ResumeJEFF GERE
Storyteller, Educator, Puppeteer
P.O. Box 37495, Honolulu, HI. 96837, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Storyteller, Educator, Puppeteer
P.O. Box 37495, Honolulu, HI. 96837, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
STORY PRODUCTIONS & SERIES
| Talk Story CONFERENCE | July 16-20, 2009 | National Storytelling Network’s Pacific Region Conference @ Queen Kapiolani Hotel. Hawaii’s best tellers & tales, National & Pacific Rim talents. 5 packed days + 2 touring Honolulu + 4 days on Maui. |
| Talk Story FESTIVAL | Annually Octobers 1989- on | Creator/host of Hawaii’s biggest storytelling celebration. Since 2000, 3 free nights of island tellers Signers, dramatic lighting, video projections, live music, big crowds, great publicity, sponsors. |
| Talk Story TOURS | Oct 05-10, Oct 90-95 | 3 or 4 tellers tour state schools, libraries, and public centers. 1st tours with Univ. of Hawaii, recent tours funded by wide variety of bookings and public shows. |
| Talk Story RADIO | Aug 05 - Sept 2007 | 30 minute themed story shows on Hawaii Public Radio, Univ Hawaii & Mana’o Radio (Maui) to 13,000 listeners/week. Pod casts at www.talkstoryradio.com (Parks Dept. & Campbell Foundation.) |
| iTales Mix | currently | themed 2 hour download story shows, national talents, huge market on Audible.com & iTunes.com (1 hour on iTales.com) |
| STORY TV | 1992 to present | monthly storytelling programs air on Olelo: Community Access TV, who recognized show as 2000’s Best Performing Arts Series (Art Off The Wall & Talk Story Fest) |
| ARABIAN NIGHTS Series | Jan 2003 - June 2004 | With 2 musicians & belly dancer, opened Doris Duke Islamic Museum with 4 tales at Honolulu Academy of Arts (National Endowment for the Humanities). 10 full 90 minute tales after in Chinatown’s Indigo Restaurant for 18 months of sold-out Saturdays. |
| ART OFF THE WALL Series | ‘97-98, ‘99-00, ’00-01 | collaborative interdisciplinary group shows interpreting exhibits at Honolulu's The Contemporary Museum (Hawaii Community Foundation Grants) |
| TALES Concerts | July 1990 to 1997 | University of Hawaii annual storytelling workshop & evening concert. Various Topics: Hearsay (story trio), Italian Tales, Spookies; children & adult, solo & group. |
SELECTED HAWAII TELLS
| Solo Tells | Twenty years (+) | performances in all museums, all school levels, all ages, public & private; libraries, conferences, prisons, shelters, community centers, parks throughout Hawaii & abroad; ongoing radio & TV |
| Oahu Parks Department | 1987 to present | seventy shows a year includes annual tours in Summer Fun Programs (8-10,000 kids), teen tells, senior centers, special events of all kind & sizes |
| Halloween | Oct 2008 & 2007 | Obake! Japanese Cultural Center (3rd year ‘08); 100 Candles, 4 hours of ghost tales at Kapiolani Community College, 500 attend ('07). Spooky Tours to Maui & Big Island ('07- 10). |
| Halloweens | 2001-2006 | Arts at Mark’s Garage (05 run), Hawaii Public Radio (03, 01), Burbank Family Film Fest. (twice), Bishop Museum (solo & group series), Hilo & Maui (solo & group tours), Kapiolani Community College Students (01, 03, 05), Sea Life Park (twice), many other venues, radio & TV shows. |
| Menologues | Feb 2004 | Male response to Vagina Monologues with rappers, slam poets. |
| Three Pigs | July 2003 | Story & shadows in Summer Fun w/ symphonic quintet (Cooke Fndtn) |
| Lualualei Story Fest | Nov 2002 & June ‘98 | spooky true tales night show for 5,000 Waianae residents in Maile Beach Park. This was my biggest audience (so far). |
| Wind ‘N Rain | June to Aug 2001 | duet weaving comedy, tales, music & puppets extending gorey English ballad (3 month run at The Arts @ Mark’s Garage) |
| Yo Pharaoh! | March 2001 | interprets Ancient Egyptian myths in story & shadow, with dancer & two musicians (Honolulu Academy of Art commission) |
| Van Gogh's Ghost | Feb & Aug 1999 | Monologue of passion & madness (LA County Museum Art commission, restaged at Honolulu Academy of Arts). |
| HearSay | 1997-1998 | story band trio & shadow puppets) Univ. of Hawaii, Academy of Arts |
| NATIONAL TELLS | INTERNATIONAL TELLS |
| Oct 2010 Tennessee | National Story Festival Exchange Place @ America's premier Storytelling event | | |
| April 2010 Wisconsin | Northlands Story Conf. Group, Pele solo, Workshop | Various Travels | Alaska 08, Oaxaca 06,Turkey 03 twice, Bali 01, Israel & Egypt 00 |
Nov.2009 California | Los Angeles Story Festival two sessions of tales. | May 2010 Canada | Northwest Story Festival (Yellowknife) 3 days of tells |
