Courses & Workshops

In-Person and Online Courses in Storytelling

Storytelling Toronto’s teaching program helps all our students, regardless of experience, to achieve a deeper connection with the stories they tell and better communicate those stories to to everyone who listens.

Our First Steps (Storytelling I) is typically the course most begin with. Next Steps (Storytelling II) is open to those who wish to take their telling further, whether they have taken First Steps in the past, or have equivalent experience. We offer the Master Class for advanced and professional-level storytellers.

We also offer a variety of themed courses, whether it is taking your story from a narrative to a script for a puppet show, shaping your family stories, to bilingual storytelling. Our non-foundational courses vary from year to year.

Financial aid is available for those students for whom cost is a barrier. Please email us at hello@storytellingtoronto.org. Be sure to let us know which course you are interested in taking; how the course can benefit you; and, how much you can afford to pay. Assistance will be awarded on a case by case basis. 

In addition to our core and special courses, Storytelling Toronto also facilitates private courses and workshops tailored to client needs. If you are looking for a professional development workshop for teachers or librarians, or leadership development for corporate employees or interns, you have come to the right place. Reach out to us and we’ll help you create the right program to suit your needs

First Steps into Storytelling

with Lynn Torrie and Brandon Lista

Dates: Sept 29th - Nov 3rd, 2026 

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Price: $259.90 ($237.30 FOR MEMBERS) (tax included)

Register

About The Course

Discover the joy of storytelling and the power of connecting with others through stories. In this welcoming beginner class, you'll learn the essential building blocks of great storytelling by exploring timeless folktales. These enduring stories were created to be told aloud, and their plots and characters have captivated listeners for generations.

You'll learn how to bring characters, settings, and events vividly to life in the imaginations of your audience. Along the way, you'll explore the secrets of pacing, repetition, and creating a genuine connection with your listeners.

Instructors:

Lynn Torrie is a patient and experienced instructor who has taught adult learners through the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Metropolitan University, the Kimel Centre for Brain Research and her own private classes. A professional storyteller herself, she has told stories to everyone from toddlers to seniors, indulging in her passion for folktales and for stories from Canadian history.

Brandon Lista (he/him) is a storyteller, speaker, and educator whose work bridges corporate settings, the arts, and community life. With a passion for folktales and a belief that everyone should know at least one good story, he brings narrative practice into classrooms, conferences, and local arts spaces to help people connect, reflect, and make meaning together.

Finding Your Funny: Humour in Storytelling

with Scott Faulconbridge

Dates: Oct 15 & Oct 22
Time: Evenings
Price: $80 ($72 FOR MEMBERS) (plus tax)

Registration opening soon

About The Course

Humour has always been one of the storyteller's most powerful tools. It builds connection, creates surprise, reveals character, and invites audiences to see familiar stories in unexpected ways. In Finding the Funny: Introducing Humour into Storytelling, acclaimed comedian, storyteller, and educator Scott Faulconbridge will help oral storytellers discover how to weave humour more naturally and effectively into their performances.

Over two interactive two-hour Zoom sessions, Scott will guide participants through a series of engaging exercises that explore the foundations of comic storytelling. Drawing on techniques from stand-up, improvisation, and narrative performance, participants will learn to recognize humorous moments within their stories. Together, you'll explore narrative tension, release, and power of surprise—all essential elements for creating laughter that serves the story.

This workshop encourages experimentation in a supportive environment, with opportunities to try new approaches, receive feedback, and discover how humour can enrich both traditional and personal narratives. Whether your stories are folktales, myths, personal tales, or historical narratives, you'll leave with practical tools to help audiences laugh, connect more deeply, and remember your stories long after the performance ends.

This workshop is designed for oral storytellers of all experience levels who are interested in expanding their performance skills and finding the humour already waiting within their stories and storytelling style.

Instructor:

Scott Faulconbridge has delighted international audiences with his masterful timing, quirky story telling and quick improvisational wit, establishing him as one of Canada's headlining acts. His unique stories and songs are inspired by family mishaps that have made him a crowd favourite for three decades. His work has earned him three Canadian Comedy Award nominations for his work as an Improviser and a stand up comedian.

Finding Your Funny: Seed to Story: Non-fiction Solo Show Workshop

with Corin Raymond

Date: Nov. 7, 2026
Time: Afternoon
Price: $75 ($65 FOR MEMBERS) (plus tax)

Registration opening soon

About The Course

Have you ever wanted to create a solo show but weren't sure where to begin?

Join CORIN RAYMOND for tips, strategies, and insights on how to develop an autobiographical story into a solo show. Through exercises and discussions, participants will be introduced into methods of evolving a personal experience into the glimmers of a full-length story.

LIMITED SPACE - ONLY 10 SPOTS AVAILABLE!

This 3 hour intensive includes:

• Exercises to help uncover and organize your personal story
• Exploration of form and storytelling structure
• Insights from professional touring creator/performers

The exercises and subjects in this workshop are curated to engage:

• Storytellers
• Creatives
• Theatre artists
• Comedians
• Writers

Participants are expected to have some level of performing or writing experience, whether professional, amateur, or student. The goal of the workshop is to empower creators to approach the development of their own practice while demystifying the art form. Everyone’s got a story to tell - let’s find yours!