Then you KNEW! And - and HE knew. And you KNEW that he would know....
— Gretchen
THE RETURN OF UNCLE CHICK
ANNE RUTHERFORD — original stories told with warmth, wit and flair
HOME | NOW PLAYING | SCHEDULE | STORIES & PROGRAMS | CDS AVAILABLE | ABOUT ANNE | CONTACT
| P R O G R A M S F O R A D U L T S | FAMILIES | SCHOOLS | STORY REPERTOIRE |
Discovering Home
TALES OF FAMILY, PLACE AND BELONGING.
Anne performs a lively collection of original tales exploring likely (and unlikely) places to find home. Enjoy stories of unexpected reunions, backyard wisdom, and going beyond the familiar. Includes material from Anne's CD Living in the Driveway.
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AUDIENCE LEVEL: ADULTS AND MATURE TEENS.
Becoming Our Own Heroes
STORIES OF LIVING INTO OUR TRUE SELVES
Using a mix of anecdotal, fictional and mythic tales Anne presents an entertaining and though-provoking look at how we make the choices that shape our lives and our world.
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AUDIENCE LEVEL: ADULTS AND MATURE TEENS.
Calling Oregon Home
TALES OF THE LAND AND HER PEOPLE
Anne weaves history, folktales, and song with original anecdotes and fiction celebrating the Oregon state of mind. Hear tales of of people seeking treasure and finding paradise in Oregon (aast and west) from earliest inhabitants to recent émigrés.
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AUDIENCE LEVEL: ADULTS AND MATURE TEENS.
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I still can't see, Eagle. I need more light. Let ME hold the box...
— Crow
THE SUN BOX
| P R O G R A M S F O R F A M I L I E S | ADULTS | SCHOOLS | STORY REPERTOIRE |
Brave Frogs and Bashful Dragons
STORIES OF UNLIKELY HEROES
Audience members will howl, croak and cackle along as Anne brings to life a lively cast of characters from folktales around the world and from within the imagination. Enjoy her stories of likely and unlikely heroes - including the hero inside each of us!
LIBRARY
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ASSEMBLY
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Age 5 — 12 (and adult companions)
Sunlight and Moonglow
SOLSTICE TALES OF THE CHANGING LIGHT
All ages will enjoy Anne's lively collection of world tales, original fiction, and personal anecdotes about how changing light in the world and our own lives.
LIBRARY
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ASSEMBLY
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Age 5 — 12 (and adult companions)
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'Persevere, Ol' One-Eyed Bob!' I cried, 'We'll best these pirates yet!'
— Clementine Ryder
THE ADVENTURE OF NEAHKANIE MOUNTAIN
| P R O G R A M S F O R S C H O O L S | ADULTS | FAMILIES | STORY REPERTOIRE |
Wild Horses Make Me Want to Write!
CREATING CHARACTERS AND CRAFTING STORIES
Anne brings her original character, Clementine Ryder into the classroom to inspire students to create original characters whose story they want to tell. The residency can focus on story structure, personal communication or writing skills. Effective with students who are not enthusiastic writers, as well as those who are.
RESIDENCY
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ASSEMBLY
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K — Grade 5
Literacy through Story
THROUGH YOUNG AUDIENCES OF OREGON
Anne uses stories and interactive games to help students identify the building blocks of a good tale. Using a template Anne created, students create an original character, then write and illustrate their own storybook. This program works well with classes of multiple reading and language ability levels.
RESIDENCY
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K — Grade 5
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that Christmas, [mama] made me a dress...it was just the color of those mountains. Just the color of her eyes.
— Grace
THE BLUE REMOVE
'...change those three things, you change your life.' 'What three things?' 'You're going to tell me. Ready?'
— Joy and Margaret
THE HABIT OF JOY
'The last principle: no eating after noon.' Heads snapped up all around the meditation hall...
— Anne, narrator
PEACOCK LOVE
| S T O R Y R E P E R T O I R E |
S T O R I E S
F O R
A D U L T S
The Blue Remove
An old woman claims a place in the horizon of her dreams.
FICTIONAL MONOLOGUE
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ADULTS, MATURE TEENS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
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AVAILABLE ON CD
Coffee Odyssey
Romance, fantasy and fullfillment all available, with room for cream.
