Current Events!
2024 Ojai Storytelling Festival!
Introducing next year's lineup!
October 24-27, 2024
SOME OF THE BEST TELLERS IN THE COUNTRY
OCTOBER
24-27
2024
OJAI, CALIFORNIA
LIBBEY BOWL
OJAI ART CENTER
Performances to Grow On & the Ojai Storytelling Festival are committed to fostering a vibrant and inclusive environment that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our programming and operations.
At Performances to Grow On , we are dedicated to creating a space where people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds can experience the joy and transformative power of the performing arts. We offer scholarships, sensory-friendly performances, and diverse programming to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included.
The Tellers-Bios Coming Soon!
2024
Master of Ceremonies
Andy Offut Irwin
Master of Ceremonies, Storyteller
With a silly putty voice, hilarious heart-filled stories, and amazing mouth noises (arguably, the greatest whistler in the world) one-person-showman, Andy Offutt Irwin, is equal parts mischievous schoolboy and the Marx Brothers, peppered with a touch of the Southern balladeer.
October of 2023 marked Andy’s eleventh year as a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival. He has appeared eighteen times as Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center. Among other gigs, Andy has been a Guest Artist at La Guardia High School of Art, Music, and Performing Arts in New York (The “FAME!” School); he has been a Keynote Speaker/Performer at the Library of Congress-Virburnum Foundation Conference on Family Literacy; a Guest Writer Performer with the Georgia Tech Glee Club; and a guest composer with the Amherst College Men’s Double Quartet.
Andy has held a few almost-real-jobs that include: Artist-In-Residence in Theatre at Emory University’s Oxford College from 1991 to 2007. (He continues serving at Oxford from time-to-time as Artist-in-Just-Passing-Through). A very long time ago Andy spent five years as a performer, writer, and director for SAK Theatre at Walt Disney World.
Andy is the recipient of many awards, but he is tickled to be recognized by his peers by being presented the Oracle Circle of Excellence from the National Storytelling Network.
He thinks he is funny.
Bil Lepp
Storyteller, Author
Bil Lepp is an award-winning storyteller, author, and recording artist. He’s the host of the History Channel’s Man Vs History series, the occasional host of NPR’s internationally syndicated Mountain Stage, and a contributing columnist to the West Virginia Gazette-Mail.​
Bil’s humorous, family-friendly tall-tales and stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though a five-time champion of the WV Liars’s Contest, Lepp’s stories often contain morsels of truth which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. Audiences across the country, from grade schools to corporate execs to Comedy Central’s Hudson stage, have been delighted by Bil’s hilarious tales and delightful insights into everyday life.
Bil’s 28 books and audio collections have won awards including the PEN Steven Kroll Award for Children’s Book Writing, Parents’ Choice Gold awards, and awards from the National Parenting Publications Assoc., and the Public Library Assoc.
He is also the recipient of the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folk honor.
2024
Featured Teller
The Venues
Libbey Bowl - 210 S. Signal Street
Ojai Art Center - 113 S. Montgomery Street
Libbey Fountain - Ojai Avenue - Story Shop Boutique
Libbey Gazebo - Ojai Avenue
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Nestled near the rear of a beautiful grove in Libbey Park, Libbey Bowl has been described by artists and audience members alike as being an almost enchanted venue.
The mission of the Ojai Art Center since it opened in 1939, has been to support and advance the interest of the arts within the community.
Libbey Park Fountain is the home of our Story Shop Boutique.
Kim Weitkamp
Storyteller, Musician
Kim Weitkamp grew up in Amish Country as the middle child of exhausted parents. Labeled by teachers as high-spirited and too talkative, Kim took those comments and channeled them into a lifetime of high-energy, heartfelt and hilarious artistry and we are better for it.
She is an award-winning storyteller, speaker, singer-songwriter and humorist. After using applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and at-risk youth for 12 years, Kim took a turn onto a different avenue that led her down the path of full-time touring for the last 17 years where she gathered an armload of awards.
Kim performs regularly at festivals and theaters around the country, has written a well-received folk operetta and has been a guest editor and contributor for various publications. Her material gets regular airplay on Sirius XM and NPR Affiliate Stations. Steve Perry of Highway 89, Sirius XM had this to say, “If we are talking rock and roll, Tina Turner was a national treasure; country has Dolly Parton and in the world of storytelling, we have Kim Weitkamp."
She has 9 award winning albums, has produced and/or designed 32 albums for other performers and has hosted a DOVE Award winning morning show a tri-state radio network. She has been honored with leadership and speaking awards for her coaching/speaking work with internationally known companies like Purina, Leibherr, Grifols, and Edward Jones as well as nationally recognized non-profits like, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity and Conflict Resolution Centers. She is ranked as one of the top 20 business coaches in the Columbus, Ohio region by Influence Digest, teaching the power of story to help grow organizations and build teams.
There...now you know all of the hoopla. But what is it that really matters to Kim? I asked her:
"Story is at the foundation of all I do. Whether I am making an audience laugh, writing a new song or presenting a keynote, story is the springboard for each and every step I take. I share and teach the art of storytelling with great intention. Why? Because I have witnessed, firsthand, its incredible power."
2024
Featured Teller
2024
Featured Teller
Mo Reynolds
New Voice
Mo is a storyteller, speaker, reader, workshop leader, teacher, and wordsmith who uses storytelling to bring people together and create connections. She blends folk tales with family tales, helping audiences of all ages to see the common threads that unite humanity. Mo has performed and led workshops in schools and festivals around the country, sharing her stories in Montana, Idaho, Utah, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In October 2022, she was invited to perform at the National Storytelling Festival on the Exchange Place stage. In 2023, she was invited back to the National Festival as a Featured Teller. She was also featured at the Women's Storytelling Festival in Fairfax, VA, and the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, KS.
Mo's storytelling invites connection, inspires confidence, and encourages compassion. She believes that storytelling is a powerful tool that can be used to build empathy, understanding, and community. She offers coaching sessions to help people develop their storytelling skills, whether they are preparing for a performance, a business presentation, or simply want to connect with others more effectively.
Mo holds a B.A. and M.A. in English literature, and she is the mother of three children. She lives with her family in Rexburg, Idaho, and she is always looking for new opportunities to share her love of storytelling with others.
Oh, and she’ll bring the bandanas!
Musical Acts ~ More to Come!
Ojai Madrigali
Sunday, October 29th, 10:30am Ojai Art Center
Madrigali is a group of musical performers singing traditional Renaissance and medieval music — a cappella madrigals, folk songs, ballads, chants and carols, almost all of it written prior to 1650. Madrigali seeks to bring this once wildly popular music back to life, not in some stuffy academic setting, but full of spirit, color, drama, and emotion — romantic, fanciful, bawdy, joyous.
Madrigali performs throughout the year, generally in and around Southern California but they have also traveled to and performed in Spain, Italy, and The Czech Republic. The group sings at numerous outdoor fairs, including the huge Southern and Northern California Renaissance Faires. Madrigali also performs regularly at private functions such as fund raisers, weddings, and Yuletide parties.
2024
Musical Guest
