I love the story, but why are the bad guys all ugly and fat?

A conversation about how to tell folktales we love that are politically and morally incorrect.

Sometimes we fall in love with a story but find it very difficult to tell in 2023. Let’s face it, so many traditional stories are heteronormative, sexist, and even racist. On the other hand, the last thing we want is to transform our stories into virtuous moralistic tales or predictable pamphlets espousing a particular ideology. (Yes yes, we all want the princess to climb out of her tower and punch that bad guy in the face, but will the story still work? And sometimes, well, sometimes we really are locked in a tower and need to be saved, right?)

In this three-hour workshop, Stéphanie Bénéteau will present some stories that she loves and has had to modify to be able to tell. She explores how it affected the story structure, when it worked and when it didn’t, and what she has learned in the process. Participants will be invited to bring a story of their own that they have trouble with so they can share their issues with the group.

This workshop is facilitated by Stéphanie Bénéteau.

Stéphanie Bénéteau has been performing in English and in French, in Canada and abroad, for more than twenty-five years. Her repertoire includes erotic stories, medieval legends, and Greek myths as well as a rich collection of folktales involving girls and women. Stéphanie tells ancient myths and legends from the oral tradition in a lyrical, feminine voice touched with a hint of saucy humour.

Website: www.stephaniebeneteau.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.beneteau.3/