| March 2008 Atlanta Georgia | Kennesaw University Residency, tells in Tennessee, Florida Story Camp | June 2005 Hong Kong | Faust Theater Festival Shaharazad’s 1st Tale, live drmmmer, shadows & tellings |
| March 2006. Arizona | Aloha Festival 4 tellers, big crowds, schools, Storytelling Institute (Phoenix) | Nov 2004 Canada | Vancouver Storytell Festival opening & 2 days of Arabian Night Tales & classes. |
| July 2004 Bellingham, Washington | National Storytelling Conference Regional Teller Concert (1500 audience) & Arabian Nights Workshop | Nov 2004 Bursa Turkey | Karagoz Shadow Puppet Festival overhead & laptop shadows at UNICEF celebration for a week. |
| June 02 & 03 Nevada | Boulder City Folk Festival twice; school, workshop, festival tells & shadows | April 2003 Thailand | English Story/Language Camps 2 weeks for teachers & kids (Mahasarakham & Songkhla). |
| Feb 1999 California | Flying Leap Storytelling Festival 1 of 5 tellers for the weekend (Solvang) | Aug 1992 Sevilla, Spain | Universal Expo 1 of 45 Hawaii contemporary & traditional artists in USA Pavilion for two weeks |
| June 1997 Idaho | National Invitational Storytelling Contest Boise River Folk Festival (1 of 3 tellers). | April 1992 Pacific Islands Tour | American Samoa; Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan with Makia Malo (Kalaupapa) thru Consortium for Pacific Arts & Culture (CPAC) |
| 1993-2002 California | Annual Tour (LA & SF) big museums, libraries, schools, colleges, private homes. | 1980-82 Florence Italy | Dream Theater experimental mask & mime shows, caretake villa, 13 city German tour |
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
| 1987 to NOW | Parks Classes | Storytelling, Story Games, Puppetry (simple, huge, foam, shadows, plays), creative drama, mask, mime, stilts, improvs, choral reading, lights, skits (all kinds), Read Aloud, Learning Styles |
| 2007-08 | Various / Specials | Kama Aina & Seagull Preschool Conf (keynotes), ESL Speech Events many School-Parent Reading Nights, Toastmasters, residencies. |
| 1994 to NOW | McGruff, the Crime Dog | Lecture/demonstration ‘Masks” to coach public utility workers, military, & police for public appearances in costumed Crime Dog character, and prepare them to tell a parable to children. |
| 2002-05 | Castle Colleagues | Annual storytelling workshop in premier statewide preschool teacher training, Castle Foundation, Preschool Conferences (04, 08, 10) |
2001-05, 2009-10 | Art Off the Wall Class | Docent, Teacher, Student trainings inter-relate the arts. Maui Art & Culture, The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu Academy of Arts |
| Jan 1999 | Iolani School | Two week Storytelling Residency for upper elementary classes in exclusive private Oahu School (Keables English Endowment) |
| 1985- 1987 | Humanities 100 | Six semesters in survey class, Hawaii Pacific University Extension (Hickam Air Force Base) |
| 1984- 85 1985- 86 | Full Time Teacher | Our Lady of Sorrows (Wahiawa) 4th grade all subjects, 5-6 History, K-6 storytelling teacher/teller, drama electives, Parent Night plays. |
PRODUCTS
| 2008 | Yakkity Yak | Tales and talk about telling with lots of rhyme with piano. |
| 2008 | Two Brothers | Grimm’s Tale put to free wheeling verse rhyme, piano & guitar |
| 2008 | Cultures in Collision | Social conflict & resolution tales with Lyn Ford and Alton Chung. Honors, 2008 Best Story Recording (Storytelling World) |
| 2008 | www.itales.com | Unique site allows affordable downloading of my recordings |
CD 2006 DVD 2009 | Silly 'N Spooky | Playground classics of and for kids in Hawaii, told with piano and percussion. Played on Hawaiian Airline flights all Summer, 2006 |
| 2005 | Rank Devil Mountain | 3 HOT Hell/ devil/ fire stories (piano, percussion & didgeridoo) Honors, 2007 Best Story Recording (Storytelling World). |
| 2004 | Haunted Hawaii Volume 3 | A live solo tell before a lively audience. This collection features a harrowing trip to the Old Mililani Graveyard. |
| 2003 | HH Volume 2 | Chilling tales from Hawaii & Samoa, with percussion & piano. |
| 2001 | HH Volume 1 | Supernatural tales include many about Pele (re-recorded 2008) |
| OTHER | Various Artists | Lyn Ford DVD '10, CD: Lopaka Kapanui 09, Marie Solomon 99 |
ASSOCIATIONS
| Since 1989 | National Storytelling Network America’s largest membership organization. State Liason since ‘94, Oracle Award ‘07, Tennessee Fundraising Concert ‘08 |
