Formation Conter aux tout-petits - Florence Férin - 27-28 mars 2027
WORKSHOP - MARCH 27-28, 2027 ON THE STORYTELLING PATH: TELLING STORIES TO VERY YOUNG CHILDREN
About this event
In the oral tradition, storytellers told stories mainly to adults. Only a few tales were intended for young children. For very young children, “nursing games” took place through direct physical closeness.
The oral heritage of nursery rhymes and other children’s songs is both extensive and constantly evolving. Some of it will be explored during these two days of training.
In the past, however, there was no concept of time or of storytelling performances dedicated to the youngest children. We will therefore address the contemporary question of how to choose and shape the material offered to very young children, and how much freedom we allow ourselves to weave longer, more structured stories for them.
Narrative forms already adapted for oral storytelling are found neither in the body of traditional tales nor in children’s literature. So everyone must dare to create their own material. Starting from a chosen theme or from a picture book, a true story, or a fictional one, we will imagine a story together and turn it into a compelling tale.
The content is important, of course, but above all, you need to feel at home in your story. Very young children are highly sensitive to the truth in a voice and in the words carried by that voice. It will therefore be fascinating to explore presence, play, and evocation through this oral rewriting.
When the spark is lit, the sky can dress itself in stars.
During this training, Florence will share a repertoire (inspired by traditional tales and stories she has created individually or in a group) so that everyone can enrich their practice, dare to invent, and finally inhabit their stories with expressiveness, ease, and confidence. This will enable everyone to begin building a personal, lasting repertoire.
Practical information
• Beginner and professional levels
• Maximum of 8 people
• Saturday and Sunday – 9:30 to 17:30
• Archipel 49 – 49 rue Chape, 13004 Marseille
• Accommodation and meals not included
Florence FERIN
Florence first encountered public speaking as a tour guide accredited by the heritage department. But she soon discovered the art of storytelling and studied with Henri Gougaud. Over the past 30 years, she has created around thirty shows, performed for audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and explored shared paths of expression—with playfulness and poetry—with musicians, dancers, actors, and circus artists. More than 2000 performances have taken her to every region of France and beyond its borders.
For very young children, she creates dedicated repertoires combining traditional nursery rhymes with carefully crafted original stories, shaped by her long experience and commitment to symbolic language suited to the youngest audiences. The creator of numerous projects, she is now recognized as one of France’s leading artists in storytelling for very young audiences.
Her love of sharing is reflected in her busy and highly regarded work as a storytelling trainer for many organizations in France, as well as for GRETA. Since 2019, she has also been engaged in a long-term mentorship with storyteller and project leader Claire Leray, built on sharing knowledge and working together.
Florence embraces the freedom offered by the material of a tale: something kneaded with skill and tenderness, left to rest, then baked using the memory of the senses. Her search for precise imagery, including the pleasure of sound, and her stage presence make her performance a special connection between her, her audience, and her stories, marked by warm contact and direct simplicity.
Organization: MCE Productions
Since 2003, L’éolienne has been a center for creation and development dedicated to storytelling, based in Marseille and active throughout the region. At the heart of its projects are ideas of exchange, cultural diversity, and a commitment to welcoming all audiences.
L’éolienne includes:
• A program of storytelling events and artistic residencies at Archipel 49 in Marseille
• An extensive program of off-site storytelling performances for all ages, at numerous libraries and partner venues (more than 150 performances annually)
• A partner in several events and festivals
• A hub for numerous cultural and community-engagement initiatives, including monthly storytelling circles for children and adults, and activities for all audiences, particularly in social, healthcare, and correctional facilities.
• A storytelling training center
• An advisory and support office for artists and associations
• An organization deeply committed to networking, sitting on the RNCAP College—the Réseau National du Conte et des Arts de la Parole—since 2020.
