Theatres/Companies/Institutions
Interesting Collaborations
Central Saint Martins
Guest Lecturer for the MA in Animation Students 2014 – present. Assisting students in developing the narrative arc and creative strength of their ideas
Crick Crack Club
Crick Crack Club hosts storytelling events around London and the UK including Soho Theatre London, Rich MIx Theatre London, Cube Microplex Bristol. They also run events such as the Day of the Dead and the Fabularium.
Royal Shakespeare Company
Guest storyteller, Guest speaker, invited researcher, workshop leader at the RSC
NT TheatreWorks
I am a trainer with TheatreWorks. This involves giving workshops on communication and speaking skills via theatre and storytelling techniques. TheatreWorks works with the corporate and charity sectors.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Guest speaker at the Von Karman Lecture Series. Invited Storytelling Trainer for the Public Engagement Team.
The Drive Project
Storytelling Trainer and consultant with The Drive Project. The Drive Project is an award-winning creative social enterprise. They work alongside charities and businesses to inspire and empower people with creative projects, training and talks.
National Theatre
Performer of solo shows at Watch This Space Festival. Associate with NT Learning Dept. Story consultant and trainer for Early Years Project.
Dowtcha Puppets
Dramaturg and Story Consultant for Dowtcha Puppet Company, Cork, Ireland.
Clare is a storyteller, performer, teacher and consultant. From mainstage theatres to medieval roundtowers Clare has told tales for adults, teenagers, children, and families in more than 20 countries. Her work includes the political folkloric work such as her Syrian piece “The King of Lies” to playful pieces like UniVerse which explores where quantum physics, philosophy and mythology meet. Clare’s wide repertoire of stories includes traditional folklore to ancient mythology, to reportage to historical tales. She tells the story that is called for in each situation; from telling to the President of Ireland to performing at the Writers room of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Clare also performs at festivals, art centres, universities, public and private events, conferences and schools. She teaches storytelling and trains people in communication skills via The National Theatre’s TheatreWorks programme. She is a storyteller, performer, writer, dramaturg, curiosist, teacher, consultant, wanderer, wonderer and maker. If your organisation/storytelling question is not listed here, just ask, she might be able to help...
One woman shows, bespoke performances, commissioned pieces, public events.
Storytelling workshops for artists, performers, professors, guest lecturing on storytelling, creativity & more
For Theatre companies, writers groups, university departments, companies, charities and individuals
Available for keynote speaking, panel discussions, conferences, symposiums and debates
UniVerse
A mathematician finds a gift from a god Blacksmiths beat out the music of the spheres And why are there turtles everywhere? Where does myth meet science? Is it only in the middle of the night when we half wake and half sleep? In this timeless place of wonder and insight, time stretches and a fissure opens that builds a dream bridge between many worlds… Performance storyteller Clare Murphy dances into this liminal space; merging myth, deities, science and a hefty amount of turtle, in a playful exploration of the beginnings of the universe.
KING OF LIES
In this one hour solo storytelling performance, Clare Muireann Murphy blends reportage and folklore to tell a story on the power of lying. A king pits his wits against a fool, a lying competition lures in storytellers from around the world, and one poor hungry man tells enough lies in the hopes of saving his skin and that of his people. The King of Lies is an adaptation of the novel Damascus Nights by exiled Syrian writer Rafik Schami. This witty play on words evokes a beautiful country held at the mercy of a lie-obsessed king.
The Remarkable Tale of Robert Desnos with Daniel Morden
Held captive in a concentration camp, prisoners tell fantastical tales to lift their spirits. Their clandestine gatherings allow them to briefly forget their terrible situation. But surely their fate is unavoidable… The Remarkable Tale of Robert Desnos is funny, tragic, uplifting and incredibly moving. Shifting between the awful reality of the camp, and the beauty and richness of countless other worlds, this weaving together of finely crafted traditional stories demonstrates the power of the imagination to shape and change reality.
