// TRAILER
Watch The Trailer
// ABOUT THE SHOW
A Journey Across Cultures and Nature
Where folklore meets today's environmental urgency.
Storyteller for the Earth: Folktales for The Living Earth brings together two acclaimed storytellers — Rona Mentari (Indonesia) and Roi Gal Or (United Kingdom) — in a cross-cultural performance that explores humanity's relationship with nature through folklore passed down for generations.
The project began with online workshops, collaborative sessions, and deep research, where both storytellers exchanged folk tales, cultural perspectives, and reflections on ecological themes. This collaboration deepened during an in-person artistic residency in Indonesia, where they refined their craft and built a richer, closer cultural dialogue. The result is a performance enriched by Wayang Suket (traditional visual storytelling) and live ethno-music from local musicians — creating an immersive experience where tradition and urgency meet.
This isn’t just a show about listening to stories. It is a direct response to the ecological crises facing our modern world, using the timeless wisdom of Indonesian and British folklore to address climate anxiety, environmental degradation, and our lost connection to the land.
Presented with support from the Connections Through Culture Grant 2025 by the British Council — fostering creative collaboration and cultural exchange between artists across the UK and the Asia-Pacific region.
// STORYTELLERS
The Voices Behind the Tales
Two storytellers, two islands, one shared story for the Earth.
Rona Mentari is an Indonesian storyteller, storytelling activist, and performer with over 20 years of experience reviving oral traditions through performance. In 2010, alongside her sisters, she founded Rumah Dongeng Mentari, a community space dedicated to fostering empathy, education, and cultural literacy through the art of storytelling.
Her dedication to preserving folklore and national culture earned her a prestigious recognition in 2018 from the President of the Republic of Indonesia as an outstanding Young Activist.
A graduate of the International School of Storytelling in the UK, Rona has performed at international storytelling events across New Zealand, India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. In 2022, she produced and presented Pentas Cerita: Menenun Nyala, Indonesia's first full-scale storytelling concert. Her work dynamically blends spoken narrative with live music and song.
Explore her work:
Roi Gal-Or is an international storyteller, performer, and workshop facilitator with over 25 years of experience. He is a co-founder of the International School of Storytelling (UK) the longest running storytelling centre of its kind. He is a co- originator of Storytelling Beyond Words, and Healing Words. These training programs create through storytelling spaces for building empathy, connection, and cross-cultural creative dialogue.
Roi’s work with storytelling is rooted in witnessing the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Since then, Roi has dedicated his work to developing storytelling as a medium for peace, social healing, and positive change in communities around the world.
Explore his work:
// TESTIMONIALS
What Audiences Are Saying
Stories that stayed with them long after the show ended.
