John Colligan has been telling folktales from around the world for over 20 years. His audiences, which range from the very young to the very old, have been entranced by the range of his repertoire, the music he uses with his stories, and the quality of innocence and vulnerability he brings to each performance.
John has taught storytelling at the Dalton School and at the United Nations International School. In 2001, he completed a storytelling pilgrimage to his ancestral Ireland, where he worked with noted traditional storytellers Gearóidín Bhreathnach and Mihail Ross. John is Director of Music and Children's Theater at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School in Manhattan, and was for fifteen years a board member of the storytelling center of New York City.
John holds an M.M. in Music Composition from the University of Cincinnati, an A.B. in Music and Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame and a Preprimary Certificate in Montessori Education from the American Montessori Society.
Reviews
"What a wonderful evening you gave us! You created and maintained such a warm rapport with the children and adults in the audience (our largest yet)." Melissa Heckler, Coordinator, Midsummer Tales, Chappaqua Library.
"It was a memorable evening for us all. I don't know when so many people have been so enthusiastic about a program." Robert Funk, Education Department, Cincinnati Nature Center.
"John ... has demonstrated a quality with young children which borders on all that is magical, mystical, whimsical, fascinating. He is clearly dedicated to the well of creative potential smoldering in the young. His ability release this potential is wondrous to observe." Natalie Arrington, Administrator, Downtown Montessori, Cincinnati.
"Thanks for being one of the best specialists and entertaining our kids so well with so many stories." Kim Vanderbilt, Teacher, The Dalton School.
"You have an incredible talent. I felt inspired just to sit at your feet." J. G. Pinkerton, Storyteller.
Other Credits
Featured in New York Magazine, May 6, 1991.
New York Public Library at Lincoln Center as well as many other local branches.
Sandbox Stories, sponsored by the Central Park Conservancy, Manhattan.
The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Storyteller's Festival for Older Adults, Westchester Library System.
Sample Programs
Gadgets and Gizmos: Stories about inventions and creativity for this technological age.
Sacred Stories: Stories about Spirit from all the world’s cultures.
Stories from around the World: A program for all ages chosen from the world's heritage of folktales.
Stories for the Very Young: A short program of stories guaranteed to appeal to the feelings and attention span of very young children.
Stories under the Stars: An evening program of stories about the constellations.
Tales from Tir na nOg: a tour through the treasure trove that is Irish myth and story.
Made-to-order programs for parties and other occasions available on request!
Sample Workshops
Astonish Me!: For children in small groups, several sessions. Through theater games and one-on-one exercises, children will gain an organic sense of how fairy tales and folktales work. They will create their own tales, and enact them in a theatrical presentation
Music and Stories: Whether or not you are a musician, whether or not you are a storyteller, in this workshop John will show you how to combine the two media successfully.
Orpheus and Beyond: A guided tour through Greek myth and Greek theater, for ages 10 and above.
The Storyteller’s Journey: A workshop on how you can be a storyteller, using John’s journey as a storyteller as an example.