thursday 23 February – Mareham Le Fen Village Hall, Lincs

Friday 24 February – Burton Overy Village Hall, Leics

Saturday 25 February – Colston Bassett Village Hall, Notts

Fabelhaft Festival, Austria June 2011

Cat — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:27:30 +0000

The wonderful US clown Hilary Chaplain and me, after the show in St Polten

The Fabelhaft! festival in southern Austria has always been one of my favourite festivals, and this year was the best yet. Wonderful company, amazing scenery, great shows – and this year I had the added challenge of telling IN GERMAN! Not completely in German – the stories were bi-lingual, English and German, but it was still an extraordinary challenge for me because I don’t actually speak German.

But I did it – and did it well, by all accounts. People were very complimentary while I was there, so I came home feeling very proud of myself. And I’ve just received an email from an Austrian storytelling friend:

‘Congratulations! Friends and colleagues of mine heard you tell in English and German and were full of admiration: “It was a great performance! And she spoke a beautiful German without any accent!” ‘

There was only one thing that puzzled me… I kept telling a story about a demon – an enormous rat, bigger than a cow, with ‘einem langen rosanen Schwanz’ – a long pink tail. I couldn’t understand why the teens were sniggering. Then I discovered that ‘Schwanz’ is slang for penis…

Hay Festival Story Bazaar June 2011

Cat — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 15:52:02 +0000

Well, what a great time we had at Hay 2011!

It’s always a tremendous festival to be a part of. It’s so buzzy and inspirational, especially backstage. Highlights for me included watching my friend Debs Newbold tell King Lear to 200 rapt teenagers from the main stage, and meeting Camilla Parker Bowles in the portaloos!! (She was lovely. Surprisingly tiny but very gracious)

And then there was the storytelling in The Moot – four days, three storytellers, twelve shows. And I am thrilled to say it was a HUGE success. The family sessions were packed out every day, despite the sweltering heat, and imaginations were fired with tales of pirates, tigers, dragon-flying princesses, wooden women and pumpkin-headed giants.

For the adults, there were some extraordinary tales. Joshua Muraya, visiting from Nairobi, told harrowing true life tales dating from the Mau Mau rebellion in 1950s Kenya. I don’t think I will ever forget the story of the Kenyan driver who dared to visit a Whites Only toilet, setting off a desperate chain of events that ended with him spending 14 years in jail, frequently being tortured.

Kasper Sorensen, visiting from Denmark, effortlessly evoked 19th century Copenhagen in his wonderful ‘Great Fire of Copenhagen’ show. This was cinematic storytelling at its very best.

And I went Italian, with two sessions featuring full-blooded folk tales from the collection by Italo Calvino. Adultery, toy boy lovers, murder and mermaids – a heady combination!

Thank you to everyone who made it so unforgettable. Let’s do it again next year!

Story Bazaar at the Hay Festival 2011

Cat — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:31:48 +0000

THE STORYTELLING BAZAAR IN THE MOOT

Kasper Sorensen (Denmark) Joshua Muraya (Kenya) and ME!

31 May – 3 June @ The Telegraph Hay Festival, Hay on Wye UK

www.hayfestival.com

Gearing up for what promises to be a FANTASTIC Hay Festival for me.

In celebration of the Storymoja Hay Festival in Nairobi, I have brought together four days of international storytelling for children and adults in a Hay Bazaar of tall tales and wonders. Entry is free. All donations will contribute to funding the Festivals’ of Literature Charitable Trust’s education work in Africa.

All shows are in The Moot – our very own story venue!! It’s the middle one of three pavilions situated in the garden square in front of Pemberton’s Bookshop. Please come and find us!!

There will be twelve events over the four days: six for adults and three for families. For event listings see my Diary page here.

Nordic adventures

Cat — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:42:23 +0000

I’ve been having a wonderful time over in Copenhagen and I’m back there again next week. Lucky Cat!

First it’s off to Stockholm on 5th to do a show for Fabula, then I’m back at the Best Tellers Scene in Copenhagen on the 7th for a show with Andre Andersen

http://www.besttellers.dk/scenen/event/besttellers-pr-senterer-andr-andersen-ibrahima-sory-diallo-og-cat-weatherill

See you there!