Storytelling can be presented in many forms, with different cultures and communities having their own take on the art form. Bringing these culturally diverse storytelling methods to enthralled audiences is one of goals of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. For The Ruby Tree the audience is witness to an early evening fairytale in the Jewish oral tradition. These stories are generally not written down and told over a series of evenings. Shonaleigh is the storyteller who is attempting to distill this traditional tale into an hour long performance.
Shonaleigh takes to the stage and addresses the audience by giving us a background on Jewish tradition and Yiddish storytelling. This sets the scene and lets all in attendance know that this will be an interactive event which may go off on bizarre and unpredictable tangents. The performer has over 4000 stories in her head and many of these may find their way into the immersive fantasy of  The Ruby Tree. The story follows the traditional fairytale form. A King and Queen want to have a child, but to do so they must pluck some fruit from The Ruby Tree. This sparks a tainted tale filled with fantasy and imagination. In many ways the story itself is like a tree with many branches. As it is an interactive performance the audience can intervene and request that the performer takes the narrative in new directions. We hear the backstory to many elements of The Ruby Tree and feel very much part of the plight of many of the characters we are introduced to.
Shonaleigh was onstage for an hour this evening, but the she held the audience’s attention so tightly, the performer could talked into the small hours. The Ruby Tree is a fine tale, but the performer made it feel magical and special and ensured the audience left the Scottish Storytelling Festival with a smile on their face.