Singapore International Storytelling Festival 2008 Official Opening in Six Days!
Singapore, 22 August 2008 –The Singapore International Story Telling Festival (SISF) is back and the Official Opening* will be held outdoors at the front lawn of The Arts House on Thursday 28 August, 6.30pm, with Minister Lim Swee Say from the Prime Minister’s Office gracing the evening. (*by invitation only)
From 25 August to 9 September, the two-week story telling festival will focus on the role and application of storytelling in various disciplines such as education, management, social and personal development. Co-organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and The Arts House, the wide range of workshops and seminars are targeted at parents, educators, librarians, social workers, performing artists, writers, managers and even corporations who are attracted to pick up useful storytelling tools.
A new addition to this year’s Festival is the inaugural Asian Digital Storytelling Congress which will take place at the NationalLibraryBuilding and Toa Payoh Community Library from 2 to 7 September. The theme for the Digital Congress is “Beyond Words” and it focuses at combining traditional storytelling techniques with multimedia tools. Increasingly being used in corporations and institutions, digital storytelling can engage and further develop skills in research, writing, technology, communication and problem-solving.
Other key highlights of SISF 2008 include the Asian Congress of Storytellers on 1 and 2 September, a two-day conference of keynote addresses, forums, workshops and performances that offer in-depth insights from storytelling experts such as Kevin Cordi, Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, Nury Vittachi, Dilip Mukerjea and many others; and the Asian Storytellers Concert on 4 and 5 September which will have audiences engrossed in Asian tales told by Asian storytellers.
The Storytelling Seminars will also feature a range of seminars focusing on six categories: education, counselling and conflict resolution, business and marketing, creating stories that sell, storytelling skills and teaching children with special needs. Seminars to look out for are Taleblazers by Dilip Mukerjea on 8 and 9 September, a seminar that helps to achieve business objectives via the art and science of storycrafting; and How to Write and Sell a Novel on 3 September and Developing Stories and Characters for Novels, Movies and Games on 4 September, both seminars will be conducted by Nury Vittachi.
Said Mr. R. Ramachandran, Executive Director of NBDCS, "Storytelling has become a trend among the work force these days. However, I hope that it will eventually become part of anyone’s professional and personal development. The key message behind storytelling to keep in mind is – whether you are old or young, storytelling can inspire and motivate people around you.”
Mr Colin Goh, General Manager of The Arts House said, “NBDCS and The Arts House have been supportive of each other and will take it one step further by collaborating with our new education enterprise called The Little Arts Academy. The Little Arts Academy supports arts education for children from financially-handicapped backgrounds, and NBDCS will work with the Academy towards incorporating storytelling as an integral component to its curriculum.”
Key storytellers include husband-and-wife Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, co-authors of The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development and published five of the popular Anansi Ghanaian folk tales; Nury Vittachi, Hong Kong’s bestselling English novelist and columnist, and played a key role in founding the Asia Literary Review, Hong Kong International Literary Festival, Man Asia Literary Prize; Dilip Mukerjea, gained world recognition in the Millennium Edition of Who’s Who of the World and in The Baron’s 500: Leaders for the New Century; and Kevin Cordi, the first-ever storyteller to serve a residency under a US university after being appointed as the Storyteller-in-Residence at the Ohio State University for one academic year.
The Singapore International Story Telling Festival is co-organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and The Arts House, and is sponsored by Lee Foundation; the National Arts Council (NAC); Singapore Press Holdings Foundation; Tan Chin Tuan Foundation; Reader’s Digest; Tote Board; and National Environment Agency.
For more information and the latest updates on the Festival line-up, please log on to www.bookcouncil.sg/sisf.
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Registration & Ticketing Information
SEMINARS & CONGRESS
Visit www.bookcouncil.sg/sisf, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 6848 8290 for the detail and cost of the respective programmes.
Group Discounts
Enjoy additional savings for group registration of 3 persons or more. Applicable for registration and payment done at the same time, or of the same billing source.
PERFORMANCES
Please contact The Arts House Box Office at:
1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429
T: +65 6332 6919 E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 10am 8pm
Saturdays: 11am - 8pm
Sundays: Closed*
*For Sunday events, Box Office will open 1 hour before show time till 30 minutes after show starts.
A ticketing fee of $2 is applicable for all tickets.
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National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS)
National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) is a non-profit umbrella body inaugurated in 1969 to promote storytelling, reading, writing and publishing, with a current objective to establish and develop Singapore as the Asian centre for publishing and the literary arts. NBDCS brings Singapore book industry and literary community together through industry events, courses, seminars, conferences and author lectures. NBDCS has been organising the prestigious Singapore Literature Prizesince 1990 and also manages the Centre for Literary Arts and Publishing and Singapore Writers Centre. www.bookcouncil.sg
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The Arts House
Occupying the 181-year old building which was the former Parliament House and Singapore’s first Court House, The Arts House was officially opened in March 2004 as the only gazetted government building designated as a multidisciplinary arts centre. The Arts Househas since beenoffering itsvisitors a broad spectrum of activities ranging from contemporary arts & entertainment events to lifestyle options, and at the same time playing an active role in the development of the Singapore arts & creative scene with its strong intent in supporting and promoting Singapore artists and their artworks through its various initiatives and platforms in Singapore as well as internationally. The Arts House is managed by The Old Parliament House Limited, a not-for-profit full-service arts management company limited by guarantee. For further information, please visit www.theartshouse.com.sg
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For media queries, please contact:
Amira Osman
Executive, Arts & Communications
The Arts House (Managed by The Old Parliament House Limited)
1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429
Tel: (65) 6332 6915
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
See Ling Ling
Asst Director, Arts & Communications
The Arts House (Managed by The Old Parliament House Limited)
1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429
Tel: (65) 6332 6903
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
