About us
The story behind Telling Tales
Telling Tales is the creation of Verbatim Productions Incorporated: a creative team of industry leaders who have dedicated their working lives to the Arts, education, music and history.
The creative team, along with the ‘tale tellers’ use oral history, music and theatre to bring stories to life.
Older people have amazing stories to share with their families and communities. Using oral history and theatre, Telling Tales gives our elders the opportunity to not only tell and record their stories but to present them in a unique theatrical event that celebrates their lives and experiences.
Ten years of staging Telling Tales as an oral history theatre project, in various municipalities around Victoria, confirms that this model makes an incredible impact on both its participants and the audiences.
The creative team
Verbatim Productions Inc. are the people behind Telling Tales Projects. We are industry experts who have dedicated our lives to the Arts, education, music, the telling of life history and its stories.
“The team has consistently delivered outcomes focusing the positive relationship between the creative arts and healthy ageing and wellbeing through a powerful and empowering approach I believe is unique.”
Evelyn Krape
Actor, Facilitator and Script Writer
Evelyn Krape is one of Melbourne's best-known stage performers having performed with every major company from the MTC, Playbox and the Victorian Opera to La Mama and Eleventh Hour.
She is an award winning actor, theatre maker and now Artistic Director of the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. She was a founding member of the Pram Factory and together with Dr. Vivienne Nicholson created Telling Tales.
Vivienne Nicholson
Oral Historian and Project Manager
Dr. Vivienne Nicholson is a professional historian with a particular interest in local community culture and oral history. She has had a long and active involvement in local not-for-profit community organisations concerned with heritage, tourism and the environment.
In 2009 Vivienne consolidated her oral history credentials through interviews she conducted for her PhD entitled, ‘Grassroots Activism: Cost or Benefit?’ This project examined the conflicts that arose between government and local communities when their quality of life was threatened.
Lorraine Milne
Musician and Audio-Visual Producer
Lorraine Milne is an award-winning musician and music educator who, throughout her long career has written and produced many resources from original songs to piano pieces, curriculum notes and study guides.
A founding member of the APG at The Pram Factory, she has a broad experience in the theatre as both a composer and stage manager.
The musicians
Tomi Kalinski
Musician
Tomi started playing piano at the age of five. A founding member of “The Hot Bagels” cabaret group, she was “talent-spotted” by Barry Humphries and became his musical director for five years.
For over thirty years Tomi has worked on countless projects with Evelyn Krape and is currently working with her and Galit Klas to create and stage contemporary Yiddish theatre under the auspices of the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library.
Brian Fitzgerald
Musician
Brian Fitzgerald is a multi-instrumentalist playing everything from piano and keyboard to sax, clarinet and flute. He is also a superb vocalist who grew up singing in the Australian Boys Choir where he learnt his craft.
The Brian Fitzgerald Band, formed in the late 70s, has been one of Australia’s most in-demand professional bands with a repertoire that encompasses songs from every era of the 20th Century plus a few from the 21st.