Showing posts with label fairy tale salon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fairy tale salon. Show all posts

Sunday, November 15, 2020

TODAY at 7pm EST and 4pm PST: Profs And Pints Online Presents: "Fairy Tales of French Salons" (& A Note on the 2020 Revival of the Literary and Fairy Tale Salon)

Our apologies for not posting this well ahead of time!

But... I Will Miss/Have Missed the Live Lecture!

Don't fret! We know a lot of our readers won't see it until tomorrow morning after the live lecture has happened BUT, like all Profs and Pints lectures, this one will be recorded and available to view afterward for all current ticket holders, as well as for those who purchase access after the event (only $12). The Profs and Pints events are aimed at adults and college-level learning, so these lectures are one of the most affordable, yet high-quality self-education tools online today. While viewing the recording after the event means you won't be able to live chat with the other attendees or the lecturer and can't propose questions for the Q&A at the end, the entire chat and Q&A portion remain part of the recording so you can see the community involvement and responses as it was happening. Once you have purchased a ticket, the event is available to view at any time after the lecture, and as many times as you wish! 

Fairy's Banquet - John Anster Fitzgerald

The Rise of the Fairy Tale Salon, 2020 Style

Today's lecture is exceptionally timely. With the pandemic showing no signs of ending soon, people are starting to figure out ways to connect digitally and literary salons are once again on the rise. Though they can never be the same as the intimate gatherings fueling conversations, encouraging ideas, and getting feedback on everything from writing to art, it does make the events more accessible to people from different locations across countries and around the world, and is proving to be a new way to build communities of like-minded people and providing support during an isolating time. Fairy tale salons, especially, are beginning to pop up here and there around the world, all-digital, all experimental, and all eager to connect folks who love to study tales and reference them in their own writing and other works. 

It's a brave new world and, as will be discussed today, reflects the desire people had, and still have, to push against established ideas and systems and find new ways to move forward both in thinking and expression - something especially prevalent in 2020. Salons are primarily fun, of course, but at the heart of the movement is a desire to make the world a better place, and to do that with other like-minded people. The Fairy Tale Salons of France in the late C17th (and the lesser-known German Fairy Tale Salons during the Romantic movement in the C19th) were revolutionary in form and function and, in true subversive style, enabled conversations of resistance and the exploration of revolutionary ideas, all coded within the deceptively simple form of the fairy tale. These people, mainly women, are considered the Fairy Godmothers, or Fairy Godparents, of the Fairy Tale (the literary form of the oral folktale and wonder tale), and their stories have survived and remained popular to this day. 

Fairy Banquet - Arthur Rackham

Seeing Beyond the Magic While Still Reveling In The Wonder

What's lesser-known is that we can still see and access the rest of the work done in Salons, via the vehicle of those surviving stories, despite that it's usually hidden under the magical clothing of the contes des fées - a term coined by the French Salon, which is where we get the term "fairy tale". 

It's high time we saw beyond the sparkly exterior of these fanciful stories and take a look at the serious - and invigorating - work of the literary fairy tale. The revival of the fairy tale salon in 2020, albeit digital and online, is no coincidence!

That doesn't mean we can't continue to enjoy fairy tales or revel in (or escape into) their magical possibilities. If anything, this gives more reasons to embrace them in all their Once Upon A Times. Fairy tales aren't just for children; they are for everyone and understanding how literary versions of fairy tales came to be, helps explain why. It also gives us every reason to celebrate their wonder and to enjoy them. 

So come along with your notebook and extra glitter on your hands or just sneak in the back to listen - there's room for all here to play and to connect as we make the world a better, more wonder-full place.

The Fairy Girls Make the Carpet (Polish Fairy Tales)
by Cecile Walton

What's Being Talked About Today? (summary info from Profs and Pints Online below):

Profs and Pints Online presents: “Fairy Tales of French Salons,” with Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, former instructors at Ohio State University and co-founders of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.

[This talk will remain available in recorded form at the link used for tickets and access.]

It’s easy to think of fairy tales as light-hearted, simple, even frivolous tales for children. But that’s only a small part of the story.  Fairy tales can be serious business. They can be subtle messages that convey warnings under the noses of the powerful—or even poke fun at them--especially if written by women.

Modern Fairy Godmother Styling
by Camilla (Very pricey, as would have suited
the social station of the original Salonnieres!
Thankfully, the Salon revival isn't as dependent
on privilege; in fact, that's one of the
institutions it rebels against.
Vive la 2020 Revolution!)

Such was the case in the fairy-tale salons of seventeenth-century Paris, where ladies (and some men) gathered to tell each other stories that definitely were not for children. 

Designed to be a space where people could break free of strict aristocratic confines in the service of art, the salons let creators discuss anything so long as it was couched in the form of a fairy tale. The stories that resulted tackled everything from actual love in a marriage, to the importance of education, to the enormous social inequalities faced by the women of the age.

As the air gets crisp, fix yourself a warm drink and join Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, two favorites of Profs and Pints audiences, for a look at the beautiful and bizarre fairy tales that emerged from the literary salons of France during his period.

