JEFF GERE
Storyteller, Educator, Puppeteer
P.O. Box 37495, Honolulu, HI. 96837,
www.jeffgere.com , jeffgere@lava.net
BA 1975 Art History & Studio Art (double major) University of California, Davis
MA 1979 Interdisciplinary Arts (Performance Art), San Francisco State University
Profession: Retired at end of 2014 after 28 years as ‘Drama Specialist’ for City & County of Honolulu, Department of Parks & Recreation
STORY PRODUCTIONS & SERIES
| Talk Story CAMP & TOUR | July 2013 July 2012 July 2011 | 3 days, 2 nights (a week of activities total), Mainland Stars & local storytellers give workshops, concerts, opening & closing ceremony, Imu dinner, canoe rides & campfires at Windward Oahu's gorgeous Kualoa Camp (on the beach) 2013, permit revoked so 7 storytellers did the Not Camp Tour (1 week daily tells, see all at www.talkstorycamp.com |
| Talk Story CONFERENCE | July 16-20, 2009 | National Storytelling Networks Pacific Region Conference @ Queen Kapiolani Hotel. Hawaiis best, National & Pacific Rim talents. 5 packed days + 2 touring Oahu + 4 days Maui |
| Talk Story FESTIVAL | Annually Octobers 1989- 2014 | Creator/host of Hawaiis biggest storytelling celebration. 3 or 2 free nights of island tellers & a few mainland guests, Sign interpreters, dramatic lighting, video projections, live music occasionally, big crowds, great publicity, business sponsors. |
| Talk Story TOURS | Oct 05-14, 1990-1995 | 3 or 4 tellers (local & national) tour schools, libraries, & local venues via Univ. of Hawaii, wide variety of public shows. Not lucrative, reach all major islands in wide variety of settings & audiences, many unique experiences. |
| Talk Story RADIO | Aug 2005 - Sept 2007 | 30 minute themed story shows weekly on Hawaii Public Radio, KTUH (Univ Hawaii) & ManaÕo Radio (Maui), 13,000 listeners/week. Podcasts at www.talkstoryradio.com (Parks Dept. & Campbell Foundation.) |
| STORY TV | 1992- 2014 | monthly storytelling programs air on Olelo: Community Access TV (2000s Best Performing Arts Series (Art Off Wall) |
| ARABIAN NIGHTS Series | Jan 2003 - June 2004 | With 2 musicians & belly dancer, opened Doris Duke Islamic Museum with 4 tales (all sold out) at Honolulu Art Museum (National Endowment for Humanities). Then 10 X 90+ minute tales in Chinatowns Indigo Restaurant Bar over 18 months of sold-out Saturday shows. |
| ART OFF THE WALL Series | 97-98, 99-00, '00-01 | collaborative interdisciplinary group shows interpreting 5 exhibits a year at Honolulu's The Contemporary Museum (Hawaii Community Foundation Grants) |
| TALES Concerts Univ. of Hii | July '13, '12, '11, 90-97 | annual workshop & evening concert. Various Topics: Story Band, Italian Tales, Spookies; children & adult, solo & group. Later, 4 session Instructional Class (Outreach College). |
OTHER SELECTED HAWAII TELLS
| Boy Who Fell in Love With A Star | Nov 16 & 1984 (2 months) | Jeff co-wrote this preschool musical, produced & acted in this run-away hit when he arrived in Hawaii. It will be remounted in fall, 2016 at Bishop Museum Planetarium. |
| Collage Exhibit | Oct. 2016 | Jeffs first one man exhibit of 80 collages & shadow shows (Arts @ Marks Garage, Honolulu) |
| SOLO Tells | 25 years (+) | continual performances & tours include all school levels & ages, public & private; museums, libraries, conferences, prisons, shelters, parks, community centers, across Hawaii & abroad; ongoing radio & TV. Annually featured at Honolulu Book & Music Festival, MidSummer Night's Gleam, etc. |
| Oahu Parks Department | 1987 to 2016 | 70ish shows a year includes annual tours in Summer Fun Program (8000 kids), teens, seniors, special events of all kind & sizes.Retired to end 2014, still do Sum Fun shows. |
| SPOOKY Show | October 2012 | Honolulu Theater for Youth featured Jeff's tales & shadow puppets (Tenney Theater 3 weeks, 2 shows/day + publics, 3-6 grades, designed as a solo touring show, all on YouTube) |
| Halloweens | 2001- | Obake! Japanese Cultural Center ('06-08); 100 Candles, 4 hours of ghost tales, 500 attend ('07, Kapiolani Community College (other shows 01, 03, 05). Spooky Tours to Maui & Big Island (solo & group tours '07- 11). Arts at Marks Garage & Maui Art & Culture Center (05), Hawaii Public Radio (03, 01), Burbank Family Film Fest. (03,02), Bishop Museum (solo & group series), Sea Life Park (twice), Bar Assoc. 03. |
