MARA
aboutDominic Kelly
Dominic is a performance storyteller whose powerful and entertaining style has captivated audiences in theatres, festivals and schools across fifteen countries on three continents.
He tours performance pieces for adults and children, directs storytelling performances for major venues, and trains actors and other professionals in storytelling techniques.
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"The hardest thing of allis to see what is really there"
Funny, unsettling and moving, this solo storytelling performance isa whodunnita dive into the dreamscape of Swedish folklorea delve into our oldest forestsa journey through our relationship with sleep, and what it might mean to be really awake
2 x 45 min. For adults and children 13+
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"Compelling, funny and heartbreaking"
The Times
"Wickedly wonderful!" Scandalnight, Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate
Harbouring deviously disguised global trickster tales and real-life story, Dominic embarks on an audacious tale of trickery and deceit; a tale where truth and hearsay, history, folktale and myth flicker like shadows in sunshine.
60 minutes. Adults and children age 12+.
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Ulster Connaught
In these places live two best friends: Ireland’s most fearless and feared young warriors. But Ulster and Connaught don’t like each other; they don’t like each other other at all.
And huge forces are working to bring the two friends’ worlds crashing against each other…
The Hero Light retells the extraordinary tales of the Ulster Cycle – the ‘Irish Iliad’.
Centered on legendary hero Cú Chulainn, the Hound, it weaves together stories of loyalty, love and betrayal that are still startlingly relevant today.
Dominic Kelly balances irreverent humour & beautiful imagery with a powerful rendition of a deeply affecting tale. The Hero Light brings an ancient epic to crackling contemporary life.
“It was a fantastic night. The storytelling was remarkable. It shouldn’t be possible to conjure up such a rich, colourful and vibrant world in a plain, darkened room but he succeeded spectacularly.” The Storey, Lancaster,
“Dominic's Ulster Cycle went down a storm at our club. It was all that an epic should be, sprinkled with wit, percussion and poetic drama." Flying Donkeys, Derby
“People are still talking about it here! So many memorable images, and such amazing artistry – the huge range of ways, physical and vocal, you used to give variety and difference to the piece, the different tempos and storytelling styles…”. Cambridge Storytellers
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”The story was really gripping & the music was amazing.” Audience feedback, Soho Theatre
Come for a wild journey into the bewildering world of The Other People. A traveller finds help in the mist, a drinker discovers a magic purse and a mother worries her child is wasting away. But they're all in for surprises, for nothing is as it seems...
50/35 minutes. Adults & children 9+
A boy stands on a lakeshore. Behind him is all he’s ever known. Ahead: a chance for love but a rather higher chance of death.
He’s had a happy life, and a sheltered one. But his father gambled away that life, the debt cannot be paid in money and it won’t be his father who pays. Childhood is over…
Dominic Kelly, Bridget Marsden & Leif Ottosson combine storytelling and music into a playful and gripping performance. They bring to life an ancient full-bloodied fairy tale for modern audiences, weaving versions from Norway, Scotland, Ireland and India with contemporary Scandinavian folk music. Through it they explore the consequences for the young when older generations fail to make adult decisions.
The full version of the show is an evening of 90 minutes with an interval.
Dominic can also provide a solo version of the show that is 60 minutes.
“The success of this event was due to the supreme talent of the trio on stage. Dominic Kelly is a storyteller with a sublime delivery and that rare ability to captivate an audience and leave them hanging on his every word. ” La Vida magazine
“An excellent show, with gripping and powerful storytelling beautifully laced with humour... brilliant fusion of words and music. Your playfulness is delightful alongside such professional excellence". Bridport Story Cafe, Bridport
“The best storytelling and music show I have seen for ages… you were superb” Sharon Jacksties
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Remaining dates:
Georgian Theatre Royal, N. Yorkshire
Link to eventFabula @ Bio Aspen, Stockholm
Link to eventGreat Harwood Library, Lancashire
Link to eventCherry Tree Library, Blackburn
Link to eventFront Room, Weston-super-Mare
Link to eventYorkshire Festival of Story, Settle & online
Link to event
“As he began bringing to vivid life the landscapes, characters and events, all murmurs in the crowd of students died away, and one could feel their minds being drawn in…” Review of performance for teenage students, Sundsvall Tidning
“Fantastic… the children were spellbound” Yealand School, Lancashire
Dominic provides age-appropriate storytelling sessions for all years from 4 to 18+ choosing stories from his repertoire in the moment, or on a pre-arranged theme such as Greek or Nordic mythology
For secondary schools and sixth forms, Dominic’s shows ‘Trickster’ and ‘The Devil’s Purse’, are ideal for ages 14+ and 11+ respectively. See Performances page for details.
