Storytellers to perform at the 13th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival

(Riverhead, N.Y.) The East End Arts Council is proud to announce the appearance of several renowned storytellers at the 13th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival on Sunday, May 24th (rain date: May 25th) from 12-5 pm.  Harvey Heilbrun, Carolyn Calandro, and Regina Ress (who tells stories in both English and Spanish), will spin their tales and fascinate listeners both young and old. The Festival also includes artist vendors, live music and performances, drumming circles, kids crafts, and, of course, street painting fun for the whole family.

For more information, call (631) 727-0900 or visit our website: www.eastendarts.org

Storyteller Bios

Harvey Heilbrun

Harvey Heilbrun recently retired after having taught grades 4-6 in the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District for 33 years. Spurred on by his performance in the Middle School play, “Hans Christian Andersen” in 1981, Harvey became a professional singer/storyteller. He has performed in schools and libraries in Suffolk County, and has done workshops on storytelling in the classroom with teachers. Harvey gathers his stories from a number of sources, mainly folktale collections, picture books and tales that he’s heard from other tellers. He gets pleasure in telling Jack tales and folktales that usually have a twist. He enjoys the songs of Tom Chapin, Sally Rogers and Woody Guthrie.

Carolyn Calandro

Carolyn Calandro has been teaching and performing in the tri-state area and Florida since 1985.  She has presented hundreds of programs and workshops for schools, libraries, museums, theatres, clubs, organizations and parties.  Her natural history, storytelling and art programs are designed to help people of all ages make a further connection with our diverse cultures and our fragile natural world.  Carolyn’s hope is that in the sharing of humor, information and the “lighting” of her storytelling fire, the audience will experience a tribal bonding, a renewed appreciation for wildlife and a deeper respect for other traditions.  Carolyn was born in England into a family of storytellers, was taught to revere nature by her father, a wildlife photographer, and learned rehabilitation from her mother and grandmother.  Carolyn studied classical piano for 13 years and majored in primary education and public speaking at SUNY New Paltz.  For five years she was half of the duo “Double Whammy” with the late Sarah Wolins, writing, creating and performing their original eco-educational musical/comedies.  She has taught music, directed children’s theatre, worked with a Native American Traveling Museum, and had her own local TV program.  She also designs costumes, composes songs, has co-authored four eco-plays, and has written two children’s books.  Under the trade name “Thyme on My Hands,” Carolyn also paints wearable art, knits beaded nature-themed scarves and creates intricate ribbon flowers.

Regina Ress

Regina Ress is an award-winning storyteller, actor, teacher, and writer with programs ranging from world folk tales and mythology to original stories. She has performed across the US, Latin America, and Europe, telling stories in both English and Spanish. She has performed and taught for all ages, from pre-schools to graduate schools, and in such venues as libraries, parks, homeless shelters, prisons, and the White House where she told the story of Peter Rabbit for the 2000 Easter Egg Roll.  She has been a teaching artist in New York and New Jersey through Young Audiences N.Y. and Arts Horizons for many years, giving assemblies, teaching in classrooms, and giving professional development workshops on using storytelling in the classroom. In addition, Regina is a certified ESL teacher and was the recipient of a grant for a project using storytelling with ESL students in Washington Heights. She is adjunct instructor of storytelling for New York University’s Program in Educational Theatre and will also be teaching a class on storytelling in the language classroom for the Department of Teaching and Learning in the fall. Regina has a B.S. in English from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.A. in Theatre from Villanova University, and a certificate in TESOL from The New School.

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Arts for Everyone

Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900