Society for Storytelling

Storyteller Directory: Ben Fairlight

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Name: Ben Fairlight

Location: East Sussex

Telephone: 01424 812761 / 07714 256903

Email: ben@songstory.co.uk

Website: http://www.songstory.co.uk

Ben is a trained and experienced storyteller, musician, poet, teacher, therapist and workshop leader - in short, a Troubadour.

“He might also be called a minstrel, a bard, a trouv�re - but whatever you call him, he bounces back with a quip and somehow embraces your heckling into the story.” Jamie Morgan, musician & founder of RhythmSynergy

He has frequently performed, taught and led workshops in many countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Greece, Thailand and New Zealand.

Ben is a member of Equity (the Performing Arts union) and SoundSense (the Community Music organisation).

Public Liability Insurance is for �10million, through First Act Insurance.

Most recent Enhanced CRB checks, dated 19.06.07 (for SoundSense), and dated Oct 07 (for The Wishing Tree Programme).

Then & Now

Being the middle son of a Shropshire building contractor father and dance teacher mother, Ben grew up as a musician and naturally worked his school holidays on local farms and small industries. Then engaged as a trainee electrical engineer in the Research & Development laboratory of the legendary AGA cookers, Telford, he flew the nest to train in the piano industry and became the European piano technician for Steinway & Sons, Hamburg, in Germany. Having later lived in Denmark, working as Head Technician for Mattson & McGehee, Ben moved through a health crisis, began training in the Healing professions, then returned to England to re-connect with his roots as a musician and performer.

He speaks fluent German and Danish, passable French, and dabbles in Spanish, Greek and Japanese - as well as enjoying creative dialects in all human speech.

Ben has also led courses for Skyros, in Greece & Thailand, worked with Play Therapy and Autogenic Therapy in schools and with The Wishing Tree Trust on their supported well-being family holidays. He has also worked with Special Needs adults, and with teaching Performing Arts.

A supervisor and former lecturer (1998-2006) for the British Autogenic Society, Ben is currently training (part-time) in Bothmer Gymnastics, with Bothmer Movement International. He has practised Tai Chi & Qi Gong since 1984.

• Has special needs experience
• Performs indoors
• Performs outdoors
• Performs to adults
• Performs to audiences over 100 in number
• Performs to pre-school age children
• Performs to primary age children
• Performs to secondary age children
• Performs to senior citizens
• Runs workshops for adults
• Runs workshops for children
• Travels anywhere in the U.K.
• Works in other art forms