Storytellers in Scotland

Booking a storyteller

The storytellers in our directory are professionals and all depend to some extent on storytelling as their livelihood. All storytellers listed in the directory can be booked for storytelling sessions and workshops through the Centre and are also eligible for subsidy through the Live Literature Fund (LLF) scheme, administered by Scottish Book Trust.

Current rates recommended by the Scottish Storytelling Centre

History of the Forum

Storytelling performance sessions

Full day £200 + VAT
Half day £120 + VAT

Interactive workshops (including. training and CPD)

Not-for-profit/voluntary organisations
Half day £150
Full day £225

Public sector organisations
Half day £230
Full day £350

Corporate
£500 - £1000 depending on requirements

For advice on organising a storytelling skills workshop please contact us.

Notes
A full day consists of a morning and afternoon, or an afternoon and evening. A half day consists of a morning, afternoon or evening, comprising up to two hours of storytelling with a suitable break.

All fees are subject to VAT.

Rates for work overseas should be discussed directly with individual storytellers or the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

The Scottish Storytelling Forum’s recommended mileage rate is 40p per mile. Whenever possible, the storyteller’s travelling expenses should be covered by the organisation booking the visit. If a booking requires an overnight stay, then this should also be considered, along with a subsistence allowance. However, the way in which the venue/organiser and storyteller agree fees, number of sessions, and expenses should always have some room for flexibility. This ensures that a fair arrangement can be made and the best possible use of everyone’s resources achieved.

Where events and projects require a period of research, preparation and attendance at meetings there may be additional costs.

Booking advice

Confirm the details in writing before the event. Include decisions made on the following criteria:

• Date and time
• Structure, length and number of sessions
• Group size / age range
• Special requirements
• Transport and accommodation arrangements and a map/guide to the venue
• Arrangements for paying the fee and expenses and whether or not you require an invoice. On the day the organiser is responsible for:
• Making sure a room/area has been allocated in which the group will sit (a quiet space is ideal, and smaller rooms are preferable to large halls which echo)
• Arranging hospitality – ensuring that the storyteller has access to a toilet, tea/coffee/lunch etc.
• Providing a glass of water for during the session
• Ensuring that a responsible adult is with the group at all times
• If the session is in a school, the class teacher should be present and participate in the session. Participation and observation are vital for follow-up work.

Who are the storytellers?

Scotland is home to a wonderfully rich and diverse network of storytellers with varied repertoires and styles. Many of them connect their love of stories with their upbringing or childhood influences, but what unites them all is a commitment over time to the practice of their art. The work of the storyteller ranges from sharing tales as entertainment, to leading storytelling projects with vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers and those with special needs.

While some of Scotland's storytellers have been shaped by one or more storytelling traditions, most acknowledge a debt to Gaelic storytelling, storytelling in Scots, or to the traditions of the Scottish Travellers.

We recognise and honour several special kinds of storyteller:

• Tradition Bearers - those who have preserved and are passing on older traditions of stories. They are our Honorary Founders.
• Community Storytellers - those who share stories in their communities or through their work contributing to human well-being and quality of life.
• Professional Storytellers - those who wish to travel across Scotland and exercise their storytelling craft as a paid profession.

We ask all these kinds of storyteller to become Network members of the Scottish Storytelling Forum and to participate in mutual support, collaboration and growth.

Directory Criteria

If you are a professional storyteller and would like to apply to become a member of our National Directory, the following criteria will apply.

1. A storyteller should be part of one or more storytelling traditions or, by his or her travel, research or apprenticeship to recognised storytellers, be well aquainted with a tradition and have gathered, by these means, a repertoire of stories.

2. An accomplished storyteller should have had the experience of telling stories regularly and, as an indication of his or her recognition and proficiency in the art, be able to offer reliable testimony to this from reputable judges such as teachers, head-teachers in schools, critics in the media, representatives from other bodies who have employed them professionally (and by reputation among other established storytellers.) He or she should be able to call upon a portfolio of recommendations.

3. Through their supporting evidence applicants should demonstrate the capacity to work with, and relate adeptly and appropriately to, a wide range of audiences and to work flexibly and cooperatively with professional and voluntary organisations.

4. Any applicant for recognition should have worked as a storyteller for a recommended period of three years, though exceptions to this guideline might be appropriate in some circumstances.

5. A person who wishes to be recognised in this way as a storyteller should be willing to travel widely in Scotland and take up invitations to practise the art.

6. Due to recent Child Protection legislation, new entrants to the Scottish Storytelling Directory require to have a SCRO Enhanced Disclosure and this can be arranged through the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

7. Accredited storytellers are required to be Network members of the Scottish Storytelling Forum and to be committed to principles of cooperation and best practice and to the development of storytelling in Scotland.

8. Directory entries, which will be edited by the Scottish Storytelling Centre, should state clearly the storyteller's area of interest and experience, including their preferred age groups.

For more information about applying to the Directory, please contact Joanna Bremner on joanna@scottishstorytellingcentre.com or +44 (0)131 652 3272.

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