Laura Sampson

Storyteller, Author, Arts Adventurer

Laura Sampson is a London-based storytelling artist, author and promoter whose work celebrates the power of the human imagination.She tells stories of big emotions, surreal situations and hard choices from across the world - but especially Japan (where she studies), the UK (where she lives) and the Afro-Caribbean (where her dad is from).Her latest book is Moon Snow Blossom: Wintry Folk Tales from Across Japan (Elliot + Thompson) co-written with poet Erica Hesketh.She is founder of story promoter The House of Rumour, host at open mic night Tales at the Tavern, and co-creator of The StillShe is excited by new ideas, unclassifiable forms, and mad experiments.

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• Other things
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© Laura Sampson. All rights reserved.

stories

I have always been obsessed with stories, first as an avid listener, reader and writer, then a bookseller, then a literary agent. And then - since 2018 - as a performance storyteller. I'm fascinated by how oral storytelling is a collaboration: 'old stories', told well, to a willing audience, ignite the imagination in a way nothing else can. My work almost always involves chant, rhythm and song, and elements of other art forms I practice. Everything, all at once!My audiences have ranged from a concert hall full of adults, to groups in schools and colleges, to tiny babies in their parents’ arms. For adult audiences, I've worked with the Crick Crack Club, Noh Reimagined Festival, East Anglia Storytelling Festival, Noho Theatre Group (Kyoto) and the All Good Bookshop. For children and families, I’ve work with Polka Theatre, the V&A, Guildhall Art Gallery, and Discover Children’s Story Centre, olus community venues, libraries and schools across the UK.

My repertoire includes material from all over the world, but especially from the UK, the Caribbean (my dad is from Trinidad), Japan (where I study), and the Old Norse world - stories I studied for my first degree. I curate bespoke storytelling sets using this material, as well as curriculum- or special event-linked stories, to fit my client’s needs. Session durations range from 10 to 60 mins.

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Recent Storytelling sets

For Families:
Afro-Caribbean folk tales (schools + libraries; V&A Museums)
Japanese stories (Young V&A)
Death stories (Redbridge Libraries)
Weaving and Spinning stories (Guildhall Art Gallery)
Aesop Fables (schools and libraries)

For Adults:
Folk Horror (The Crick Crack Club)
Birds and Old Crones (South London Storytelling)
Ovid's Metamorphoses (as The House of Rumour)
Japanese Horror stories (Sinister Masterplan)
Death and Remembering (Geschichtenoase Zurich)
Norse Myth (All Good Bookshop)

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YAMANBA (Or, She'll be Coming Round the Mountain)
What does it really mean to be 'seen'?
This show is a journey along crisscrossing paths of Japanese lore, legend, parable, and medieval reinventions of the mountain crone/witch/forgotten deity Yamanba. A being of delicious contradictions: folk horror ‘baddie’, ravenous old hag, worship-starved goddess, and avatar of compassion, all at the same time.RUN TIME: 65-70mins or 95mins (incl interval)

Beowulf (with Minnie Wilkinson and a lot of songs)
‘Save the day. Beat monsters. Gift your reward to the right receiver.’
And don’t get old. That's the recipe for Renown.
Dive into a mere of epic heroes, where it’s not about living, but living on.RUN TIME: 100mins (plus interval), OR 130mins (over 3 nights),
NB: 1HOUR-LONG MUSICAL VERSION IN THE WORKS for 2027!

HIDE
A prince, evicted at birth from his own story, returns in home-grown armour. A tailor’s hopes lie entombed in coats. A curly-haired girl’s scalp turns to leather.Mixing myth, memoir, and grown-up fairytale, HIDE tells a tale of identity, hard-won resilience, brave girls, monsters, and the power of the Main Narrative.RUN TIME: 55-60mins

The Boy on Gojo Bridge (with Japanese musician Yui Shikakura)
The origin story of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei: the action-packed formation of one of Japan’s most iconic Samurai partnerships.Expect vivid storytelling, live kabuki music, an epic fight scene, and a supernatural encounter with the long-nosed Tengu of Mt Kurama.RUN TIME: 50-55mins

books

My first book, a story collection for children called Enchanted Tales (Templar Books) was published in 2023, but books and writing have always been a big part of my life. Now, my writing work consists of creative ‘retellings’ (or re-writings) of traditional stories for contemporary audiences.My latest project Moon Snow Blossom: Wintry Folk Tales from across Japan, was published on 29 October 2026.
DETAILS BELOW!

Moon Snow Blossom

Moon Snow Blossom is a beautifully produced book of Japanese mukashibanashi (old stories) researched, reimagined and co-written by me and my friend Erica Hesketh.It was a joy to put the knowledge and experience I've gained through storytelling, academic study, and noh theatre practice into this 'journey through deep drifts of Japanese heritage and culture.'To accompany the book, we also made a live show: a 45-minute performance of some of the stories, poems and songs we chose to include. Originally created for a special launch event Cheltenham Literature Festival 2026, we've been delighted to bring the show to our local independent bookshops in London, with more performances planned for 2027.Next Moon Snow Blossom live Performance:
12 Nov, Kirkdale Books, Sydenham

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Noh

I’ve practiced the traditional Japanese art form, noh/nohgaku since 2011 and I perform with Theatre Nohgaku, an international collective which creates English language noh for audiences in Japan, the US and elsewhere.Recent shows include Bae Bong Gi (main role), Blue Moon Over Memphis (supporting role), Oppenheimer,Emily and Medea(chorus). In 2023-4, I performed noh chant for Aioi by Irish composer Anna Murray (Quiet Music Ensemble).I hold a Japanese Studies MA (distinction) from SOAS University of London, focusing on traditional stories and international noh learning environments.For 10 years I co-produced Noh Training Project UK and now run occasional beginner’s noh workshops.

Other performance

Along the way, I’ve also been booked as a vocalist, musician and actor in various theatre productions. Recents include:Beckett’s Come and Go and Rockaby (Noho Theatre Group)Windrush Adventure and Granny Moose by Paula David (Rebel Tales) - UK library, theatre and community venuesThe Knowing Newham Hero Hunt (Pakiki Theatre)Aioi by Anna Murray - utai vocalist (Quiet Music Ensemble)

hosting + promoting

As well as producing and promoting one-off ‘scratch’ storytelling events for The Still since 2018, in 2025 I set up The House of Rumour, a story promoter that celebrates more fully developed new work that ‘finds new voice in old stories’.During 2026, as House of Rumour, I’ve produced and played host/MC for event series Story Pick + Mix (in collaboration with leading promoter The Crick Crack Club), and multi-voice showcase performance Live from the House of Rumour. And there's lots more in the works for 2027!Find out more about the House of Rumour HEREI am also co-host with Niall Moorjani, of long-running London story open mic, Tales at the Tavern

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