St. John's Storytelling Festival: Colin Urwin
Date: Oct 17
2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm
Where: Theatre
Storytelling Festival
Join us for an afternoon with Northern Irish storyteller and musician, Colin Urwin, as he shares excerpts from his captivating book, The Madman's Window and Other Tales of the Antrim Coast. Steeped in the rich language, folklore, and traditions of the Glens of Antrim, Colin brings to life the timeless tales and melodies of his homeland.
Tickets: $12 (plus HST). Free for Rooms Members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709)757-8090.
About the Speaker:
Colin Urwin is a folk singer and songwriter, an oral storyteller, a creative workshop facilitator, recording artist and author from the north coast of Ireland. As well as telling beautifully crafted traditional Irish tales, he weaves original songs, stories and monologues into his live shows. With over forty years of performance experience, he works with museums, schools, children and adults with additional needs, and many other community and business groups. He has also appeared on festival stages all over the world.
Events & Programs
Join us for Films On The Go, featuring a collection of short films from the most recent St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (SJIWFF).
About the lineup: Sweetgrass, perfect brows, the surprisingly queer life of a climbing clip, a giant imaginary bear, and one very bad day in 1986, this year’s Films on the Go lineup delivers seven short films packed with big emotion, sharp humour, and unforgettable moments. Crafted by filmmakers from Newfoundland & Labrador, Mi’kma’ki, Canada, and beyond.
Learn more about the films and artists here: https://www.womensfilmfestival.com/filmsonthego
Presented in partnership with the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival.
Films play on a loop in our theatre during open hours, unless the space is booked for a private event.
Auks, Wolves and Whales
What fills the void when a species is no more? Legends, folklore, and history worth learning from. Come listen to the stories of the Great Auk, the Newfoundland Wolf, and Endangered Whales as they echo across the ages through their body and bones. Commiserate with the extinct, heed the calls of the endangered, hold ossified bones, and see how artists transform tragedy into hope for a sustainable future.
Join us each day for an interpretive guided tour in one of our galleries. From the story of the Cod fishery to visiting a current art exhibition to a Family Rainbow tour, there is something for everyone.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
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Grounding: Through the Senses
This sensory tour of the art gallery exhibition 'Grounding' is accessible through touchable objects, audio descriptions, scents, and soundscapes. Participants can experience the exhibition’s themes and artworks in a way that emphasizes accessibility, inclusion, and meaningful engagement with Newfoundland and Labrador’s culture.
Join us each day for an interpretive guided tour in one of our galleries. From the story of the Cod fishery to visiting a current art exhibition to a Family Rainbow tour, there is something for everyone.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
Fishing for Cod
For centuries, fishing for cod has played a vital role in the lives of the peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador. Generations of fishing men, women and children made use of the land and sea to sustain them and spent their lives “making fish”.
Join us each day for an interpretive guided tour in one of our galleries. From the story of the Cod fishery to visiting a current art exhibition to a Family Rainbow tour, there is something for everyone.
Each tour is approximately 30 – 40 minutes and is included in the cost of admission. Free for Rooms members.
Join Breakwater Books to celebrate some of their renowned women-authored books! Featuring Heidi Wicks, author of the recently released short story collection Here, and Angela Antle, author of the debut novel The Saltbox Olive, this conversation, moderated by Trudy Morgan-Cole, will delve into their writing processes and the historic and cultural inspirations behind their work.
This is a free event, but a ticket is required. Please reserve your free ticket online or by calling (709) 757-8090.
Presented in partnership with Breakwater Books.
Books will be available for sale in The Rooms Giftshop on Level 1.
About the Authors:
Heidi Wicks has written for Riddle Fence, Newfoundland Quarterly, and The Globe and Mail. Her debut novel, Melt (2020), was featured in the Globe and Mail’s Hot Summer Reads list and received a silver medal IPPY (Independent Publisher) award. She also received the 2019 Cox and Palmer Creative Writing Award. She is featured in the short fiction collection Hard Ticket and the creative nonfiction collection Best Kind. She lives in her beloved hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Angela Antle is a writer, artist, and documentary maker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Antle’s writing has appeared in Riddle Fence, Newfoundland Quarterly, and CBC.ca. She wrote and directed Gander’s Ripple Effect: How a Small Town’s Kindness Opened on Broadway, and wrote the feature-length Irish-Norwegian-Canadian documentary Atlantic: What Lies Beneath. Narrated by Brendan Gleeson, it was the winner of best documentary awards at the Dublin, Wexford, Nickel, and Chagrin Film Festivals. As a journalist, Angela has rowed a dory through the Narrows, covered the subculture of Florida’s Spring Break, taken bumpy komatik rides on the coast of Labrador, hitchhiked from France to Newfoundland on a fishing boat, interviewed a Prime Minister on Broadway, and recorded Ron Hynes singing “Sonny’s Dream” in Ireland. She is an interdisciplinary PhD candidate at Memorial University, a member of Norway’s Empowered Futures Energy School, and was recently named the 2025 Rachel Carson Writer in Residence at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.