| Since 1990 | Alliance for Culture and Arts Co-creator, Board member of this active non-profit corporation administering grants for public art events. |
ARTICLES & LINKS
| Nation Storytelling Magazine | Editorial on Media (9/07), Talk Story Radio (10/05), Parks tells (2/03), Men’s Stories (4/01), Shadow Puppets (9/99) |
| Museletter (New England) | Storytell Journal Political Storytelling (2/07), Story TV (10/02) |
| Hawaii's Spookiest Stories | (2006) Bess Press, compiled by Rick Carroll, one Gere story |
| Storytelling: Thinking Bigger | www.storytellingwithchildren.com (4/08) one hour podcast interview with Erik Wolf on media and storytelling. |
| Storyteller.net Amphitheater | www.storyteller.net/amphitheater/38 (1/08) Talk Story 2007 review and Yakkity Yak: tales about tellin’ |
| KGMB 9 AM News | kgmb9.com/main/content/view/1328/108/ (October 2007) early morning Halloween interview with a tired and relaxed tell. |
| The Envier & Envied Man | www.hawaiiforgivenessproject.org/videoJeffGere.htm Shadow puppet show/tell at Hawaii Forgiveness Festival (2004) |
| Chicken Soup for Soul Hawaii | (2003) two Gere tales, distributed in Hawaii & West Coast. |
| Storyteller Biography Directory (1998) | Among 120 English speaking storytellers, worldwide biographical directory. |
| The Storytelling Project (1998) | Among 65 American tellers on video interviews (Cotsen Children's Library, Los Angeles). |
CONFERENCES
| July 2008 | 'Talk Story' Conference | Produced/hosted Pacific Regional Conf. 5 days, international performers & attending, Maui |
| July 2007 | National Storytell Conf. St. Louis, Missouri | 2007 ORACLE AWARD for Service & Leadership (Western US) |
| July 2004 | National Storytell Conf. Bellingham, Washington | Workshop: Arabian Nights Series: video, analysis, PR, tell, shadow puppets. Featured: Regional Teller |
| July 1999 | National Storytell Conf. San Diego, California | Workshop: telling with shadow puppets on an overhead projector |
| July 1993 | National Storytell Conf. Seattle, Washington | Workshop: Talk Story Festival & Pacific storytelling. |
| June 06 04, 02, 00 | Hawaii Children’s Literature Conference | Readings, Storytellings, storytelling workshops, panelist. Opening Key Note (2002) |
| Jan. 2004 | Hawaii International Arts & Humanities Conference | Lecture & sold out performance of Arabian Nights “story theater” (belly dancer, 2 musicians) |
| 2004 | Hii Child Abuse & Parent Teacher Student Assoc. | Keynotes for both statewide conferences |
| 00,98,96 | Pacific Rim Teacher Conf. | storytelling classes, teacher workshops and tells |
| 99, 98, 97 | Hawaii Independent Schools Conference | storytelling classes, teacher workshops and tells |
SELECTED TELEVISION ACTIVITIES
| 1991 to NOW | STORY TV storytelling series | Airing 30 minute Talk Story Festival tells monthly (Olelo Access TV). Best Creative Arts Series 2000. |
| 2007 | Christabelle & Time Museum | 15 X 15 minute shows tell/read Rachel Funk's science fiction story (Dept of Education TV) airs continually. |
| 2006 | Mainland TV | Mystery Hunters (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.), Blue Dolphin Show LA show for Hawaii kids. |
| 2001 | National TV | Haunted History (History Channel), Places of Mystery Series (Travel Channel), both on Hawaii's ghostlore, interview & tellings, continual airings. |
| 1995-97 | The Storytellers Series | co-produced 20 half hour storytelling shows over two years with KITV 4 (Hawaii’s ABC affiliate) |
| 1996 | Silly Spooky | Jeff's kid tales/puppetry. Parent's Choice ‘Honors’ |
| Oct 1995 | Chickenskin | 1 of 6 Hawaii tellers (KGMB Chl 9) Glen Grant hosts. |
| 1988-90 | Olelo Series | 4 scripts teach simple Hawaiian (k-3rd grades). Built, moved & voiced puppets (Hawaii Dept. of Education) |
REFERENCES
| Chris & Suzanne Shoemaker | Directors, Acts of Creation & Fresh I Flix Video Program. Burbank, California. Took Jeff & 45 other Hawaii artists to Spain, 1992. |
| Naomi Carter | Retired Supervisor, Honolulu Parks Department & Jeff’s boss for 18 years. Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Tim Slaughter | Statewide Cultural Education Program, University of Hawaii Outreach College, collaborator/ employer for numerous solo/group tours |
| Louise Lanzilotti | Director, Honolulu Theatre for Youth oversaw ‘Art Off The Wall’ 3 years @ The Contemporary Museum |
| Ruth Stotter | Author/ teller, Former Director, Dominican College Storytelling Program Tiburon, California, shared residencies & home concerts for 15 years |
