Discovering a great story to tell is like finding a 20 dollar bill in the street. This buzz goes through you. Sometimes, I know a great story before I’m through reading it for the first time. It might be the smile on my face that keeps getting bigger till I run out of teeth or the hair that is standing up on my arms. I get so excited. Who can I tell first. After the first telling I immediately replay both the story and the listeners reaction to see what direction the tell needs to go. I then do it over and over. I’m still new at this, but I’m getting the feeling that you never stop messing with a story as long as your breathing life into it. I mean, everytime you tell it it changes a little and sometimes new discoveries occur. Like finding another 20 dollar bill in the same place.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recently I have been consulting and designing lights for some local theatre companies including Stageworks Youth Theatre and Opera House Theatre Company. I encourage everyone to grab their families or neighbors or both and GO to the theater. With all the digital forms of entertainment now out there, it’s easy to forget about what’s playing on stages around the area. Sitting in a dark theater with a crowd of strangers being transported to another reality is still one of the most magical and exciting ways to spend an evening. In movies and television, actors get multiple takes to get the dialogue or scene just right. In the theatre, the whole company rehearses for 2 to 6 weeks and then presents the the whole story right before our eyes. No second takes, no do overs, no “What’s my next line?” It can be amazing, almost magical.

Theater is Storytelling. Share it. You don’t want to deny you and yours a little magic, do you?

Beyond the mountains there are mountains again. – Haitian Proverb

There are two looks from people when it comes to the statement,”I’m a professional storyteller”. The first is the warm smile and followed by the comment,”You’d make a great storyteller or better yet, can you come tell at my school or church.” which is what I get from people who know me and have experienced that magical moment of not being read to, but rather allowing themselves to become a part of an experience. The other look can only be compared with the parent, after having put their child through college and grad school to be informed that they’ve decided to be a rodeo clown or the new disrict rep for yet another sports energy drink. I have enjoyed the different reactions but mostly I have realized the work I have in front of me. I look forward to the challenge of getting more looks of supportive recognition as time goes on.

Storyfest is in Greensboro in May and you should try to attend. It’s all day and it’s FREE. There will be some great North Carolina tellers there and I’ll be helping out.

Peace

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.

-James A Froude