Sharon Jacksties tells stories to audiences of adults, young people and families.
Her dynamic and versatile performances draw on stories from all over the world.
Interpreting the wisdom of traditional material for contemporary audiences, her repertoire includes tales that have rarely been heard in this country.
Tel: 01458 259553 Mob: 07881486833
Contact
Current Work
This year has seen an increase in my work in Romania - training and performing in new places with different organisations.
A big thank you to the newly formed Romanian Dramatherapy Organisation for inviting me to teach storytelling and how to use it in educational and therapeutic settings.
Another big thank you to the National Museum, Bucharest, for hosting my new show 'Touching the Light'. This was a first for the museum, and an honour for me. My invitation to the 'Once Upon a Time' storytelling festival sees a delighted return next month to give a conference address, lead workshops and perform a new piece curated specially for them. This year's theme is engaging young people through story. As environmental concerns are frequently mentioned by children and young adults, my material will focus on stories that explore our relationship with the natural world.
The Arts Council funded me to commission the Sovereign Nature giant , pictured here. Although an ideal ambassador for this work, at 4 meters tall, she will not fit in my luggage!
So proud to be commissioned to participate
in Wimborne Town of Culture events this year. Congratulations to Wimborne for being selected to represent fearless Dorset.
Spoken World, my community storytelling company, will join forces with the town's Green Week Festival and visit schools with our Sovereign Nature giant who is accompanied by storytelling sessions about the natural world
Current Projects
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Looking forward to performing my recent show of world-wide stories speaking of hope and resilience. Collected from my most recent book, ‘A History of the World in 100 Tales’, their world wide wisdom invites you on this ‘…magical, captivating and atmospheric journey…’
This piece has been developed as a companion to my critically acclaimed piece, 'Talking to the Dark' which recently toured Romania and is taking bookings for 2027.
Recent Work
A History of the World in 100 Tales was published with launches at Yeovil and Taunton literature festivals and was recently used as one of my texts with my Romanian students - performance storytellers in their own right
and/or working in educational and health care settings.
I'm so grateful to Alida Gersie Phd for writing its foreword: '... The 100 tales are myths, epics, legends and folk tales. Wonderfully retold. Some have for the first time made the transition from an oral to a printed tale. ..In these pages they clamber for attention and inspire a longing to get to know them more intimately. Then to tell them so they can continue their stimulating journey in our cultural universe...the tales in this book will elicit multiple uses - at home, in workshops, in schools or university and on stage.
It is a big hearted gift to the the story of life...'
On a different note, for the darkening days and longer
nights, 'Talking to the Dark' toured in Romania before
its UK debut at The Front Room in Weston-super Mare.
An adults only piece, it explores how traditional stories
enable us to look at the darkest sides of human nature
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Sometimes the Other World is uncomfortably close to our own. Who then, will dare to tell its stories?
Sovereign Nature
Sovereign Nature is a multi-layered venture with a nature giant at its heart.
Her processional appearances attract new audiences for storytelling, when stories about the natural world are told.
She raises awareness of ecological issues by celebrating local wildlife, showing both endangered species and those that have been re-introduced.
Sovereign Nature is the hub for all kinds of creative activities with community groups, many having contributed to her garments through textile crafting activities during which stories about Somerset's landscapes and animals have been shared.
Sovereign Nature has accepted invitations from Country Parks, Somerset Youth Theatre, Taunton Youth Culture and Arts Festival, Secret World, Seed Sedgemoor.
Her guardians continue to seek further funding to develop her work with a particular interest in strengthening links with the ecology and youth sectors.
If you would like to know more about this project, you can watch the documentary,
'Sovereign Nature, journeys with a giant ' using this link https://youtu.be/f_sy2qWXed0
Another Arts Council funded project, in partnership with Somerset Libraries, was 'Pop Up Tales' during which I told stories throughout Somerset, including venues where no storyteller had been before.
Last autumn saw a return to Romania where I was on tour, teaching professionals about storytelling in applied contexts. This involved working with teachers, clinicians and other health practitioners introducing them to therapeutic storytelling and teaching storytellers about how to develop their practices with groups that have particular needs.
Former Projects
Artistic Director of 'Spoken World' community storytelling company, we were funded for our third project with elderly residents in care and nursing homes. A sequel to sister projects, 'Story Share' and 'A Sense of Place', we were at last able to return to residential settings after lockdowns. Whilst focusing on isolated residents we also saw our work as supporting care workers and nurturing their relationship with residents after the unprecedented conditions brought about by the pandemic.
Spoken World has also developed its work with complementary art forms to create new audiences for storytelling. Here is 'The Litter Twitter Trio,' giant animated puppets that promenade their eco-comedic interactive performances at festivals to raise awareness about plastic in our waterways and oceans. Following their sorties, the trio attracts audiences to Nature's Tales, the traditional storytelling sessions that explore our relationship with the natural world .
Another Romanian project involves supporting a group of applied storytellers. This group of psychologists, therapists and educators uses storytelling in health and educational settings and with people with special needs.
A further applied storytelling project completes its four year journey in Spring with the publication of
'The International Handbook of Therapeutic Stories and Storytelling'
2022 saw the publication of my latest anthology 'Myths of Gods and Goddesses in Britain and Ireland'. It was a very different journey from my 3 folk tale collections, also published with The History Press
Despite its book launches being curtailed by the pandemic, 'Animal Folk Tales' was so successful that I wasasked to record its audiobook version.
Promoting and extending its readership!
I continued to focus on Romanian projects, teaching and mentoring applied storytellers using stories in health, social and educational settings. Congratulations to 'My Name Is Courage' for getting government funding for working with children and their stories of resilience during the pandemic. Many thanks for inviting me to start the project off with a Zoom storytelling session for schoolchildren which happened appropriately on St. Nicholas Day. This took the sad edge off my no longer being FEST (Federation of European storytelling organisations) ambassador for the UK. The termination of this new post came as a direct result of the lack of negotiations by the UK for a cultural agreement with the European Community.
My Name Is Courage
The applied storytelling handbook below is an invaluable resource. Invited to co-edit, I contributed an anthology of stories I have used in a therapeutic context and a chapter about my former practice with torture survivors .
Taking bookings for my full length shows for adults :
