The Woods Hole Public Library will celebrate the sea, Cape Cod, and the diverse heritage of the New England Coastal Region and Maritime folklore by presenting a performance by Parents’ Choice Award winning storyteller Davis Bates. Entitled “Sea Songs & Stories: from Shore to Deep Water”, the program will involve the audience in a variety of cultural traditions. It will include ghost ballads & sea chanteys, Native American stories, folk tales and family tales. There will be plenty of sing-alongs, and even a short lesson in how to play music with spoons from a kitchen drawer.
Pete Seeger and Toshi Seeger called Davis “thoughtful, creative, human, and a fantastic storyteller.” Davis’ traditional and participatory performance style empowers and encourages audiences of all ages to join in the fun, and to take the songs and stories home with them to share with others. He also encourages listeners to remember and share stories and songs from their own family and cultural traditions.
Davis Bates has been telling stories for over forty-five years, in schools, libraries, colleges and community settings around New England and across the country. His recording of Family Stories won a Parent’s Choice Gold Award and was named one of the year’s best Audio Recordings by Booklist Magazine. Davis has also served as director and consultant for several local and regional oral history and folk arts projects. Davis lives in the village of Shelburne Falls, MA, and when he isn’t collecting or learning stories, he spends his time acting in local theater productions, developing various pollinator projects and working with the Hampshire College Alumni Advisory Group and gardening on the Hampshire campus and at home.
The performance will take place at the Woods Hole Public Library on Tuesday, July 9th at 1:00 pm. Be sure not to miss this wonderful program of traditional interactive entertainment celebrating the magic and power of the sea. This program is funded, in part, by a grant from the Falmouth Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. For more information please call (508) 548-8961.