Storytelling Basics

Storytelling Tips 

 

Storytellers are people who share legends, beliefs, myths, and fables in oral tradition settings. Not all stories are meant to be told this way and not all people can tell stories. For those who want to develop or enhance their storytelling skills, here are some suggestions that might be helpful. According to Flora Joy of storynet.org many storytellers have asked the same questions. Whether or not the storytelling is for personal or professional purposes, some of the same techniques apply.

Where to begin?

Joy’s response is “Find a story that you feel you will TRULY WANT to tell. If you aren’t "sold" on the story, it will "show" when you tell it. Your body language will reflect how much you like (or dislike) the story.”

Looking for your first story?

There are several places. Consider the following:

(1)   Ask a librarian for a collection of stories that might fit your interest.

(2)   Look at your own personal life for inspiration and try to write a story that would appeal to your audience.

(3)   Examine story collections you loved as a child.

(4)   Explore the storytelling material in public domain.

(5)   Listen to story recordings done by the professionals. Copyright principles will apply and permission will be required if you want to retell someone’s story.

How do you learn your story?

Joy says: “There are several methods used by the pros. Probably the most common is as follows: Read the story over MANY times until the story’s "voice" becomes very familiar. Then practice with the first part of the story until it feels right coming from YOUR voice. Continue with each section of the story until you’ve reached its end.”

What to do when you’re ready?

Joy suggests you practice your storytelling skills in front of an audience of listeners who you feel comfortable speaking to. Inform that audience that this is your first performance and ask for some positive and negative feedback afterward. Check out some local storytelling guilds if you feel you need to fine-tune your performances further.

For more about her and storytelling, visit StoryNet .

Storytelling: The Personal Touch

I want to share an article by Jessica Fischer in the Times News that I read today about a really nice explanation of the place of personal stories and experiences in storytelling.

Storyteller adds family tales to repertoire

International Storytelling Center’s teller-in-residence series continues to celebrate its 10th anniversary season with a week’s worth of performances by storyteller and mime Antonio Rocha.

Rocha will offer daily matinees throughout his residency, which runs Sept. 13-17. All concerts begin at 2 p.m. in the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall, an intimate theater in the heart of the Center’s headquarters in downtown Jonesborough.

Rocha is celebrated for his unique take on traditional storytelling, which incorporates fluid movement into the spoken form. (He studied under master mime Tony Montanaro.)

“Mime is an eloquent body language,” Rocha says, observing that it’s used, to some extent, in all storytelling. “When somebody is on stage making facial expressions and gestures or leaning towards the microphone, that’s all body language. Even when you’re sitting down, you’re doing it. So to a certain extent, everybody mimes a little bit, whether they realize it or not.”
ut the more he worked with traditional stories, the more Rocha realized his own life followed similar rhythms and rules.

“Folk tales eventually helped me recognize all those archetypal characters in my own life,” he explains. “Folk tales aren’t about crocodiles and chickens; they’re human characters played by animals. I woke up to the fact that, my gosh, there’s a lot of stuff from my own life that I want to bring to the stage.”

In addition to stories about his childhood in Brazil, some of Rocha’s favorite personal pieces revisit his first years in the U.S.

“There are all these little snippets of my life in America, such as my story about being a millionaire for five minutes,” he says. “Now, you have to understand that I was a college student. I didn’t know much about American culture at the time. I got a letter from Mr. McMahon saying I had won a million dollars. I almost had a heart attack. My name was spelled right. Nobody spelled my name right in those days. I have five names, and they were all written correctly!”
It was a dark hour when Rocha’s American friends had to explain the phenomenon that is Publishers Clearing House.

“I was like, what do you mean I didn’t win anything!” he recalls, laughing. For someone who gained and lost a fortune in the course of one day, he was a very good sport.

During his week in Jonesborough, Rocha also looks forward to sharing a wide range of Brazilian and African folk tales. He relishes the opportunity to play with new forms and showcase new material for the Storytelling Live! series.

“It’s always good to come back to TIR,” he says. “It’s great to present new material and connect with new faces and the folks who know my work.”