Telling Tales

“A playwright,dramatist,director and storyteller,I play all these roles at the same time,’’ says Gulbenkian,who has trained in theatre. “The audience is hungry for stories,as it gives them a metaphorical way of thinking,” she adds. Gulbenkian fills her cornucopia of stories from myths,epics and tales from across the world. “I try and understand how stories travel and change,and I cook them to share with listeners,” she says.

Her family came from Armenia,and she grew up listening to “some amazing Armenian stories,which I edit and rework,’’ says Gulbenkian. She likes to work with stories that have a big frame,can be interconnected,have meaning and are easily digested. “I make a map,trace the passage of the story and before I choose it,I ask myself,why should I share it,’’ she adds. Some of Gulbenkian’s favourites are Armenian folk tales,the Arabian Nights,the Ramayana,the Mahabharata and the Mesopotamian myths.

Her story sharing is not restricted to schools and children’s clubs,but designed for museums,studio theatres and art festivals. “Stories bring to life both backgrounds and concepts and we need to understand that it’s the narrative form that human beings understand the most,’’ says Gulbenkian,adding that London has as many as 70 storytelling clubs. A storyteller needs few props — “a musical instrument and a percussionist are enough,” she smiles.