Café Credo

Story as Gift and Adventure
Live with a bible story, imbibe it learn it as a gift, pray over it and tell it and see what spin offs may come of it. Share experiences with an online community and discover a real time community if you come to the story retreat weekend
Storyteller’s retreat weekend September 12, Spring Meadow farm, Bedfordshire
An over view of the weekend by Neil Ruckman
We had a fabulous weekend exploring biblical stories at Spring Meadow Farm just over ten days ago. The weather was largely kind, although cold, particularly for our Italian friends camping. We had storytellers from England, Italy, Brazil and Ireland.
 
Spring Meadow Farm is a beautiful space and we had the time to really dig deep with our stories. Tellers had brought text tellings, biblical stories developed in their own words and stories which they had developed about minor characters in the Bible. These were all brought to a promenade performance on the Saturday night around Spring Meadow Farm. In the dark with a glowing lantern there were many magical and deep moments. Hard to put into words, but they will stay in my mind and spirit for a long time.
 
The plan now is to repeat this, perhaps alternating between Italy and England each year.

Online Yahoo Community group for Biblical Storytellers is launched

Youth & schools work training tour June / July 2008
Credo was asked to train youth workers to tell stories at schools
schoolswork.co.uk

Monthly Storytelling circle
A season of a storytelling circle ran on the first Tuesday of every month

Credo Circle Clinic
A service we offer for storytellers who are either working professionally and want to fine-tune their work or for storytellers who want to become professional.

Earls Court Community Arts Festival for the 3rd year running, Credo was part of the Earls Ct. arts festival. We ran a series of 10 workshops for youth on Slam storytelling, culminating with a performance.

Monthly Storytelling circle
The monthly storytelling circle has run successfully on the first Tuesday of every month.
National Storytelling week we held a service in conjunction with the church and arts group Intermission. Our creative director performed at St Paul's Cathedral on the theme of art and faith as a story teller
The Tent at St Ethelburgers, several of our regular attendees were asked to perform at events in the Tent

Credo Circle Clinic
We piloted our first Credo Clinic for storytellers who were working professionally.

Earls Court Community Arts Festival for the 2nd year running Cafe Credo was part of the Earls Ct. arts festival. We invited Jewish storyteller Chana Yaffe to be our main event. Then members of the story circle presented an hour of stories, that the audience chose randomly from a lucky. dip. The event was well attended and raised a lot of interest.

A special launch evening for our youngest storyteller of 19 years of age. Anna Mueser played the fiddle and gave an evening of enchanting fairy story’s. She has since been invited to perform at the Ottawa storytelling festival.

On Twelfth night, Cafe Credo had a re launch storytelling party in the art gallery of the Troubadour Cafe in Old Brompton Road, Earls Ct. London. We celebrated with a feast of stories. As it was the eve of the Russian Orthodox Christmas, a lovely telling of Babushka was especially included . In the open floor section our Mexican waiter for the evening told his first story ever in public and some surprise visitors from the local drama school turned up who added to significantly to the quality of the evening. Along with the stories wine and mince pies were in abundance. It was a great start to our new season of future Cafe Credo events .

Monthly Storytelling circle
Everyone was invited to come to the new monthly storytelling circle which started in February and has since been running successfully on the first Tuesday of every month.

On the Twelfth of July Cafe Credo was part of the Earls Ct. arts festival performing at Costa Cafe. Members of the story circle presented an hour of stories followed by a lively open floor, and our story slam competition for the funniest , saddest and most hopeful story told in under 3-5 mins. Prizes of book tokens and books were awarded courtesy of Books Etc. and Wesley Owen.

Workshops
ongoing series of storyskilling workshops to encourage and sharpen our skills
Storytelling for the beginners Sep 24
Story telling and singing Oct 22
Master class in storytelling Jan28
Your voice and storytelling April

The Surprises of the season 2000 2002 were many, not least some of moments of wonder and charm that emerged from the open floor sessions. There were some incredible moments of first time vulnerability - whilst someone unlocked their treasure of a story they have held dear or even created themselves.

Poetry and music have been a wonderful compliment to the richness of the the storytelling. We have heard original poetry as well a refreshing deliveries of the classics.We have had some exquisite moments of song offered from the floor and some lovely instrumental work that has appeared from a black box hidden under the cafe tables.

The relaxed atmosphere has enabled the flow of a lot of lyrical daftness, with comedic songs, poetry jokes and stories. And yes before you think you are in utopia there have been the odd awkward moments but we emphasise the open floor as a safe space, a raw space a space for both the professional and beginner, a place where it is okay to fluff your lines. A space to communicate your humanity and creativity in all its magnificence, strangeness and familiar frailty.

From February to July we spent a season working and rehearsing with a troupe of professional Actors and musicians. We presented Biblical text tellings with professional actors and musicians. Our first presentation was the dramatic and poignant story of Joseph which we did over two Cafe Credo evenings. The story of Noah, Elisha, Daniel, The story of pentecost from the book of Acts and an evening on Psalms.

Working with actors rather than storytellers was very challenging for both parties.For the actors it has opened up a new space of what it means to carry a narrative or part of narrative rather than concentrating solely on the inner motives of one character.The actors also felt challenged by the storytellers ability to look the audience in the eyes and connect at a deep intimate level. For the storytellers we have been greatly challenged by their professionalism and performance skills.

It was an excellent season and with it brought a whole new audience ie. friends of actors.

As part of the ethos of CREDO which is to emphasise the collective and collaborative nature of the Christian story, we share telling the narrative and work with an average of 5 to 7 people who work together to tell the Biblical Text for the evening. Music was very much part of these events.