FICTIONAL MONOLOGUE
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ADULTS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
An Everday Hero
A regular guy discovers he holds the keys to make a difference. Inspired by September 11, 2001.
FICTIONAL STORY
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ADULTS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
The Habit of Joy
An unhappy woman changes her life with the help of three questions from an unorthodox life coach.
FICTIONAL STORY
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ADULTS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
I Need to Get Out
A talking frog and deflating salmon reveal a true storyteller.
ANECDOTE
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ADULTS, MATURE TEENS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
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AVAILABLE ON CD
Larry and the Rabbi
Two disgruntled homeowners find unexpected bliss. (Anne's personal experience interacts with the Jewish folktale "It Could Always be Worse".)
ANECDOTE + FOLKTALE
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ADULTS, MATURE TEENS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
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AVAILABLE ON CD
Peacock Love
Anne's own incident of romantic insight, thanks to a love-sick peacock and a hard-core Buddhist monk.
ANECDOTE
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ADULTS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
Rapture
Can friendship be possible for two middle-school girls navigating their identities as a secular Jew and fundamentalist Christian?
FICTIONAL STORY
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ADULTS, MATURE TEENS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
The Return of Uncle Chick
Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, a young girl may heal a long-time family rift.
FICTIONAL STORY
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ADULTS, MATURE TEENS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
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AVAILABLE ON CD
Under the Bridge
Ever hear the troll's side of the story? (Based on Anne's past experience as a professional mediator.)
SKEWED FAIRYTALE
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ADULTS AND CHILDREN
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
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If you've learned that lesson, that's worth more to me than all the gold in the world!
— Mother
CHILI PEPPER MULE
...they opened their doors (EERRGGHHH) went outside (AH!) and went OVER the mountain...
— Narrator
SISTER SUN AND BROTHER MOON
I'll always live in the same place...but Rufous opened up a window so I can see the whole world...
— Anna
WHEN ANNA MET RUFOUS
| S T O R I E S F O R C H I L D R E N |
After making a costly mistake, a daughter learns the power of truth to heal.
ORIGINAL FABLE | CHILDREN | ANNE RUTHERFORD
Chili Pepper Mule
A little girl learns that ambition, like hot chili pepper oil, needs to be applied sparingly.
FOLKTALE
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CHILDREN
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MEXICO
Clementine Ryder and the Adventure of Neahkanie Mountain
Clementine Ryder (Anne's original character) faces down pirates and ghosts in her search for treasure on the Oregon Coast.
FOLK TALE
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OLDER CHILDREN, TEENS, ADULTS
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ADAPTED BY ANNE RUTHERFORD
Coyote and the Frog People
Coyote engineers the first dam removal in the Willamette Valley, in his usual trickster fashion.
FOLKTALE
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CHILDREN
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NATIVE AMERICAN, KALAPUYA TRIBE
The Monster in Hare's Cave
Thanks to a valiant frog, the monster in hare's cave is routed (and proves to be not such a horrible monster, after all).
FOLKTALE
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CHILDREN
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AFRICA, MASAI TRIBE (RECOUNTED IN THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE BY MARTHA HAMILTON AND MITCH WEISS)
The Sausage
A woman granted three wishes has a close encounter with a sausage.
FOLKTALE
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CHILDREN
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SWEDEN
Sister Sun and Brother Moon
Two thumbs go on an epic journey, complete with suspense, romance and audience sound effects.
FOLKTALE
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CHILDREN
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ANNE'S ADAPTATION OF TRADITIONAL TALE
A Tale for Winter Solstice
A girl becomes the young woman she is meant to be, thanks to a touch of the dark.
ORIGINAL FABLE
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CHILDREN, TEENS, ADULTS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
What Would Robin Hood Do?
Storybook heroes comes to the rescue when Anne has to make a serious choice during 8th grade recess.
ANECDOTE
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CHILDREN, TEENS, ADULTS
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
When Anna Met Rufous
A shy resident hummingbird meets a migrant hummingbird from Mexico who changes her view of the world.
FABLE, MUSIC (ENGLISH AND SPANISH)
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CHILDREN
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ANNE RUTHERFORD
AVAILABLE ON CD
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