Steve Nallon’s range of talks includes ‘The Ghost Story Talks’, ‘Film Talks’, ‘Theatre Talks’, and ‘Story Craft Talks’, plus individual presentations called ‘Telling the Tales of Time’ and ‘Satire: Tickle or Sword?’. Some are based on the lectures he wrote during his time as a Visiting Lecturer in the Drama Department at the University of Birmingham. Other presentations come from commissions for lectures from organisations and establishments such as the British Film Institute and Portsmouth University. Steve’s lectures are also drawn from his published writings in books and periodicals, and these include THE NEW STATESMAN, CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES, SCRIPTWRITER, MUSICAL STAGES, and THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC.
In recent years, Steve’s insights have proved very popular with cultural societies, schools and colleges, writing groups, audiences on cruise ships, and various literary and film festivals. His friendly and relaxed approach makes Steve’s talks highly engaging, and his use of everyday language rather than academic jargon means his talks are always accessible to a wide audience. As well as his lectures for cultural societies and festivals, Steve gives talks in schools and colleges on subjects such as Young Adult fiction, the Gothic Story Tradition, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and he offers an interactive workshop called ‘How to Make a Story...’
Steve Nallon offers a variety of talks on the supernatural story tradition, and these include ‘The Strange and Haunting History of the Ghost Story – From Ancient Egypt to Modern Cinema’, ‘The Gothic Story World: Exploring the Gothic Tradition and Its Legacy’, ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Exploring Charles Dickens’s Classic Tale of Time’, ‘The Very Queer World of the Spook Tale (and Those Who Tell It)’, and ‘The Haunted House Movie’.
Steve Nallon offers a variety of talks on movie history, film genres, and cinematic techniques. Steve’s specific lectures on genre include ‘Film Noir’, ‘The Haunted House Movie’, ‘The Animation Genre’, ‘Destination Time Travel: A Journey in Film and Television’, ‘The Gangster Movie’, and ‘The Action Movie’. His talks on cinematic topics cover ‘Cinema About Cinema’, ‘Cinema About Television’, as well as a detailed analysis of movie story structure in ‘The Hollywood Formula’.
Steve Nallon offers a variety of lectures and talks on theatre history, comedy performance, myth and story, and musical theatre. Specifically Steve’s lectures are by title ‘The Broadway Musical’, ‘The Stand-up Comedian’, ‘Farce Comedy and the Plays of Plautus’, ‘Myth and Story: Peter Pan’, ‘The Musical Theatre of George Gershwin’, ‘The Musical Theatre of Stephen Sondheim’, ‘What Makes Audiences Laugh?’, ‘The British Musical’, and ‘The Restoration Actor’.
Steve Nallon offers a series of talks and classes on STORY CRAFT, and these are ‘Thinking Story’; ‘Plot and Character’; Enhancing the Tale’; ‘Writing Skills’; ‘Narrative Design’; and ‘Cinematic Storytelling’. The aim is to provide insight into the tradition, practice, and art of story and storytelling. Presentations include discussions on the psychological nature of the writer, as well as why human beings need and tell stories. There’s a look, too, at the nuts and bolts of story structure and the day-to-day techniques and skills of the writer; the different modes whereby a narrative can be told; and the various media of storytelling, including cinema.
Steve Nallon’s ‘Telling the Tales of Time’ talk is a personal reflection on time travel stories and draws on his own early experiences of watching and reading science fiction in his youth. ‘Telling the Tales of Time’ offers some fascinating psychological insights into the traumas of childhood and the way fantasy – in Steve’s case time travel tales – can be used to navigate personal distress and anxiety. The lecture also explores the storytelling craft and tropes of time travel stories, the themes and philosophy of time travel, as well as the science of actual time travel.
Steve Nallon’s talk ‘Satire: Tickle or Sword?’ addresses the important roles satire plays in holding power to account and pushing back against societal censorship. The talk includes a journey across the history of satire, right through to the present day; a look at the core moral viewpoint of a satire; an examination of the different forms, techniques, and methods of satire; plus there’s a look at the psychological nature of the satirist. Running throughout the talk are the questions: What is the purpose of satire? How effective is it? And is satire ultimately more tickle than sword?