Image of Rosemarie Somaiah
Rosemarie Somaiah

Storyteller

Rosemarie Somaiah (Singapore)

Rosemarie Somaiah is a Partner with Asian Storytelling Network, Singapore’s first professional storytelling company. Over the years, Rosemarie has performed at the Esplanade, the Arts House, The Substation, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, various museums and festivals. She has told stories on Singapore’s public television channel Okto as well as the Origins Asia Pacific Business Narrative Conference, part of SISF 2010. In 2011, highlights in Singapore include presenting Storytelling at St 11 – Rediscovering the Pedagogy of Play in Preschool at the SDEA Theatre Arts Festival, hosting The International Storytellers’ Showcase at the SISF, and presenting a workshop for teachers, ‘Empowered to Play with the Imagination – Oral Storytelling in the Classroom’ at the launch of the English Language Institute of Singapore. Among other special events, Rosemarie also presented folktales at the official launch of Speak Good English Movement in Sep, the business conference, Investing in the Aging Boom in Oct and the Singapore Writers Festival in Oct. Overseas, Rosemarie has performed at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, the Beverley and East Riding Folk Festival as well as at schools and social institutions in India. She has represented the Society for Reading and Literacy at international events in Hong Kong, Beijing and Budapest. She was invited to the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival in 2008 and presented work there, as an author and storyteller, with the support of the National Arts Council, Singapore. Rosemarie, represented Singapore at the Regional Meeting on the use of Asian Folktales in Classrooms organised by the SEAMEO (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation) and APCEIU (The Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding) held in Bangkok August 2010. In April 2011, she represented Singapore children’s writers at Spotlight Singapore in Cape Town, South Africa. In November 2011, Rosemarie, as the Singapore representative presented a paper at the International Workshop on Story heritages of Asia in Seoul Korea. A published poet and author, her books include the popular ‘Indian Children’s Favourite Stories’ (2006) by Tuttle Publishing. Rosemarie has led The Storytellers’ Circle of the Society for Reading and Literacy (SRL) for many years. She is a member of the Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA), on the Executive Committee of the Storytelling Association (Singapore) and a Committee member of READ! Singapore 2012.

Catch Rosemarie in Asian Congress of Storytellers.
Website: www.asianstorytellingnetwork.com