Café Credo

serving the story serving the listener

Neil Ruckman


Neil is an experienced storyteller, director, producer, forum theatre practitioner and workshop leader.

Neil performs as a solo storyteller in a wide variety of venues – theatres, pubs, schools, churches and his repertoire includes traditional stories from around the world; urban myth, biblical stories, wisdom stories and personal faith stories.

Neil has written his own show based on the life of Dick Whittington the famous Mayor of the City of London, which he performs with Fontanella, an early music group.
  
He also leads workshops on storytelling techniques, how to tell stories with biblical text and the development of a storytelling repertoire.

He has worked with the National Literacy Trust and Barnet FC, training football players to tell stories in libraries and schools to boost literacy amongst children

He directed a storytelling version of Mark’s Gospel which toured nationally in 2003. Neil has also directed and co-ordinated modern mystery cycles performed by schools in cathedrals on behalf of cre8ed.

Neil’s Heaven and Earth Theatre Company organizes summer schools and workshops for young people on Shakespeare’s plays. Previously he was the Drama consultant for JC2000, a millennium celebration which involved 18,000 schools and culminated in an event at the Royal Albert Hall. He currently teaches Drama part-time in a special needs school.

He is co-chair of governors at an Infants School, works for two exam boards and writes for a number of educational publications. He has run teacher training courses, managed an open learning centre and acted as an educational consultant to a small charity.

Neil’s passion is working with children and adults using the inspirational power of story and theatre to both entertain and release creativity in others. Neil is a founder member of the Credo Storytelling trust.

Shan Stephens


Shan is a storyteller, filmmaker and an experienced workshop leader and trainer. She has a degree in Anthropology and Communications.

Her career includes working in business TV, founding a storytelling charity and setting up an access TV channel.

Her directing work has included films on behalf of a number of causes; eco tourism, child abuse, infanticide, arts for the disabled, the homeless and a series of documentaries on people’s unique healing encounters with Jesus.

As a storyteller, she has worked with all ages, the tiny tots and the golden oldies. She believes storytelling is foundational to how we ‘tick’ and make sense of our world. She has worked in education, community outreach, the business world and various religious and interfaith settings.

She loves encouraging people to 'go for it' and express their creativity. Shan brings energy and professionalism to every workshop. She tells stories from all genres and only tells stories that she loves, which she believes is the secret ingredient to being a good storyteller. Shan is a founder member of The Credo Storytelling Trust.