Performances can stand alone or be accompanied by workshops in storytelling for pupils/students
Workshops and projects“I was so impressed by the way he encouraged the pupils to lead and develop the topic, got them talking in pairs and groups, shared a passion for language and ideas with them and generally entranced and engaged them with the idea of communication and speaking” Programme Manager,Curious Minds
Dominic makes the storytelling process highly accessible for young people through engaging interactive activities. He empowers them to tell stories in their own unique way, giving them invaluable skills for communicating with ease and confidence.
Dominic is a performance storyteller with an international reputation for dynamic, powerful and entertaining work.
Venues include The Barbican, National Theatre, Soho Theatre, Teater Pero, The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, The British Museum and festivals around the world from India to the Arctic Circle.
He has directed storytelling programmes for festivals including Litfest, Larmer Tree Festival and Solfest. He is a member of groundbreaking performance storytelling company Pandvani108, peer development group Talking Skull Collective, and Fabula Storytelling in Stockholm.
Dominic has also helped thousands of young people find their voice as storytellers, and has trained hundreds of professionals in education and heritage on using storytelling in their work. He is based in Lancaster, UK and Stockholm, Sweden.
“Breathless and Enthralling” The Hindu
“Stunning” Herald & Post
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A boy stands on a lakeshore. Behind him is all he’s ever known. Ahead: a chance for love but a rather higher chance of death.
He’s had a happy life, and a sheltered one. But his father gambled away that life, the debt cannot be paid in money and it won’t be his father who pays. Childhood is over…
Dominic Kelly, Bridget Marsden & Leif Ottosson combine storytelling and music into a playful and gripping performance. They bring to life an ancient full-bloodied fairy tale for modern audiences, weaving versions from Norway, Scotland, Ireland and India with contemporary Scandinavian folk music. Through it they explore the consequences for the young when older generations fail to make adult decisions.
The full version of the show is an evening of 90 minutes with an interval.
Dominic can also provide a solo version of the show that is 60 minutes.
“The success of this event was due to the supreme talent of the trio on stage. Dominic Kelly is a storyteller with a sublime delivery and that rare ability to captivate an audience and leave them hanging on his every word.” La Vida magazine
“An excellent show, with gripping and powerful storytelling beautifully laced with humour... brilliant fusion of words and music. Your playfulness is delightful alongside such professional excellence". Bridport Story Cafe, Bridport
“The best storytelling and music show I have seen for ages… you were superb” Sharon Jacksties
“As he began bringing to vivid life the landscapes, characters and events, all murmurs in the crowd of students died away, and one could feel their minds being drawn in…” Review of performance for teenage students, Sundsvall Tidning
“Fantastic… the children were spellbound” Yealand School, Lancashire
Dominic provides age-appropriate storytelling sessions for all years from 4 to 18+ choosing stories from his repertoire in the moment, or on a pre-arranged theme such as Greek or Nordic mythology
For secondary schools and sixth forms, Dominic’s shows ‘Trickster’ and ‘The Devil’s Purse’, are ideal for ages 14+ and 11+ respectively. See Performances page for details.
Performances can stand alone or be accompanied by workshops in storytelling for pupils/students
“I was so impressed by the way he encouraged the pupils to lead and develop the topic, got them talking in pairs and groups, shared a passion for language and ideas with them and generally entranced and engaged them with the idea of communication and speaking” Programme Manager, Curious Minds
Dominic makes the storytelling process highly accessible for young people through engaging interactive activities. He empowers them to tell stories in their own unique way, giving them invaluable skills for communicating with ease and confidence.
A spellbinding performance of storytelling and music
Dominic Kelly - storyteller
Bridget Marsden - violin
Leif Ottosson - accordion
Is anything truly how we see it? How can we be sure? The Other People are waiting in the shadows, beneath your feet and even in the cracks in the walls: they’re waiting to show you just how hard it is to tell. On summer nights their world is a breath away, and on long winter evenings they have far too much time on their hands... Come spend sometime in the company of Themselves, The Gentry Below, the Fairies - and a labyrinth of stories.
Dominic, Bridget and Leif fuse storytelling performance and music in a wild journey into the cinema of the imagination. A lost traveller finds help in the mountain mists, a farmer finds the perfect wife, a drinker discovers a magic purse of money and an anxious mother worries that her child is turning into skin and bone. But they’re all in for surprises: in the midsummer dusk, nothing is as it seems…
In this performance Dominic works seamlessly with Bridget Marsden and Leif Ottosson, two rising young stars of the Swedish folk scene. Moving adeptly between improvisation, new compositions and traditional tunes, their interpretations of Nordic music with a filmic soundscape feel has created great interest amongst both the folk scene and new audiences.
The piece can be performed both as a full evening of two halves and as a one-hour show for schools. Suitable for adults and children aged 9+