We’ll swim with a great green wyrm, a terrifying sea serpent. You’ll travel with a woman who dresses as a man in order to save her family, and converse with a witty princess forced to wear the skin of a bear.

These fairy-tale salons were the first of many great literary groups, from the Bloomsbury circle in London to the meetings of the Beat writers of San Francisco.


This online discussion of them might end up feeling like a similar gathering of the curious and subversive. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Streaming Theater: "Disenchanted"s Witty Exposé of Fairy Tales Launches Virtual Events (Fri AEST / Thurs Late Night EST/PST)

This coming Thursday (Friday for Australia), there is a very special opportunity to take part in the newly revised, digital launch of the live stage show, "Disenchanted". Now that they've gone virtual, anyone anywhere in the world can see this hilarious and thought-provoking show! This Thursday/Friday, the virtual cocktail hour with creator and star of the show, Eliane Morel, will begin half an hour before the show, where folks are welcome to mingle and chat online with her, before live-streaming the show.

But what is Disenchanted
“France 1699 at the Salon of Madame d’Aulnoy (Eliane Morel), and Fairy Tales have joined the revolution!

Disenchanted is a cabaret retelling from those supporting fairy tale characters, unimpressed at the stories being told to the public… 

Madame d’Aulnoy guides you through an intimate, behind-the-scenes exposé of what's really going on in your favourite fairy tales. It’s an anthology of mini-stories laced with wit, laughter and a healthy dose of very early strong-willed women – those Féministes... 

Witty, musical, topical, and totally original, Disenchanted transports you to D'Aulnoy's 17th Century Parisian salon, hosted by the Godmother of fairy tales herself, where you learn Fairyland's secrets: the truth and nothing but the twisted truth about why the wolf was in Grandma’s bed, the Marxist philosophy of the Goose that lays the golden eggs, what those pigs in the building industry were really up to, why the so-called Ugly Sisters were robbed, why six of Bluebeard’s six wives died unnoticed, what this all has to do with revolution, and so much more! (Note: We've used an edited combo of various promotional materials for an overview and link the unique fairy tale show this is, with how it's evolved to adapt to bringing live theater to you during the pandemic.)
Here is the promo from the stage show (before we all went into lockdown):

And here's a promo from the NEWLY revised digital/online stage show. The different details are outlined from the press material via reviews: "... a new version of this magnifique showcase for Morel (where) the team embraces the opportunities of making a film... freeing up the visual staging imagination while keeping her biting wit intact: split-screen chats, animations, backgrounds, and especially gleeful fun with technical hiccups... Brillante. Not to be missed – join the fairy tale revolution immediately." 
THE SPECIAL EVENT THIS THURSDAY/FRIDAY:
Make sure you book a ticket, as the season is limited. Note that THIS THURS LATE NIGHT (FRIDAY AEST - Australian Eastern Standard Time) is special because I've created a FaceBook event, and I'm hoping there will be quite a crowd. So, if you want to join in the fun, bring your pre-dinner drinks and enter the virtual 'foyer' at 5.30pm this Friday (10:30pm Thurs 12th PST/1:30am Fri 13th EST Thurs for US folks!), 13th November, book now:
https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/disenchanted-a-cabaret-of-twisted-fairy-tales/
Be sure to check your time zone conversions to make sure you don't miss it!

HOW IT WORKS (from an invitation via Ms. Morel):
This is how Melbourne Digital Fringe works: you can book any time, up to half an hour before each show starts. You’ll notice you can choose your price - ranging from $5 to $100 – OR - you can choose to get tickets for free and pay what you like after the show. Everyone has a different budget, so please pay what suits you.

You’ll then be sent an email link and, from 5.30pm (AEST), you can log on and be part of the pre-show crowd. So grab yourself a pre-dinner drink and 'mingle' while you wait for the show to start at 6pm. My team and I will be in that chat room on Monday 9th of Nov (AEST), and I’ll be there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night (AEST).

I look forward to seeing you online!


REVIEWS:
“Sexy and subversive, audacious and hilarious, this show puts a knife in the back of traditional fairy tales." Katie Mac
"Irreverent, hilarious, cheeky the pace never slowed." Jan S.
“Brilliant at so many levels. I was blown away.” Moira S.
“Sharp, talented, mesmerising!” Greg N.

The project is supported by the NSW Government with a grant from Create NSW.

Warning: Contains mild coarse language, potentially triggering content or themes, including Domestic Violence, Sexual References

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Tick-Tock! Storied Imaginarium's Fairy Tale Salon With Timeless Tales' Tahlia Kirk Is TOMORROW, NOV 6 (Sign Up Now)

Enlightened Tutor by Howard Lyon
When our partner Tahlia Kirk, Creator and Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine, gets involved with a fairy tale event, you know it's going to be good. Tomorrow, Tahlia will be the special guest for The Storied Imaginarium's November Fairy Tale Salon, talking tales and retellings with attendees. It's a chance to ask those questions you've always had about "what makes a good fairy tale retelling?" and "how do you make an old tale new again?" and, if you're a writer, to pick up some writing tips along the way.
Our Fairy Tale Salon series are online and interactive events (conducted via Zoom) during which you’ll get a chance to meet contemporary authors, editors, and illustrators who love fairy tales as much as you do! Each salon includes readings, an interview, an opportunity for you to ask our special guest questions, and a writing game! Come … join us in the land of faerie!
We're re-posting Tahlia's announcement below, in case you missed it, so you have her take on the fairy tale salon and why this will be such a unique opportunity. (And a little secret she doesn't mention: Tahlia is not only an excellent editor, she's a great storyteller and game master too! It's going to be a lot of fun.) 

