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Chester County Press

A weekend of tales, large and small

06/19/2013 01:49PM ● By Acl

Bil Lepp will be featured at this weekend's Brandywine Storytelling Festival.

The seventh annual Brandywine Storytelling Festival has outgrown its original venue, and will now take place June 21 and 22 at the Upland Country Day School.

Headlining for the seventh year in a row is Bil Lepp, the five-time Liar's Champion of West Virginia. He leads a lineup of ten storytellers, including two-time Grammy winner Bill Harley. There are storytelling workshops and family-friendly performances Friday evening and throughout the day Saturday.

This year, the event includes seven storytelling performances on Friday starting at 7 p.m.; six Saturday morning storytelling workshops (9 to 11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon); four performances for children (9 and 11 a.m., 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.); seven Saturday afternoon featured storytelling performances; an open microphone contest for audience members; and a Saturday evening storytelling finale.

Upland Country Day School is at 420 W. Street Rd., Kennett Square. Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for adults, with weekend passes and family ticket package discounts available. Children 6 and younger are free.

The festival offers six workshops, three from 9 to 11 a.m., and three from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday.  They offer a range of storytelling skills: How to take an ordinary situation and turn it into an extraordinary story, how to create characters, how to incorporate music into your stories, and more. Each workshop is free with a paid festival ticket. Register online at www.lbstoryfest.com/html/workshops.html

The Brandywine Storytelling Festival was originated by the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church in 2006. The event nearly doubled every year, so the church added a 500-seat tent to accommodate festival-goers starting in 2009. The crowds continued to grow, until the older facilities and limited grounds forced the church to make a decision. Upland Country Day School is the festival's new home this year.

For more information, and a schedule of events and performers, visit www.lbstoryfest.com.