Storytellers to Perform at the 12th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival
 
Riverhead, NY —The East End Arts Council is proud to announce the appearance of several renowned local storytellers at the 12th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival on Sunday, May 25th (rain date: May 26th).  Gathering under the Storytelling Tent, our professional tale-spinners are sure to transport all listeners, adults and children alike, to the land of make-believe. Here’s the schedule for this year (see below for performers’ bios):
 
12:30-1:15- Johnny Cuomo
2:15-3:00- Ken Corsbie
4:00-4:45- Lorena Doherty
 
For more information, call (631) 727-0900 or visit our website: www.eastendarts.org.
 
Johnny Cuomo
 
The art of storytelling comes naturally to musician/author/storyteller Johnny Cuomo. Collecting stories from his travels and interests alike, Johnny has combined his musical talents with his ability to hold an audiences attention, while unfolding tales of nature, birds, animals and stories from different cultures around the world.

Spending two summers as a volunteer teacher on the Barona and Viejas Indian Reservations in California has given him a special connection with the Native American culture, as well as enriched his abilities as a storyteller of Indian tales. Living for a time in Ireland, Johnny learned first hand about the Irish culture and music, which sent him on a path playing traditional Irish music with his band, Gallowglass, all over the country, as well as abroad. As a substitute teacher in the primary grades, Johnny works diligently to bring his love of music to the classroom on a daily basis, as well as lending his talents to the schools plays and concert programs. He has created his own summer enrichment program for his local school district to teach children the art of storytelling. Currently, Johnny is now the proud author of his first published children’s book, Moon-Glow (PublishAmerica, June 2004).

He holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and History and is in the process of completing his Masters degree at Stony Brook University.
 
Ken Corsbie
 
Ken brings the sound of the sea, rainforest, carnival, calypso, songs of the Caribbean – from Guyana and Trinidad in the South to Belize and the Bahamas in the north - the textures and sounds of the islands mixed with those of North America. He also brings 55 years of Caribbean theatre experiences.

Born and grew up in Guyana – Trinidad & Tobago parents – Ken says he is one third Chinese, one sixth Scottish, one fourth African, two seventh Amerindian, one seventh Welch, half Trinidadian, one tenth Barbadian, two fifths Guyanese, and therefore a “full-blooded West Indian stereotype.”

Ken’s repertoire is varied and versatile, crossing through Caribbean folk and literary tales, “performance” poetry, satirical and humorous anecdotes, personal stories of growing up, living in and leaving the Caribbean, arriving and becoming an American. He tells them all with “stereotypical” (his words) West Indian wit and flair.
 
Lorena Doherty
 
Lorena has the ability to paint pictures with words and voice in the imaginations of listeners. She is a photographer, a storyteller, a visual artist, a performance artist and most recently a Librarian.  She brings to the stage a mixture of cultural and artistic influences. Her repertoire is a mixture of world folktales.

Lorena has an Individualized Master of Arts Degree from Antioch University and completed a thesis entitled “Historical Threads Told in Story”.  She has been a featured teller on Cablevision’s “Tell Me a Story” and in Long Island’s “Newsday”.  She facilitated the “South Shore Storyteller’s Project,” a community-based storytelling project focused on building cultural bridges. This year-long project saw participants gather to listen and ultimately tell their own stories. The project culminated in public performances of personal, traditional, and historical stories of Bay Shore and its surrounding communities.
 
In 1998, Lorena was the first Suffolk County producer of “Tellebration!” Tellebration! is an annual world-wide celebration of storytelling traditionally held the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Since then, she has continued to produce and perform in Tellabration! in numerous locations throughout Suffolk County and beyond, including a yearly benefit held at The Little Portion Friary in Mount Sinai, NY. 

She has belonged to several Storytelling groups and is a founding member of The Long Island Storytelling Network (LISN).
Lorena resides in Wading River, N.Y. with her husband Jay and their four children, all of whom are four-legged.
 
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Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900