BLURBS
Please take the word of our many esteemed patrons.
"Cory Cavill’s “Creativity Workshop” of Saturday, February 17th, 2024, was a thoroughly professional seminar that I very much enjoyed attending. A process was laid out for creating a story, poem, or song. An actual project was given, in which we went through the process – not easy to do in a short, two-hour seminar – and at the end, we all had the beginnings of a written story about our own chosen character, that I dare say we were all proud of! I think this was the most practically useful seminar of its type I have been to. Cory is not only a talented creator herself, but with this seminar she inspires and teaches a way for others to create wonderful stories also! I will use her very specific tools and suggestions to keep me on focus for my future projects in writing
stories and songs."
-Joe Bodeson, Rapid City
"Last night, just outside of Custer at the end of the day.
Cory took us on a journey to the frog pond to play.
We heard stories, experiences, conversation
And songs that fueled our wonder and the imagination.
After a thoughtful pause following each beautiful tale,
I heard a chorus of croaking, Trumpeter swans, and a coyotes wail.
Last night, just out of Custer at the end of the day,
Cory took us on a journey to the frog pond to play.
If Cory comes to your town and invites you, too
I’d suggest you go. You will leave with a smile if you do."
-Hank Fridell, Custer, SD
"This ingenious, introspective, and inclusive presentation by Cory Cavill will tug at your heart
strings. Cory will take you on a fascinating, relatable journey through original songs and poems.
“Welcome to the Frog Pond” will make you laugh and find your own ‘frog pond’, and also
know you are really OK. Cory invites audience participation to add the sounds of nature to the
frog pond, which also adds to the hilarity. Hear Cory’s journey, dive into the pond, open your heart, and enjoy!"
-Kathleen Anderson, Hot Springs
"The Frog Pond is a delightful program that allows audiences to participate in the creation of a
whimsical natural world. Black Hills Community Theatre was able to host Cory Cavill’s, The
Frog Pond in February of 2024. The performance brought in a sizable crowd of new audience
members as well as offering a unique type of performance to our existing audience. Those in
attendance were quick to commit to the interactive nature of the performance, which made for
a one-of-a-kind event. The Frog Pond was a needed departure from our usual programming
that offered our audience a special and interactive experience.
As a performer, Cory Cavill created an immediate and warm repertoire with the audience.
From the beginning she invited the audience in to participate and join the performance, laying
out the guidelines of participation clearly and enthusiastically. The audience was quick to
respond and continued to interact and engage with the material throughout the performance.
Cavill addresses the audience directly throughout, treating them as old friends. She is
wonderfully vulnerable, sharing stories that are by turns wry and poignant, but always backed
by optimism. From the start, the audience was personally connected to Cavill and invested
in the world she created.
Many in the audience reacted with recognition to the personal stories Cavill told, seeing
themselves in her quest to rediscover her own voice. The women in the audience especially
reacted to anecdotes that outlined the challenges of being a woman who has her own voice
and uses it. At other times the audience nodded along as Cavill spoke of the way animals
saw her through a chaotic childhood. The simplicity of the performance, the warmth and
friendliness exhibited by Cavill, and imbedding the story in the natural world made for a
performance that offered audiences multiple ways to connect to both performer and
performance. Ultimately the message of hope, resilience, and staying true to yourself in ways
both big and small felt both deeply personal and universal, and Cavills unique performance
style made for a memorable experience.
In addition to the performance, we were happy to have Cavill teach two storytelling
workshops – one for students over 16 and one for kids ages 9-16. Cavill shared her
approach to creating character and finding what story that character needs to tell. She walked
students through the process of discovering and germinating the initial seed of the story as well
as providing resources and ideas for next steps. As a teacher she again cultivated a warm and
immediate rapport with her students. She guided them through the process while allowing
them to make their own discoveries and gently prompting them to deepen their focus or follow
a particular path. Students were engaged in the work and left with a new character and the
beginnings of that character’s story for further development."
-Black Hills Community Theater Artistic Director: Merlyn Sell