Connie is telling stories at Black Mountain Center for the Arts this Spring.
Connie with Rosa and Ray Hicks
Ray Hicks at National Storytelling Festival – Photo by Tom Raymond
From Another Time: Celebrating the Legacy of Ray Hicks
We have been looking up to him from the beginning…the lanky 6’ 7’’ man of the mountains, who came out into the world, bearing old-world gifts that have enriched modern lives beyond measure. Connie Regan-Blake first met Ray Hicks on October 7, 1973, in Jonesborough, Tennessee. It was an afternoon that changed her life…and the course of storytelling in the United States. The setting was the first National Storytelling Festival. Come listen to stories of how Ray became the face of traditional Appalachian mountain storytelling along with Connie’s personal reflections on her long friendship with the Hicks family.
- Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door
- BMCA Website Advaced tickets: Eventbrite
Doors open at 6:30pm for the 7pm performance. Seating is general admission. Online ticket sales end 1 hour prior to performance time. There may still be tickets available for purchase in the office after online sales have ended. Contact BMCA for information – 828.669.0930.
Join Connie Regan-Blake Saturday, August 5, 2023 from 9am-10:30am MST (UTC -7) / 11am-12:30pm EST for a virtual workshop, “Cooking Up Stories.” Telling stories is as natural and vital as taking a breath! This workshop welcomes everyone: writers curious about the oral word, those who want to explore their personal experiences and those who simply love stories. Connie Regan-Blake generously shares tools she has developed and learned throughout her trailblazing storytelling career that has taken her around the world. More details coming soon.
The focus of this “Taking Your Story to the Stage” 3-day workshop is on storytelling performance. Each participant is asked to come with a story that is almost “stage-ready.” Participants gather at Connie’s home, tucked in the beautiful mountains surrounding Asheville, NC. This workshop intensive provides a supportive, affirming atmosphere to nurture each storyteller’s performance skills and confidence. “Taking Your Story to the Stage” is open only to those who have previously studied with Connie. If you have not had this opportunity and/or Connie has not heard you tell a story, a private coaching session may be required. Registration is limited so if you’d like to add your name to the list of participants now, contact Connie. For more details, click here.
What participants are saying:
- Intense and magical
- Just sitting in the same room for three days with such talented, beautiful, creative people, steeping in beauty – I feel inspired to deepen my relationship with creativity.
- I found the environment that Connie constructed through relaxation and awareness exercises, created a safe environment conducive to creativity, reflection and open listening to myself and those around me.
- This workshop is one of the best ways to take one story you love, focus on it intensely with Connie and other committed, loving tellers in a super, supportive environment and then polish it up and let it shine at the live performance.
And if you can’t make the workshop, mark your calendars now join us as listeners for an enchanting evening of storytelling in “A Slice of Life: An Evening of Stories” on April 22, 2023 at Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
The focus of this “Taking Your Story to the Stage” 3-day workshop is on storytelling performance. Each participant is asked to come with a story that is almost “stage-ready.” Participants gather at Connie’s home, tucked in the beautiful mountains surrounding Asheville, NC. This workshop intensive provides a supportive, affirming atmosphere to nurture each storyteller’s performance skills and confidence. “Taking Your Story to the Stage” is open only to those who have previously studied with Connie. If you have not had this opportunity and/or Connie has not heard you tell a story, a private coaching session may be required. Registration is limited so if you’d like to add your name to the list of participants now, contact Connie. For more details, click here.
And if you can’t make the workshop, mark your calendars now join us as listeners for an enchanting evening of storytelling in “A Slice of Life: An Evening of Stories” on October 21, 2023 at Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
Join nationally celebrated storyteller Connie Regan-Blake as she welcomes her storytelling students to the stage for “A Slice of Life: An Evening of Stories.” Enjoy a great lineup of tellers to be announced.
Saturday, October 21, 2023. Tickets $18 in advance, $20 at the door.
Connie is emceeing this evening of unique voices. The last four “Slice of Life” shows have been sell-outs – so get your tickets early!
What participants have said:
- Intense and Rewarding. Opportunity to take risks and grow with others who care about stories and those who tell them.
- This workshop offers a retreat environment in which realignment occurs allowing freedom for the story to take the stage as I, the entertainer, offer it as a gift to the audience.
“The Round Robin of storytellers at Connie Regan-Blake’s “Slice of Life” show gave me a rare listening treat. Each story was as unique as the voice that told it. What great fun to hear a mountain art form so well-spun!” –Donna Marie Todd, storyteller, singer and story workshop leader