Tony “Monty” Hirst
Traditional storyteller, based on the Isle of Wight.
LOOKING FOR THE UK STORYTELLING EVENTS CALENDAR / MAP? CLICK HERE Buy Tickets for 'Cunning Folk of the Forest & Other Traditional Tales', Crown & Sceptre, Ross-on-Wye — 19/05/26 Buy Tickets for Three Rivers Music Festival — 29-31/05/26 Buy Tickets for Ventnor Fringe, 'Solent Tales, Macabre Stories' solo show — 21/07/26 Buy Tickets for Ventnor Fringe, 'Faery Tale Blues' show with The AnyWhens — 23 & 24/07/26
Solo Shows
Solo shows for small venues and fringe festivals, as well as informal and short sets for community events, fundraisers, and beer and cider festivals.
- Short pop up sets
- 1 hour fringe shows
- 100 min shows incl. short interval
- 5/10/15/20/40 min standalone stories
- Open to collaboration with musicians
- Open to collaboration with other tellers
- LAST POP-UP: Ey Up Mi Duck festival, open mic tent (Sat, Sun)
- NEXT FESTIVAL SET: Three Rivers Festival, Sunday May 31st, 2026, Woodland stage (+ Sophie Kate, fiddle), Community Stage (+ The AnyWhens)
- NEXT SOLO SHOW: ‘Cunning Folk of the Forest & Other Traditional Tales’, Crown & Sceptre, Ross-on-Wye, Tuesday, 19/05/26, doors at 7pm, £5 in advance or on the door
Monty + The AnyWhens
A collaboration with folk song duo Glenn Koppany and Sue Cain (The AnyWhens)
- Now booking: Faery Tale Blues: songs and stories__
- Also booking: Protest Days, Rebellion Nights: Stories and Songs of the Luddites
- Also appearing as: The AnyWhens / Monty Storyteller, turn taking 10-15 minute sets of folk songs and traditional folk tales (20-200mins)
- NEXT FREE PUB SHOW (folk stories’n’songs): TBC
‘Tis Tales
The Isle of Wight’s original storytelling troupe…
- Originally Three Island Storytellers, [founded 2022]
Tea Tales
Pop-up tales in ad hoc venues.
- Short tales for opportunistic tellings
- As told at: Bearded Theory, Wickham Festival, Beautiful Days, Ventnor Fringe
- Festival pop-up venues: The Magic Teapot, The Tiny Tea Tent, The Something Else Tea Tent
- Fringe / local festival pop-ups: Two Cooks (Ventnor), The Met (Ventnor)
- Open to telling alongside improvised musical accompaniment (esp. guitar, fiddle/violin, piano)
Storynotes
Story variants and historical tale research notes.
- Background research for storytellers
- Short collections of multiple versions of traditional folk tales
- Retellings of traditional tales alongside original versions
- Collated contemporary newspaper reports for historical tales
Recent Outings
Wheatsheaf Hotel, Newport, IW
Tales of Old Newport, May, 2026
Sôlt, Almondbury, Huddersfield
An Evening of Traditional Tales, April, 2026
St Lawrence Village Hall
Monty + The Anywhens / Faery Tale Blues, March 2026
Roman Villa, Brading IW
Faery Tale Blues, + The AnyWhens, March 2026
Crown & Sceptre, Ross-on-Wye
The Sin-Eater of Ross & other tales, March, 2026
Kashmir Fringe, Quay Arts, Newport IW
Four Tales + music from Sophie and Glenn, Feb. 2026
Department, Ryde
‘Tis Tales / Tall Tales & Tiny Truths, Jan. 2026
October Books, Southampton
Monty + The Anywhens / Protest Days, Rebellion Nights, Dec. 2025
Carvel Lane Coffee House, Cowes
Dark Tales / Winter Tales, Nov/Dec 2025
St Lawrence Village Hall
Monty + The Anywhens / Protest Days, Rebellion Nights, Nov 2025
Bearded Theory Festival 2025
Something Else Tea Tent / Magic Teapot
Protest Days, Rebellion Nights
Monty + The AnyWhens
Ventnor Fringe, Isle of Wight, 25/7/25
Unforeseen Consequences
Solo show
Chichester Fringe, 31/5/25
Beautiful Days Festival 2025
Tiny Tea Tent / Magic Teapot
Wickham Festival 2025
Guest with The Travelling Talesman / Magic Teapot