Biography

Contact Sophie:
Tel: 01332 840007 email:robandsophie@hotmail.com

"I love to see people enjoying stories - whether reading books, listening to tales or creating their own. Bringing the tale alive - with voice, movement and humour - watching children giggling and entranced and adults holding on to every word of the story - is a magical life, and I relish every moment of it!"

Sophie lives in a village just outside Derby.  She has a Masters degree in Mediaeval History from St Andrews University, qualified as a Chartered Accountant (“there aren’t many jobs specialising in Mediaeval History!”), and speaks fluent French and German.  Sophie is married to Rob, a performance engineer in the aerospace industry.  They have 3 young boys, aged 10, 8 and 5.

After a high flying career working as a management consultant, Mergers & Acquisitions executive and then International Finance Director for Experian plc, she gave up work (and the travelling!) after the birth of her first child in 1999.  Three years later and with a second baby, she returned to work part-time.  For 4 years she was the member-nominated Non Executive Director for the Derbyshire Building Society.  A third boy was born to Sophie and Robert in 2004 and after a period at home enjoying life with her youngest as a full time mother, she took the plunge into life as a professional storyteller.

"How did I get into storytelling? I get asked this all the time. I first saw storytelling at a literature festival and was blown away by the stories and the performance. Watching the audience's reaction was an education - caught up in the tales, this was like no other performance art form. It was something special.

"I went along to Flying Donkeys in Derby, a storytelling club funded by the Arts Council with a unique programme of storytelling events that brought so many of the big names in storytelling to Derby. I was really lucky in that in a short space of time I saw many of the headline storytellers in the UK and was able to have a go myself at the story circle.

"As time passed, and my children grew up, I was able to practise more, learn and explore. I joined a group of developing storytellers called Peak Performance who met monthly to train and practise and started attending more workshops and visiting the other local storytelling clubs.

"Storytelling is addictive - whether as listener or teller, and I loved it so much I started to get asked to do guest spots and gigs. It has grown from there. I am now a member of the committee of Flying Donkeys, and a resident storyteller at Matlock Storytelling Cafe, and I am also a member of Nottingham Storytellers. Two new groups have started at Burton and Sheffield with some great local storytellers and the East Midlands is blessed with a lively and enthusiastic storytelling scene.

"With my youngest having completed his first full year at school, I now work as a professional storyteller, telling to all ages, in all sorts of venues. But I also write - mainly for children - and have recorded and published 3 audio books for children: The Pirate's Sister (2006), The Dragon's Christmas (2006) and Dragon's Tales (2008). Performance poetry is a bit of a hobby of mine and I recently won the Ripley Poetry Prize 2009."


Sophie and her husband also run their local village Live & Local events as volunteers. "It's a wonderful scheme which facilitates the hosting of top notch arts events in rural community locations. We've had theatre, folk music, opera, cabaret, poetry, storytelling and virtuoso acoustic musicians - wonderful stuff! We aim to open up access to quality arts performances to a local audience, and provide a warm, welcoming atmosphere, where people can meet new and old friends." To see the latest programme of events, check this link: www.quarndonliveandlocal.co.uk

"Your flexible approach and team spirit were hugely appreciated and an asset to the event as a whole, as was your good organisation and professionalism throughout. Thank you!"

...Neo Heny, Arts Project Co-ordinator, Amber Valley Borough Council.