Dennis King is acutely aware of a growing trend on Prince Edward Island.
Many people are getting tired of watching television night after night.
They are developing a real thirst for hearing real stories from locals in their communities.
“People have an amazing desire for an Island experience – storytelling around the kitchen table,” says King, a member of The Tellers, a storytelling troupe that also includes Alan Buchanan, Gary Evans and David Weale, whose sold-out performances made the show a hit last summer.
And while Islanders and visitors are quickly becoming reacquainted with the art, storytelling is a longstanding tradition with King.
“It’s very natural to me because I’ve been surrounded by it my whole life. The Kings are storytellers by trade so it was something I just absorbed from my father and uncles,” says the Georgetown native, who is sharing his family’s stories in a new book, “The Day They Shot Reveen: Stories from a P.E.I. Small Town.”
Whether it was a visit from the Georgetown Santa on Christmas Eve, a family game that mysteriously disappears after children become too rowdy, an unusual experience with an undertaker or recollections about the various characters in Georgetown, the stories are rich in the local colour of Prince Edward Island.
One section is dedicated to his father, Lionel MacKenzie King, a popular storyteller who died in 1996, at age 66.
“We all regretted losing all the stories and the jokes that died with him. I’ve done my best to remember them. And now that I have stories of my own, I want to preserve them because, at the end of the day, it’s what this journey is all about.”
Perhaps it was Kathy Kaufield, a journalist/colleague who helped him edit some of his stories, who described it best.
“She said it was like a love letter to my father,” says King who starts out telling his father’s stories and his uncle’s stories before telling his own.
While stories are rewarding read silently, they’re best read aloud.
“My father always said, good stories come from living and great stories come from telling,” says King, who is excited about the return of The Tellers to Kings Playhouse in Georgetown on Mondays starting June 20.
He’s also excited about as the shows at the Harbourfront Theatre on July 30 and Aug. 27.
“We’re calling that show, The Four Tellers Go West.”
Sally Cole is an entertainment writer with The Guardian. She welcomes comments about her column as well as suggestions for future columns from readers. She may be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 902-629-6000, ext. 6054.
FAST FACTS
- Who: Storyteller Dennis King.
- Mentors: His father, Lionel MacKenzie King, his uncles, Jack and Donald King.
- Tips to storytelling: “You need a bit of courage, a good ear and a reasonability ability to ad lib.
- Getting in touch: https://dennyking.ca/.
Dennis King is acutely aware of a growing trend on Prince Edward Island.
Many people are getting tired of watching television night after night.
They are developing a real thirst for hearing real stories from locals in their communities.
“People have an amazing desire for an Island experience – storytelling around the kitchen table,” says King, a member of The Tellers, a storytelling troupe that also includes Alan Buchanan, Gary Evans and David Weale, whose sold-out performances made the show a hit last summer.
And while Islanders and visitors are quickly becoming reacquainted with the art, storytelling is a longstanding tradition with King.
“It’s very natural to me because I’ve been surrounded by it my whole life. The Kings are storytellers by trade so it was something I just absorbed from my father and uncles,” says the Georgetown native, who is sharing his family’s stories in a new book, “The Day They Shot Reveen: Stories from a P.E.I. Small Town.”
Whether it was a visit from the Georgetown Santa on Christmas Eve, a family game that mysteriously disappears after children become too rowdy, an unusual experience with an undertaker or recollections about the various characters in Georgetown, the stories are rich in the local colour of Prince Edward Island.
One section is dedicated to his father, Lionel MacKenzie King, a popular storyteller who died in 1996, at age 66.
“We all regretted losing all the stories and the jokes that died with him. I’ve done my best to remember them. And now that I have stories of my own, I want to preserve them because, at the end of the day, it’s what this journey is all about.”
Perhaps it was Kathy Kaufield, a journalist/colleague who helped him edit some of his stories, who described it best.
“She said it was like a love letter to my father,” says King who starts out telling his father’s stories and his uncle’s stories before telling his own.
While stories are rewarding read silently, they’re best read aloud.
“My father always said, good stories come from living and great stories come from telling,” says King, who is excited about the return of The Tellers to Kings Playhouse in Georgetown on Mondays starting June 20.
He’s also excited about as the shows at the Harbourfront Theatre on July 30 and Aug. 27.
“We’re calling that show, The Four Tellers Go West.”
Sally Cole is an entertainment writer with The Guardian. She welcomes comments about her column as well as suggestions for future columns from readers. She may be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 902-629-6000, ext. 6054.
FAST FACTS
- Who: Storyteller Dennis King.
- Mentors: His father, Lionel MacKenzie King, his uncles, Jack and Donald King.
- Tips to storytelling: “You need a bit of courage, a good ear and a reasonability ability to ad lib.
- Getting in touch: https://dennyking.ca/.
