Storytelling | Short Stories Tall Tales

Interactive Storytelling

A live, first theatre experience from Short Stories Tall Tales, brings classic and original stories to life. Immerse your little ones' imaginations through live performance and interactive role-play, with props, music and creative drama. An exciting and unique adventure, exploring stories with Hannah.

Live storytelling image of Hannah at Cranleigh Arts Centre with family audiences enjoying intreractive play in The Ginger bread Man, with a large screen illustration of baking behind.

Hannah Summers performs The Gingerbread Man at Cranleigh Arts Centre

Live Action shot of Hannah, performing The Gingerbread Man to families at Cranleigh Arts Centre

An animated picture of Hannah, surrounded by her storytelling prop boxes and show puppets and soft toys.

Storyteller - Hannah Summers

An animated picture of Hannah, surrounded by her storytelling prop boxes, show puppets and soft toys filmed for TV.

A view from the stage at the Astor in Deal. Hannah filling storytelling prop boxes used throughout the show with interactive props. The black and colourful matting is set up in the background for storytelling play and for Hannah to perform on

The Astor Theatre, Deal

Hannah setting up in The Astor Theatre, Deal for storytelling

Hannah explores the story's location through movement, music, sound effects, role-play and drama to explore the hot, dry African savannah in The Giraffe Who Wouldn't Bath.

The Giraffe Who Wouldn’t Bath

Storytelling interaction. Hannah uses movement, music, sound effects, role-play and drama to explore the hot, dry African savannah in The Giraffe Who Wouldn't Bath.

Chldren and Gerald, our large giraffe puppet experience the long wavy grass which is suspended and moved over their heads by the storytelling team.

The Giraffe Who Wouldn’t Bath

Gerald and the children in the long wavy grass during the live storytelling show.

A red theatre with large illustration, projected onto the screen on stage at The Astor in Deal. Hannah's prop boxes are set and ready and so are the balck and rtainbow coloured mats for the performance and playing area.

The Astor Theatre, Deal

All set! Storytelling is ready to go, a moment of calm just before the audience arrives for The Hare and The Tortoise in Deal.

A busy storytelling show with engaged, interactive families, grown ups and kids playing. Special lighting, music and sound with illustrations projected create a magical theatrical space.

Live and interactive families at The Horton Arts Centre, Epsom

Hannah encourages audiences to experince the story of Mouse and Sam's Winter Holiday, in an interactive way! Through role-play, drama, props and play.

A live action storytelling photo of Hannah and families at The Astor in Deal, enjoying The Hare and The Tortoise. An extra large blue tarp is used on the matted floor for the water, depicted in the projected illustration of the Hare jumping over the stream.

The Hare and The Tortoise in Deal

Interactive props, drama and energetic storytelling from Hannah, brings the story to life, encouraging the childrens' imagination.

Hannah performs The Big Top for TV with a backdrop of prop boxes, soft toys and circus props.

Watch Hannah perform The Big Top-Live for TV

Watch Hannah Summers performing the interactive storytelling show The Big Top live for TV!

Hannah and the children are charging about the Ropetackle Theate matted performance and playing area, as aeroplanes with arms wide. A detailed illustration on the screen shows a busy town in the show, Amy's Rocket.

Amy's Rocket- Live Storytelling

Can you fly high? Yes! Neowwwww!
Children love to explore physically and storytelling brings the story to life through role-play, drama and movement with sound effects and music too for a fully immersive show.

Meet The Gingerbread Man

Children meeting the Gingerbread Man which is always a highlight for Hannah, the kids and the gingerbread man!

The Big Top

Bertie, the little boy with a BIG imagination sets off on his imaginative circus adventure- illustrations by Miranda Summers

2 children are shown opening their prop box full of interesting props to play with during the show. Separated by paper, each layer is a surprise.

Storytelling Prop Box

What's in the box? Storytelling prop boxes loaded with interactive props inspire the children to play and explore.

Children sat in boxes beneath a huge red, blue and yellow parachute that the grown ups move up and down. The children imagine this is rocket power, launching us into space.

Whoosh!

The parachute moves up and down above our heads and whooshes our children in rocket boxes into the sky!

An audience view of familes, grown ups and their children opening the storytelling prop box

Storytelling Audiences

Families enjoying storytelling and their own prop box

The Big Top

Come and play! Hannah performs The Big Top live for TV.

A little girl looks in her prop box. Every show has unique and creative props in boxes to enhance imagination, creativity and play

What's In The Box?

The storytelling prop box is so exciting, every show uses boxes for imaginitive props for playing.

An illustration by Miranda Summers of Gerald peaking into a bright green tree to speak to the bees in The Giraffe Who Wouldn't Bath storytelling show.

Peekaboo Gerald!

Our baby giraffe from The Giraffe Who Wouldn't Bath- Illustrations by Miranda Summers

A little girl puts on her horse mask for role-playing in The Gingerbread Man

Interactive Role Play

What does a horse say? Neigh! How does a horse play? They gallop!

Hello! I'm Hannah

I use boxes and fill them full of excting things for the children to play with throughtout the story

Children jump through a hoop of fire, made with felt, pretending to be lions in The Big Top storytelling show.

The Big Top Live Show

Kids getting involved in role-play with Hannah in The Big Top

Hannah is surrounded by engaged children, watching her gingerbread man puppet come alive.

The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man ran out through the kitchen door! Can you catch him? Hannah

Gingerbread Man gets a lift with Foxy at Cranleigh Arts Centre

A live action photo from Hannah's visit to the Cranleigh Arts Centre. Energtic storytelling with big and small props capture family imagintions encouraging play

Hannah is performing The Giraffe Who Wouldn't Bath for TV ith a backdrop of boxes, toys and her large giraffe puppet

Hannah in action. Filming storytelling for TV

Live Storytelling Show for TV. The Giraffe Who Wouldn't Bath is available to watch for free

A hhapy toddler clapping hands with bunny ears on his head during Hannah's interactive storytelling show

Happy Little Hare

Role Play in Live Show

Short Stories Tall Tales Song- Hannah Summers