RUTH A telling of the book of Ruth
As part of the ethos of CREDO which is to emphasise the collective and collaborative nature of the Christian story, we share telling the narrative and work with an average of 5 to 7 people who work together to tell the Biblical Text for the evening. Music was very much part of these events.

RUTH A telling of the book of Ruth
LOVE STORIES - Abraham & Sara,Isaac & Rebekkah, Jacob & Racheal
BEFORE THE TALKING PIG, ‘BABE ‘ THERE WAS BALAAM'S ASS! Stories of four footed creatures and their role in the Bible
SHE’S NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE ! A moving story of a young woman whose bravery changed the course of Jewish history - the book of Esther.
WINNING WITHOUT THE BIG GUNS How unlikely characters succeed against the odds. The story of young man called Gideon .
THE RELUCTANT PROPHET (The book of Jonah) How a city was saved by an unwilling prophet called Jonah.
change order of archive make summary first and a lot simpler
JESUS’ TAKE AWAY - THE OTHER SUPPERS.... Food for all - fantasy, miracle or just another new TV Chef series Come and see what stories are cooking...
FIRE WALKERS IN THE CITY ( the book of Daniel) How a Jewish yuppie and vegetarian beat the system

FOR PETE’S SAKE!!!!! (Extracts from the New Testament) If the TUC had been formed then, he would have led it, some stories of success and failure and a letter of hard earned wisdom.

Childrens storytelling festival
A very successful community story telling festival for 150 children with 6 storytellers was run in with St Peter’s Church Notting Hill Gate.

Cafe Credo launch !(our first season 2000 to spring 2002 )
Off the page and some might say off the wall... but it works! by Shan Stephens

‘Once a month in a cool chic cafe in a very famous street in London, Portobello Road, the wine flows, some light food is shared and The CREDO Storytellers, an oral bibilical story-telling group, do an hour of telling from the text of a biblical story.
Then follows half an hour of chilling out with the audience. After which it is "Open Floor" where anyone from the audience can tell any story (it does not have to be biblical), recite a poem, sing a song, tell a joke, or play some music.
As yet no official reviews of what The CREDO storytellers are doing has been written up (we have only been doing this since October 1999). But the comments and phone calls are interesting and positive. Such as:
"Was that really from the Bible?,"
"It was such an exciting and moving story,"
or the comment from two members of a large Black Pentecostal church;
"What an amazing atmosphere. I have never seen the Word of God shared in this way."
Then there is the observation from an experienced social worker and counsellor in church:
"It's a lovely, welcoming, gentle, and unthreatening environment which allows people to get in touch with their hearts and the creative child in them and with each other."
For me the best 'comment' is that the small trickle of unchurched people who have started coming in off the streets stay, and do not seem to want to leave at the end of the evening.
So why are we doing Bible storytelling in this environment? Is it just a trendy idea? Well, we as CREDO storytellers think it is more than that. We think we are getting back to the roots of what Jesus was doing and what the Bible says when the Word became flesh and dwelled amongst us.
Jesus spent a lot of his time being with people in an environment of food and hospitality. Indeed key principles of the kingdom were demonstrated around the table. A table with food on it is not a pulpit or a lecture room, but a place to pass the salt on to one another, a place of sharing and interaction.
When I first saw oral biblical storytelling in 1999 on the Bible Society tour in Britain I was struck by the heightened power of the word of God when it is released from the page and allowed freedom to express through the eyes, and through gesture, and in the deep spaces or gaps of nuanced silence.
The word became flesh and sits down to eat . . . ‘
'The shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story' Anthony de Mello

Off the page and some might say off the wall... but it works! by Shan Stephens

Once a month in a cool chic cafe in a very famous street in London, Portobello Road, the wine flows, some light food is shared and The CREDO Storytellers, an oral bibilical story-telling group, do an hour of telling from the text of a biblical story.
Then follows half an hour of chilling out with the audience. After which it is "Open Floor" where anyone from the audience can tell any story (it does not have to be biblical), recite a poem, sing a song, tell a joke, or play some music.
As yet no official reviews of what The CREDO storytellers are doing has been written up (we have only been doing this since October 1999). But the comments and phone calls are interesting and positive. Such as:
"Was that really from the Bible?,"
"It was such an exciting and moving story,"
or the comment from two members of a large Black Pentecostal church;
"What an amazing atmosphere. I have never seen the Word of God shared in this way."
Then there is the observation from an experienced social worker and counsellor in church:
"It's a lovely, welcoming, gentle, and unthreatening environment which allows people to get in touch with their hearts and the creative child in them and with each other."
For me the best 'comment' is that the small trickle of unchurched people who have started coming in off the streets stay, and do not seem to want to leave at the end of the evening.
So why are we doing Bible storytelling in this environment? Is it just a trendy idea? Well, we as CREDO storytellers think it is more than that. We think we are getting back to the roots of what Jesus was doing and what the Bible says when the Word became flesh and dwelled amongst us.
Jesus spent a lot of his time being with people in an environment of food and hospitality. Indeed key principles of the kingdom were demonstrated around the table. A table with food on it is not a pulpit or a lecture room, but a place to pass the salt on to one another, a place of sharing and interaction.
When I first saw oral biblical storytelling in 1999 on the Bible Society tour in Britain I was struck by the heightened power of the word of God when it is released from the page and allowed freedom to express through the eyes, and through gesture, and in the deep spaces or gaps of nuanced silence.
The word became flesh and sits down to eat . . .
'The shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story' Anthony de Mello