Retooled and polished for a new year, the 2025 season of Storytelling Live, one of the International Storytelling Center’s flagship programs, will begin on Tuesday, May 20.
The six-month program will host a total of 20 world-class storytellers through the month of October, as well as special holiday encore shows at the end of the year.
The first artist of the series, Grammy-nominated bluegrass musician and storyteller Josh Goforth, follows two sold-out benefit concerts by West Virginia storyteller Bil Lepp. (Lepp will return to Jonesborough for a full residency later in the season.) Goforth’s week in residence will include daily matinee concerts, Tuesday through Saturday at 2 p.m., as well as an evening performance on Thursday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Goforth’s Thursday night show is part of an expanded slate of nighttime events scheduled throughout the season. Nine other performers will follow in his footsteps, including fan favorites Tim Lowry, Andy Offutt Irwin, Megan Wells, and Donald Davis.
The full lineup, which includes Bobby Norfolk, Antonio Rocha, and cowboy poet Andy Hedges, is available on storytellingcenter.net. Tickets can be purchased online or over the phone.
The 2025 season will also feature an enticing selection of storytelling-related workshops, including a “mini masterclass” with Connie Regan-Blake in June. Designed for a wide variety of participants — including professionals, parents, and grandparents — spots for Regan-Blake’s workshop are expected to fill up quickly. Pre-registration is recommended.
The season’s slate of workshops also includes a class on poetry and journaling with Lyn Ford and an all-ages origami workshop with Motoko, a native of Osaka, Japan. Motoko’s family-friendly workshop is priced at $15 (including materials). The other two workshops, intended for adults, are just $30.
“We’re thrilled to offer so many special events and interesting classes this season, which give people more options for how and when they want to participate,” says Krystal Hawkins, ISC’s new director of programs. “Storytelling can improve our lives in so many ways, whether we sit back and listen or try our hand at something new.”
Many of the storytellers’ residencies benefit the community far beyond the scope of ISC’s theater, with select artists performing outreach in a wide variety of community settings, including local libraries, after-school programs, and free public events like Jonesborough Days.
Storytelling Live will continue to offer virtual concerts with one live concert recorded each week and offered for online viewing any time between Friday and Monday at midnight Eastern Time. Virtual concert tickets are priced at $15 per household and allow for repeat viewings.
ISC president Michael Carson says that excitement is high among locals as Storytelling Live begins. “Our community has been eager for the start of what we call storytelling season,” he says, noting the cancellation of last year’s National Storytelling Festival due to Hurricane Helene. Carson also looks forward to welcoming new faces into the audience, building on ISC’s outreach efforts with tourists and young people.
In-person matinee concert tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, college students, and military, and $7 for children under 18. Parties of 10 or more qualify for ISC’s $10 group rate and all Saturday matinee tickets are just $7. Reservations are recommended (but not required), as many performances sell out in advance. A limited number of season passes are available for a deep discount at $195.
Funding for Storytelling Livecomes from the Tennessee Arts Commission, East Tennessee Foundation, Niswonger Foundation, Norris Family Foundation, Carol & Bobby Frist, Sandy & Terry Countermine, Mary Brugh, Ballad Health, Niswonger Children’s Network, BrightRidge, The Trail Head Lodge, Eastman Credit Union, and Bank of Tennessee. Media sponsors include the Kingsport Times-News, Johnson City Press, Herald & Tribune, and WETS 89.5 FM.
The International Storytelling Center is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information about Storytelling Live, including the full schedule, or to purchase tickets and season passes, visit www.storytellingcenter.net or call (800) 952-8392.
You must be logged in to post a comment.