Inisfáil; island of destiny
When the ancient Irish gods stepped onto the soil of Ireland, they burned their boats so they could never leave…Clare Muireann Murphy invites us into a beautiful yet bloodstained landscape where gods in golden halls drink from the cow of plenty, Kings are healed by children, fathers vie with sons and lusty monsters spit in the face of the prophets. This contemporary performance of the Irish myths of invasion is tautly laced with wit and verve.
BESPOKE TALES
Clare can choose from her repertoire of tales to tell stories suitable for your festival/event. Clare’s stories include myths, legends, love stories, creation stories, wisdom tales, comedic tales, heroine stories, lgbqt stories, peace stories and so on.
Upcoming Events
Latest news
The Limbless Veterans Storytelling Training
It’s a bright October day with a storm rolling in on the horizon. My focus is on the four men in the room. We comment on the impending storm, then back to work. They’ve seen a lot worse. These are the men of Making Generation R, ambassadors and speakers for The Drive Project. The R Read more about The Limbless Veterans Storytelling Training[…]
BBC Radio Northampton takes me to the stars… (audio clip)
Tonight I perform UniVerse at Feast of Fools Northampton Here is a short interview on BBC Radio Northampton from last Sunday Dec 2nd 2018 with brilliant interviewer John Griff who kept me on my toes with his questions (he clearly knows a thing or two about quantum physics and about storytelling!!)
USA SEPT TOUR DATES 2018
I am delighted to be doing a MONTH LONG story tour of the States. Sept 4th – October 1st TIMPANOGOS STORYTELLING FESTIVAL Sept 6-8 2018, Orem Utah. Follow the link above for information. Amongst the many performances with Dovie Thomason, Kevin Kling and Bill Harley, I will also be performing The Remarkable Tale of Read more about USA SEPT TOUR DATES 2018[…]
Off to Tasmania….July 2018 Writing: The Line
Writing “The Line”: Tasmania 2018 I’m off to the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD?!? I head off to Hobart, Tasmania July 5th for the next phase of R&D on a project originated by Dowtcha Theatre Company. I am really honoured to be cowriting with Nathan Maynard on this incredible story. Dowtcha Puppet Company Cork are Read more about Off to Tasmania….July 2018 Writing: The Line[…]
Storytelling Space Nerd; my trip to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
I love SPACE. I love science and stars and nebula. Contemplating the universe is about as close to the divine as I can imagine. I’ve been into science fiction since my teens. I read Le Guin, Bradbury, Asimov. Movies like Aliens and Contact have been part of my staple diet along with Star Trek, the Read more about Storytelling Space Nerd; my trip to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory[…]
what happens on the road
There is something very comforting about the road. There is an acceptance that there is only so much I can control. So I let go. I surrender to train schedules, traffic, the full emptiness of airports, and random conversations. It can be hard going but I love what the road gives me. There is a Read more about what happens on the road[…]
FINDING MY WAY IN THE DARK; what audience does for a freelance artist like me
Getting on stage is a strange job. People often ask me: do you still get nervous? Yes. After 11 years YES, pretty much every time. The stage is a place of the moment, full of opportunity and unexpected outcomes. Plenty of chances to fail, to shine, to connect, to fall over : ) Read more about FINDING MY WAY IN THE DARK; what audience does for a freelance artist like me[…]
November, invisible and visible work, 2017
What do you do all day? That’s maybe the question behind the question: is this what you actually do for a living? Being a freelance artist is quite hard to explain. So much of the work is invisible. The dreaming, the thinking, the planning, the conversations, the paying attention, the observing the world, the listening Read more about November, invisible and visible work, 2017[…]
going wild, storytelling workshop in Ireland this weekend
One of the joys of this job is the variety. Some weeks I am teaching at a university like Central Saint Martins, other weeks I am performing in a castle like Alden Biesen. It keeps me on my toes. This coming weekend I have the absolute joy of returning to my homeland to work with Read more about going wild, storytelling workshop in Ireland this weekend[…]
How do you live a life without shame?
It’s day 7 of a week of shows at Alden Biesen. i’m about to do my 13th performance. i’m in a castle in Belgium storytelling for adults. i’m on again in an hour, but before i go perform, i would like to share something that just happened. i have just finished telling stories to young Read more about How do you live a life without shame?[…]