| Menologues | Feb 04 | Male respond to Vagina Monologues w/ rappers, slam poets. |
| Three Pigs | July 2003 | story & shadow tour w/symphonic quintet (Cooke Foundation) |
| Japanese Immigrate to Hawaii | Dec 14 | Japanese Buddhist & Shinto Group stages storytelling reading, my shadow puppets & script rewrite of immigration to cane field labors. Hawaii Theater, international event |
| Lualualei Story Fest | Nov 02 & June 98 | Hawaiian spooky true tales for 5,000 Waianae residents in Maile Beach Park |
| Wind & Rain | June- Aug 01 | duet weaves comedy, tales, music & puppets making gory English ballad into a full show (Arts @ Mark's Garage) |
| Yo Pharaoh! | Mar-01 | interprets Egyptian myths in story & shadow with dancer & two musicians (Honolulu Academy of Art commission) |
| Van Gogh's Ghost | Feb & Aug 99 | Monologue of passion & madness (LA County Museum Art commission & show, restaged at Honolulu Academy Arts). |
| HearSay | 1997- 98 | story band trio (songs, stories & shadow puppets) (Univ. of Hawaii, Academy of Arts, bars & backyards, weddings) |
NATIONAL TELLS
| 8/13 Tennessee | International Storytelling Center Residency a week of daily concerts in storytell center: Jonesborough |
| N. Carolina, Kentucky Ohio, California | Tour shows nightly in quick swing through N. Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio; finally California storytelling at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. |
| 4/13 California | Los Angeles Puppet Festival (Skirball Cultural Center, who commissioned a new tale for the event.) Also several story sets at San Diego Story Fest. |
| 3/12 NY, DC, Florida | Sharing the Fire Conference (workshop, New York) Library of Congress (get story recordings, Wash DC)Florida Story Camp (featured national teller, concerts & workshops over 3 days) & Miami Book Fest (Dec) |
| 3/11 Oregon | Hearing Voices Tour (Portland Libraries, concert, classes; Arabian Night Tale, private home San Francisco |
| 10/10 Jonesborough Tennesse | National Story Festival Exchange Place Teller @ USA #1 story event. 12 minutes to 2000 in circus tent. |
| 4/10 Wisconsin | Northlands Story Conf.Group & solo tell, workshop |
| 11/09 & 11/13 California | Los Angeles Story Festival 2 story concerts 2Xs. 2010-packed house concert after NSN Conference. |
| 3/08 Georgia | Kennesaw University (Atlanta) Weekend Residency (workshops & concerts, fundraiser in Tennessee. |
| 3/06 Arizona | Aloha Festival 4 Hawaii tellers, big crowds, schools, workshop/tells at Storytelling Institute (Phoenix) |
| 6/04 Washington (Bellingham) | National Storytelling Conference Regional Teller Concert (1500 audience) & Arabian Nights Workshop |
| 6/02, 03 Nevada | Boulder City Folk Festival twice; school, workshop, festival tells & shadows |
| 6/97 Idaho & 93-02 Calif | National Invitational Storytelling Contest Boise River Folk Festival (1 of 3 tellers). Annual Tour (LA & SF) big museums, libraries, schools, colleges, private homes. Flying Leap Fest. '99 |
INTERNATIONAL TELLS
| 2016 Tours | Australia Story Conference (May, workshop & tell), China (Sept. shadow classes & shows), India (Nov. Pune, Bangalore, tells & classes) |
| Thailand 1/15 | Mahasarakham International Storytelling Festival workshop & concerts, three cities & teach a week in University. |
| India 8/15 | Under Banyan Story Fest. 10 days of workshops & shows, Bangaolore, Chennai, Pune. 1 of 7 international tellers featured. |
| Romania 9/15 | Romanian Story Festival 10 days tell & teach in/around Arad. Returning again in 2017 |
| Taiwan 8/14 | Taiwan Story Circus two weeks of solo & group tellings in Taichung & Taipei to teach English with 4 other tellers, Taipei & Taichung. |
| Canada 5/10 | Yellowknife Story Festival (arctic central Canada) 3 days with Hawaii, Arctic & Yukon tellers. |
| HongKong 6/05 | Faust Theater Festival Shaharazads 1st Tale, live drummer, shadows & tellings in Fringe Theater & a few other locations (Gecko Bar) |
| Canada 11/05 | Vancouver Storytelling Festival opening & 2 days of Arabian Night Tales & classes. |
| Turkey 11/04 | Karagoz Shadow Puppet Festival overhead & laptop shadows at UNICEF international event for a week, only American (Bursa). |
| Thailand 4/03 | English Story/Language Camps 2 weeks, for teachers & kids (Mahasarakham & Songkhla). |
