JEFF GERE

Storyteller, Puppeteer, Producer, Media Artist

Jeff Gere is a master storyteller & puppeteer. He has a BA in Painting & Art History (junior year Florence, Italy) and MA in Performance Art (San Francisco). In Italy (‘80- 82), he created/toured Dream Theatre (puppet, mask, mime mix; 13 city German tour).

In Hawaii (’82 on), Jeff’s taught & performed in every venue conceivable for decades: all museums, private & public schools; solo & group tours (all ages, sizes, & incomes); bars, prisons, shelters, conferences, conventions, libraries, centers, state-wide & often.

Gere is the retired Drama Specialist, City & County of Honolulu’s Parks Department (’87-’14). He produced & hosted the Talk Story Festival for 26 years, Hawaii’s largest storytelling event (local talent, mainland guests, large crowds). Festival videos air monthly (Story TV on ‘Olelo Community Access TV, 1994 on). Talk Story Radio aired 30 minute storytelling shows (05-07, Hawaii Public Radio + 2 others,13,000/week.)

Gere told at the National Storytelling Festival (Exchange Place, Tennessee, 2010) & did a week’s Residency at the International Storytelling Center (2013, Tennessee). International tours in 2016 are Australia Story Conf., China (shadow puppets) and India. He toured in 2015 to Thailand, India, & Romania, (again in 2017). He’s toured Taiwan (8/14). He’s told at Storytell Festivals in Florida (Story Camp’12), Portland (’11), Yellowknife, Arctic Canada (’10) & Wisconsin (Northlands Conf. ’10), Georgia (Kennesaw University residency ’07), Tennessee & Florida (’07, ’12), Arizona (’06), Nevada (’02 & ’03); Vancouver (’04) & Turkey (Karagoz Shadow Puppet Fest. ‘04); Thailand (English Story Camp ‘03), National Story Conferences (summer ‘14, ’12, ’07, ’04, ’99, ’93). In ’92 Jeff toured Samoa, Guam & Saipan & represented Hawaii at the Universal Expo (Spain). He tours California lots (’93 on; Los Angeles Puppet Fest ’13, LA Story Fest ’09, San Diego Story Fest ’12). He received the 2007 Oracle Award (Pacific Region) from the National Storytelling Network. He hosted & produced NSN’s Talk Story Conference (Waikiki ‘09) and Oahu Talk Story Camps (’11, ’12, &’13). He appears on Mystery Hunters (Canadian series ’06), Travel Channel & History Channel (both ‘Haunted Hawaii’ shows ’02, still airing).

Jeff told/enacted The Arabian Nights with 2 musicians & belly dancer (10 tales in 18 months, packed houses, Chinatown’s ‘Opium Den’ (03-04) and Hong Kong (’05). The Honolulu Academy of Arts commissioned Yo Pharaoh (Egyptian myths) & Van Gogh’s Ghost. He directed/performed the “Art Off The Wall” series, an inter-disciplinary collaborative shows interpreting Honolulu Contemporary Museum exhibits (‘97-’00). He interpreted tale of Japanese Immigration to Hawaii for a Japanese Shinto/Buddhist group in the historic Hawaii Theater (Dec 13). Gere’s “Tell Well” Storytelling System (University Hawaii ‘90-97 class & concerts, ’10-13 summers) became a book (‘13). Jeff will teach ‘Storytelling as Performance’ at the University of Hawaii, Manoa (Drama Department, Spring 2017).

Jeff made 10 CDs: Haunted Hawaii 1, 2, & 3 (supernatural tales), Rank Devil Mountain (Honors, ’07 Best Storytelling Recordings, Storytelling World), Silly ‘N Spooky (featured on Hawaiian Airlines flights, summer ’06), The Two Brothers (73 minute musical Grimm tell), Yakkity Yak (talkin’ on tellin’) & Cultures In Collision (Honors ’09 Best Recording, Storytelling World). In 2010, he released Twisted (spooky world tales), Guardian of the Trees (Honors, Best Recording Young Adults 2015, Storytelling World) & 2 DVDs (kid tales and Haunted Hawaii).

In October, 2016, (after touring China) Jeff will do a solo collage exhibit in Honolulu, and revives a preschool musical written 30 years ago, The Boy Who Fell In Love With A Star, in the Bishop Museum’s Planetarium. Then he goes to India. He is indeed very creatively active .                                                                           Revised 5/2016