If you're interested, don't hesitate to cick the link HERE and sign up! Not only is it tomorrow but spots are limited! (This is to allow for conversation and real dialogue among attendees and with the salon special guest.) Read on for details.


Tahlia Kirk Bohemian
By Tahlia Kirk

Spend an evening chatting about your favorite fairy tale at the Storied Imaginarium's virtual fairy tale salon on November 6 (Nov 7 for Australia).

We're evoking the elegant Parisian salon of 17th century France, when wealthy women hosted gatherings in their living rooms to discuss literature and write stories. One of the most popular parlor games played at these salons was to retell classic folktales. Storytellers would use fanciful language of fairy tales to slyly slip rebellious commentary on aristocratic culture past the court's censors. I hope to share some of my favorite counter-culture tales with you and talk about what makes a retelling resonate. While this is more of a meeting-of-minds than a formal writing workshop, I think all fans of the magical and whimsical will enjoy our time together. 

Seats are limited, so sign up now to save your spot!

(Pic is my envisioning of the type of outfit one might wear to a modern literary salon 😅)

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Coming Soon: A Virtual Fairy Tale Salon with Timeless Tales Editor Tahlia Kirk

Written by Tahlia Kirk



Tahlia Kirk Bohemian
Spend an evening chatting about your favorite fairy tale at the Storied Imaginarium's virtual fairy tale salon on November 6 (Nov 7 for Australia).

We're evoking the elegant Parisian salon of 17th century France, when wealthy women hosted gatherings in their living rooms to discuss literature and write stories. One of the most popular parlor games played at these salons was to retell classic folktales. Storytellers would use fanciful language of fairy tales to slyly slip rebellious commentary on aristocratic culture past the court's censors. I hope to share some of my favorite counter-culture tales with you and talk about what makes a retelling resonate. While this is more of a meeting-of-minds than a formal writing workshop, I think all fans of the magical and whimsical will enjoy our time together. 

Seats are limited, so sign up now to save your spot!

(Pic is my envisioning of the type of outfit one might wear to a modern literary salon 😅)

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Theater: 'The Salonniéres' Premieres In Fall This Year (Greater Boston Stage Company)

Poster by J. Weston Lewis

Doesn't this poster look amazing?! Fairy tale writers, storytellers and revolutionaries make for a great lens to view this period in history and we're guessing d'Aulnoy will feature... (please let it be so!) What a wonderful concept for a play. (We can't believe this is the first we've heard of this play from 2015!) The conversations and storytelling in a fairy tale salon, layered with all the social and political intrigue and chaos of the time, would be fascinating to watch. We wish we were local to check this out. 
Here's the info:
THE SALONNIÉRES
October 25-November 11, 2018

World Premiere
by Liz Duffy Adams
Directed by Weylin Symes
In pre-Revolutionary Paris, a young girl is promised in marriage to a Duke to pay off her father’s debts. She flees to the literary salon of her late mother’s friends: aristocratic women who conceal radical politics within reinvented folk tales. Which of them is her fairy godmother, and which the cruel stepmother? Is the Duke a Prince Charming or a Beast? And is the maid just a maid, or the hero of a story none of them knows they are in?

Here's a different description from New Plays Exchange (where the GBSC found the play!):
The Salonniéres  
Cast: 5
Genre: comedy, drama, period, political
Keyword: revolution, feminism, Fairy Tales, France, strong female leads 
In pre-Revolutionary Paris, Madeleine, a girl fresh from the convent, is promised in marriage to an older nobleman to pay off her father’s debts. She flees to the literary salon of her late mother’s friends, aristocratic women who conceal radical politics within reinvented folk tales. When her promised husband shows up too, the women must use their wits to save Madeleine. But in the end, the maid Françoise is revealed as the real hero of a story they didn’t realize they were in.
And the recommendations from New Plays Exchange (NPX):
  • Jordan Elizabeth Henry:
    29 Apr. 2018 This wonderful period piece blew me away with its accessibility, its honoring of story, its depth of character, its crazy-high stakes, and its charm. The ending made me want to stand up and shout; I had fiery grateful feminist tears in my eyes. THE SALONNIERES is full of humor, horror, and badass women. I'm obsessed.  
    Kristen Palmer:
    22 Oct. 2017 This play is so sharp. I got to hear it read recently and it soared off the page and into my head. It's a wonderful play for the moment - and puts the male canon firmly into the hands of the too long over looked women of its era - with the revolution rumbling just outside the door. 
This is one play we'll be watching for reviews of. (And if you're in Boston and want to go in exchange for a review, please let us know. We might be able to help you get there...) 
Check out the 2018/2019 season line-up at The Greater Boston Stage Company HERE.