| Spain 8/92 | Universal Expo (Sevilla) 1 of 45 of Hawaii modern & traditional artists, USA Pavilion for 2 weeks of daily shows. |
| Pacific 4/92 | Amer Samoa; Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan art centers, villages, hotels, Micronesian Arts Festival with Makia Malo (Kalaupapa) |
| Italy 80-82 | Dream Theater experimental mask & mime shows, toured while care-taking villa near Florence, 13 city German tour, after Jeffs family to Hawaii. |
| Other Travels | Paris 15, Alaska 08, Oaxaca 06, Turkey 03 twice, Bali 01, Israel & Egypt 00 |
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
| 1987- 2014 | Parks Classes | Storytelling, Story Games, Story Slams, Puppetry (simple, huge, foam, shadows, plays), creative drama, mask, mime, stilts, improvs, choral reading, lights, skits (all kinds), etc. |
| 2007-14 | Various / Specials | HAEYC, Kama Aina & Seagull Preschool Conf. keynotes, ESL Speech Festival, School-Parent Reading Nights, Toastmasters, many docent & private school story teaching residencies. |
| 1994 - 2014 | McGruff, Crime Dog | Lecture/demonstrate Masks, coach utility workers, military, & police to be costumed character, able to tell kids a parable. |
| 2004-10 | Castle Colleagues | Annual storytell workshop in premier statewide preschool teacher training, Castle Fndtn, State Preschool Conferences |
| 2001-05, 2009-10 | Art Off the Wall Class | Docent, Teacher, Student classes inter-relate the arts. Maui Art & Culture, Contemporary Museum, Honolulu Art Museum |
| Jan 1999 | Iolani School | 2 week Storytelling Residency for upper elementary classes in exclusive private Oahu School (Keables English Endowment) |
| 1985- 87 | Humanities 100 | taught 6 semesters of Humanities survey class, Hawaii Pacific University Extension (Hickam Air Force Base) |
| 1984-86 | Full Time Teacher | Our Lady of Sorrows (Wahiawa) 4th grade all subjects, 5-6 History, K-6 storytelling teacher/teller, drama electives, Parent Night plays. |
PRODUCTS
| 2010 | Two DVDs | Haunted Hawaii LIVE! A Spooky collection, various venues, most with music, advanced video manipulations. Silly 'N Spooky kids tales on video (with piano) & creative video effects. |
| 2010 | Inspiring Tales of Hawaii | A 'storyteller on the streets' collection of amazing & moving events that have happened to and around Jeff in Hawaii. Very moving! |
| 2010 | Twisted | The 'best' hair-raising collection of the weirdest, grizzley, chilling world folk & personal tales compiled over 15 years of recording. |
| 2008 | Yakkity Yak | A collection of anecdotes & tales talking about telling stories (food for thought) with lots of rhyme and piano. |
| 2008 | Two Brothers | Grimms Tale put to free wheeling verse rhyme, piano & guitar. 75 minutes, 9 chapters, two musicians & it KICKS! |
| 2008 | Cultures in Collision | Social conflict & resolution tales with Lyn Ford and Alton Chung. Honors, 2008 Best Story Recording (Storytelling World) |
| 2006 | Silly 'N Spooky | Playground classics of and for kids in Hawaii, told with piano and percussion. Played on Hawaiian Airline flights all Summer, 2006 |
| 2005 | Rank Devil Mountain | 3 HOT Hell/ devil/ fire stories (piano, percussion & didgeridoo) Honors, 2007 Best Story Recording (Storytelling World). |
| 2004 | Haunted Hawaii 3 | A live solo tell before a lively audience. This collection features a harrowing trip to the Old Mililani Graveyard. |
| 2003 | HH 2 | Chilling tales from Hawaii & Samoa, with percussion & piano. |
| 2008 | HH1 | Supernatural tales include many about Pele (2001 re-recorded 08) |
| Various Artists | DVDs: Jeeva Raghunath & Margaret Read MacDonald (2016), Ed Chevy (Deaf Poe) '15, Lyn Ford '14 CDs: Lopaka Kapanui 09, Marie Solomon (99) |
ASSOCIATIONS
| Since 1989 | National Storytelling Network USAs largest membership group. State Liason 94 on, Oracle Award (Pacific) 07, Fundraising Concert 08 (Tenn) |
| 1990-12 | Alliance for Culture and Arts Co-creator, Board member of active non-profit corporation administering grants for public art events. |
BOOK, ARTICLES & LINKS
| How to Tell It Well Storytelling System | book of Geres Storytelling methods, 91 pages, produced by Center for Disability Studies, University of Hawaii, 2013) |
| Nation Storytelling Magazine | Hawaiian Legend (3/11) Editorial on Media (9/07) Talk Story Radio (10/05) Parks tells (2/03) Mens Stories (4/01) Shadow Puppets (9/99) |
