Storyteller par excellence….endless imagination, boundless wit and an ability to transport children and adults into an amazing imaginary world.”            The Oregonian

“Young Audiences Artist of the Year 2004”

    From Irish folktales and American tall tales to Native American legends, Russian fairytales and beyond, Will Hornyak weaves a wide web of well-crafted stories into energetic and highly engaging performances.  A former newspaper reporter in Latin America, he combines an understanding of world cultures with a love for the rhythm and music of language.

    “Will is a master of audience inclusion....he gets the students into the show,” says Joe Lapidus, principal of Chinook Elem. in Vancouver, Washington.

    A strong advocate for storytelling as a tool for personal and social empowerment, Will has performed and offered workshops for the Multnomah County Juvenile Justice Dept., the Oregon State Penitentiary (Salem), the American Cancer Society, the Oregon Early Childhood Education Council and numerous businesses, schools and colleges.  He teaches classes in storytelling at Marylhurst University and Lewis and Clark College and performs throughout the Northwest and beyond.  He was awarded the Brimstone Grant from the National Storytelling Association for his environmental education program: Living Streams: Stories for Healthy Watersheds.

 Sampling of Recent Performances

  The Story of Mary Culhane and other Tales of Terror  Oregon City Library and John Palmer House, Portland

Doing Time: Stories from Peru’s Prisons  Hipbone Studio, Portland  

The Bawdy Raconteur: Deliciously Ribald Tales  Hipbone Studio, Ashland public library, Port Orford Theatre 101

 To Tell the Holy: Stories of the Spirit  First Unitarian Church, Portland  

Storied Oregon Oregon Historical Society, Portland 

The Mythic Voice  Skagit River Poetry Festival, Washington

  The Fish that Walked and Other Nearly True Tales Medford, Oregon Multi-cultural Festival 

The First Irishman: The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill  Hipbone Theatre, Artichoke Music Backstage, First Unitarian Church, Still Meadow Retreat and Conference Center