Calendar

Upcoming Events, Shows & Performances:

In Celebration of International Women’s Day

Posted on by Odds Bodkin

Long before I went from a dad with three little boys driving their mom crazy to a happy grandfather with three compelling young women in my sons’ lives, I told stories about girls. I studied what’s called “the eternal feminine” in mythology, and found many places in my stories to laud the power of women.

International Women’s Day is March 8, 2021, and so I’ve created a new Zoom online concert. It’s a family show called SHE’S CLEVER, THAT ONE: FAIRY TALES FOR SMART GIRLS and I highly recommend all four stories. They’re funny, with intriguing characters and head-scratching surprises everywhere. They’re all filled with beautiful music, too. Some even offer opportunities to sing along.

The show is Sunday, March 7 at 5 pm EST on ZOOM. Just grab a ticket and download your ZOOM credentials. Then mark your calendar and enjoy the live show! It’s great for the whole family.

SHE’S CLEVER, THAT ONE: FAIRY TALES FOR SMART GIRLS

A Storytelling Performance by Odds Bodkin on Zoom

Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 5 pm EST

Tickets: $25

A CHRISTMAS STORY LIKE NO OTHER…Odds Bodkin in MA this Dec. 1

Posted on by Odds Bodkin

Imagine you are a generous but now impoverished old knight who needs a boon from the High King, but you’re too embarrassed to see your old friend without even a small gift to bring. It’s been forty years since you saved the king’s life. He hasn’t seen you since.

And then, a miracle. The dead cherry tree in your courtyard blooms and grows cherries in a dark snowstorm. It’s three days before Christmas Eve. With the miraculous cherries in a basket, you set off on foot for Cardiff Castle. Essentially, you are carrying a gift from God.

English law of the time states that anyone, even peasants, can beg a boon from the king on Christmas Eve. And so, disguised as a farmer, you bang on the castle’s guardhouse door. The rough guard inside thinks you’re just another peasant and so tells you you’re too late to get in, that is, until you show him what you’ve brought: glowing, fresh cherries. An impossibility in winter. The guard knows the king will love them and give an you extraordinary boon.

He agrees to let you in, but demands one third of whatever gold, silver, gems or furs the king may give you. It’s frank extortion, but to get into the castle, you agree. You promise him a third of your boon and you enter the castle.

But there are two more doors you must pass before you enter the feasting hall. And there are two more gatekeepers who see the cherries, too, and have the same idea.

MID-WINTER MIRACLES: MUSICAL TALES FOR CHRISTMAS AND CHANUKAH

DEC. 1, 2019 at 3 pm at The Burren Backroom in Somerville MA. Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

TICKETS

STORYTELLING AFICIONADOS DISCOVER ODDS BODKIN’S MASTER DRIVE

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STORYTELLING AFICIONADOS DISCOVER ODDS BODKIN’S MASTER DRIVE

The complete works of a master musical storyteller. From folk tales for children to epics for teens and adults. Serious savings on a lifetime of imagination.

See what it’s all about here.

An Ancient Knowing of Trees

Posted on by Odds Bodkin

An Ancient Knowing of Trees

As modern people who with a chain saw can fell a sequoia eight feet thick in a few minutes, it’s hard to imagine the awe ancient people felt for big trees. Especially in a climax forest that stretched in Roman times from England’s north all the way to its south, covering all except hunting trails. To this day, the famed Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood remains a small patch of that vast woodland.

It was the same everywhere across the planet, of course, wherever trees grew. Different people walked beneath different ones, but it was the same awe. So it’s no surprise that myths honoring trees are universal.

In South America, the first palm tree grew from the body of a buried maiden. In India, trees were thought of as sentient beings. Living beneath massive oaks in Britain, the Druids were named after them, while further north, Vikings believed a giant ash tree held up the universe. Everything in the Garden of Eden was edible, except for the fruit of one tree. When the Buddha attained nirvana, he was seated beneath the Bodhi Tree.

To celebrate this parade of archetypes, I’ll be telling my best stories about trees for kids and parents this coming May 25th at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Some tales are funny, filled with animal characters, while others run deeper. All are filled with characters, naturalistic sounds and music on 12-string guitar, Celtic harp and more.

It’s an ideal family show for any parent who wants their child to respect living things.

Check it out here and get your tickets early!

 

–Odds Bodkin

 

A Family Stories Extravaganza at The Livery at Sunapee Harbor NH August 11!

Posted on by Odds Bodkin

Get your tickets now for Odds Bodkin’s FAMILY STORIES EXTRAVAGANZA for this coming Friday night, August 11th! Hosted by The Livery at Sunapee Harbor , Odds’ fingers will fly across his Celtic harp, 12-string guitars and other instruments as he tells his best, family friendly tales. Wild character voices, uncannily real vocal effects and narrative combine to create imagination entertainments parents and kids always love.

Called “a consummate storyteller” by The New York Times and “one of the great voices in American storytelling” by Wired, Odds invites you not only to listen, but to sing along if you like, create rhythms and simply have fun. Stories from all around the world with music to match!

Tickets are $10 adult, $5 children, $25 for family of 4 here.

Free Public Performance in Media, PA June 3rd

Posted on by Odds Bodkin

Bring a picnic and the kids to Glen Providence Park in Media, PA this coming Saturday evening at 5 pm for a free public performance of A FAMILY STORIES EXTRAVAGANZA. I’ll be there with my Celtic harp and 12-string and will offer four fun stories, filled with music that will put you and your kids in a happy, imaginative mood.

I’ll be telling The Name of the Tree from Africa, The Tale of the Kittens from Italy, The Elf of Springtime from Sweden and Finn MacCool and the Big Man from Ireland.

And I’ll be playing my harp as the audience arrives and settles in.

If it rains, Sunday June 4th is the rain date.

Thanks to Stephanie Gaboriault and Friends of Glen Providence Park!