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WOSAS : F823 WOSAS/CD385/track2
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Five Lovers, The
an Arabian Nights; 1001 Nights; Sheherazade's Tales story

Sound recording, story; The Five Lovers, a version of a folk tale and trickster tale from the epic cycle known as 1001 Nights, or The Arabian Nights or Sheherazade's Tales, told by TUUP performing alongside the group Common Lore as part of an evening of storytelling, in The First International Storytelling Festival at Battersea Arts Centre, London, 30th January 1985

Introduction to TUUP by Helen East, followed by introduction and story told by TUUP. A story about a women who takes a lover whilst her husband is away. When the lover is put into jail for fighting, the women tricks a magistrate, a judge, the prime minister, the King and a carpenter into helping her, in return for promises of sex. The lover is released and the other men locked in a cupboard and humiliated.

audience:- adult
    recording quality
condition:- fair
completeness:- complete
duration:- 0 hours, 24 minutes, 27 seconds

Members of the group Common Lore at that time included Kevin Graal, Rick Wilson, Helen East and Amoafi Kwapong.

Common Lore was formed in 1981. Founding members included Kevin Graal, Helen East and Rick Wilson. In 1986 Jan Blake joined, and by 1987 the group comprised 12-20, or more, storytellers, musicians and performers. Additional members of Common Lore at some point included Amoafi Kwapong, Viv Corringham and Kate Corkerry.

The First International Storytelling Festival took place at Battersea Arts Centre, (Venue Director Jude Kelly) London, in 1985, and was the first international festival of storytelling held in the UK. It ran for 7 days, from Monday Jan 28th to Sunday Feb 3rd. The festival was initiated and directed by Ben Haggarty who had been involved in running the West London Storytelling unit and Storytelling Unit Clubnights since 1982/1983. It was funded by a guarantee against loss from the GLC. The festival programmed included performances for adult audiences, talks and lectures, school sessions, a festival 'clubnight' and a teacher's conference on Storytelling in Education.

storytelling:- storyteller; musician; singer: TUUP; Godfrey Duncan
male / British / Guyanese

storytelling:- storyteller: Helen East
female / British

origin:- Middle East
Arab world


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images of Common Lore mid 1980s

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Festival poster

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biography for Common Lore printed in the festival flyer

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festival flyer front cover

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festival flyer showing introduction

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festival flyer showing festival timetable

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festival flyer full page spread showing artists biographies

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festival flyer back cover showing booking and access details for the festival advertisments and acknowledgments

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additional festival flyer in orginal format ready for photcopying

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associated:- storytelling group: Common Lore


associated:- storyteller: Amoafi Kwapong; Abenaa Kwapong


associated:- storyteller; musician: Kevin Graal


associated:- storyteller; musician: Rick Wilson


programming:- Festival Artistic Director: Ben Haggarty


storytelling:- Lavender Hill, London, England: Battersea Arts Centre
30 Jan 1985
festival: The First International Storytelling Festival


gift from:- storyteller: Marian Oughton


©  The London Centre for International Storytelling: 2007
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