| Museletter (New England) | Storytelling Journal Political Storytelling (2/07), Story TV (10/02) |
| Hawaii's Spookiest Stories | (2006) Bess Press, compiled by Rick Carroll, one Gere story |
| TEAM UP! Telling in Tandem | article on storytelling with musicians. Book produced/edited by Jonatha Wright (Ohio), 2010 Presto Storytelling Publications |
| Storyteller.net Amphitheater | www.storyteller.net/amphitheater/38 (1/08) Talk Story 2007 review and Yakkity Yak: tales about tellin |
| YouTube Videos | Gere has 40 videos of his performances, full list upon request. |
| The Storytelling Project | Among 65 of Americas most prominent storytellers, video interviews (Cotsen Children's Library, Los Angeles, 1998). |
| Chicken Soup for Soul- Hawaii | includes 2 Gere tales, distributed in Hawaii & West Coast (2003). |
| Storyteller Biography Directory | Among 120 English speaking storytellers, worldwide biographical directory (1998) |
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
| July 2014 | National Story Conf Arizona | Story Radio Panel, Fringe: Haunted Hii Regional Concert |
| July 2011 | National Story Conf LA, California | Story Radio Panel, Fringe: Haunted Hii Regional Concert |
| July 2008 | Talk Story Conference Waikiki, Hi | Produced/hosted Pacific Regional Conf. 5 days, international audience & Maui Oracle Award Service & Leadership West |
| July 2007 | National Story Conf St. Louis | Workshop: Arabian Nights Series & Featured Regional Teller |
| July 2004 | National Story Conf Bellingham, Washington | Workshop: Arabian Nights Series & Featured Regional Teller |
| July 1999 | National Story Conf San Diego, California | Workshop: telling with shadow puppets on overhead projector |
| July 1993 | National Story Conf Seattle, Washington | Workshop: Talk Story Fest & Pacific storytelling |
| June 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2016 | Hawaii Childrens Literature Biennial Conference | Opening Keynote (2002) Readings, performances, workshops, panelist. |
| Jan. 2004 | Hii International Arts & Humanities Conf. | Lecture & sold out Arabian Nights story theater (Gere, dancer, + 2 musicians) |
| 2004 | Hii Child Abuse & Hii Parent Teacher Assoc. | Keynotes for both statewide conferences |
| 2002, 2006, 2009 | Pacific Rim Teacher Conf. | teacher storytelling workshops and tells |
| 1997, 1998, 1999, 2011 | Hawaii Independent Schools Conference | storytelling classes, teacher workshops and tells |
SELECTED TELEVISION ACTIVITIES
| 1991- 2014 | STORY TV Series | Edit & Air 30 minute Talk Story Festival tells monthly (Olelo Access TV). Best Creative Arts Series 2000. |
| 2007 | Christabelle & Time Museum | 15 X 15 minute shows. I tell/read Rachel Funk sci-fi story (Dept of Education TV- airs continually) |
| 2006 | Mainland TV | Mystery Hunters (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.), Blue Dolphin Show LA series for Hawaii kids. |
| 2001 | National TV | Haunted History (History Channel), Places of Mystery Series (Travel Channel), both on Hiis ghostlore, interview & tellings, still continue airing. |
| 1995-97 | The Storytellers' Series | co-produced 20 X 1/2 hour storytelling shows over 2 years at KITV 4 (Hawaiis ABC affiliate) |
| 1996 | Silly Spooky | Jeff's original kid tales with puppetry, animation & music. Parent's Choice Honors, locally popular. |
| Oct 1995 | Chickenskin | 1 of 6 featured Hawaii tellers (KGMB Chl 9) |
| 1988-90 | Olelo Series | 4 scripts teach simple Hawaiian (k-3rd grades). Built, moved & voiced puppets (Hii Dept. of Edctn) |
REFERENCES
| Chris Shoemaker | Directors, Acts of Creation & Fresh I Flix Video Program. Burbank, California. Took Jeff & 45 Hawaii artists to Spain, 1992.Ê |
| Mark Branner | Professor, University of Hawaii Drama & Dance Department |
| Tim Slaughter | Director, University of Hawaii Outreach College, collaborator/ employer for numerous solo/group tours ongoing for decades. |
| Eric Johnson | Artistic Director, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, directed Jeff's SPOOKY solo show in October 2012. |
| Ruth Stotter | Founding Director, Dominican College Storytelling Program (Tiburon, California) Home Concerts for 15 years, teller at Jeff's Talk Story Fest. Conf. & Camp, co-teacher Iolani School residency |