ZORA FOLK TALES
Based on the Zora Folk Tales by Zora Neale Hurston
Adapted and Directed by Elise Thoron
Revisions by Elise Connolly and Lisa Beth Vettoso
Performed by Cheryl Howard
What makes a good story—and why do we tell them? Literature to Life is pleased to bring back its Living Library title, Zora Folk Tales. Elementary students will learn the art of storytelling from celebrated author and anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston. In this interactive theater performance Zora brings her folk tales to life and asks students to add to her story collection by creating tales of their own.
The Story
In the 1930’s, Zora Neale Hurston returns to her “native village” of Eatonville, Florida to record the oral histories, sermons, and songs, dating back to the time of slavery. In her quest, she finds herself and her history throughout these highly metaphorical folk-tales, “big old lies,” and in the lyrical language of song. Through her folktales Hurston helps to reveal a beautiful and important part of American culture.
In Performance
The performance follows several of the folk tales featured in Zora’s various compilations, and allows the students to choose what happens next in the action. Through lively audience participation, humor, and classic folk tales, students discover how stories help us understand ourselves, our communities, and the wider world. Blending performance and interactive learning, Zora Folk Tales celebrates the power of storytelling and encourages every student to recognize the storyteller within themselves.
QUOTES
“Folklore is the boiled-down juice, or pot-likker, of human living.”
“This suitcase is filled with some mighty powerful things. Stories.”
“Every single tongue in this room got a story to tell.”