Here's to the Heroes & Deceivers! Congratulations to Cassie Cushing, Tim Ereneta, and Pam Faro on their concert last Wednesday evening. The concert streamed LIVE over the internet with the three tellers, a magician and a graphic artist. There were over 40 people in attendance. The event was funded through "crowdsourcing" on Indiegogo. Kudos to Cassie for creating a great event and raising enough money to pay the tellers!
The Ballad of Ronnie Calloway - Jonesborough Premier And speaking of crowdsourcing...
Kim Weitkamp has a new project in the works. The Ballad of Ronnie Calloway. He was one of the last gentlemen outlaws. Women, whiskey, wild living and a life of running from the law has left Ronnie the last man standing in the Calloway family.
Filled with foot stomping music, haunting ballads and the ancient art of storytelling The Ballad of Ronnie Calloway tackles the zig zag of life...struggle, victory, death, love, comedy, family dysfunction, and redemption...found in unusual places.
Kim will debut this compilation of music and story at the Midnight Cabaret at this week's Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. You can be part of this great project - and receive the finished recording by contributing to Kim's Kickstarter campaign!
Click here to learn more about Kim and this project. Oh yeah, and while you're on her home page, take 4 minutes to watch Kim's powewrful story about Report Cards, told live at last year's Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. You'll be glad you did!
Odyssey Storytelling in Tucson Thursday, October 3rd
This curated Storytelling event in Tucson is in it's 11th year! Six people are invited to tell ten minute, personal stories on a theme in front of an audience. The stories are not read or memorized, they are told from the life experiences and creativity of the teller. This month: THE SPONTANEOUS SHOW! (with Tucson Improv Movement)
AZ Republic Live Storytelling Thursday, October 3rd Home is Where the...Stories of the places most special to us.
Celebrate our emotional homes, our childhood homes, our first homes, our vacation homes, our spiritual homes, our family homes.
Featured tellers: Michael Heller, Gabe Williams, Kim Porter, Tom McDermott, Liz Fichera, Nicole DeLeon, Diane Jacobs. It is not necessary to pay for Garden admission to attend.
Gertrude’s at the Desert Botanical Garden - 1201 N. Galvin Parkway - Phoenix AZ 85008
Tickets are selling swiftly! Make sure you buy yours because we only have 110 seats at this venue and no way to add more.
$10. $5 for students. Buy tickets at brownpapertickets.com. A portion of the proceeds benefits Republic Charities.
Greek & Roman Myth Throw Down Friday, October 4th - 6:30-8:30 pm
Be part of the fun! Join everyone at South Mountain Community College as twenty-six storytelling students from the many Community College storytelling classes in Maricopa County share their three-minute versions of Greek and Roman Myths. The audience will vote on the best stories. Then, on Monday, October 7th, the top seven will tell the full versions for Myth Informed Classic Moves.
Tap-Tap-Tap Saturday, October 5th
Storyteller and tap dancer Dustin Loehr will be performing at the Herberger Theatre Festival of the Arts doing a Story/Tap performance on the Kax stage. Don't miss this great teller/performer!
Stories Connect Us All Online Storytelling Festival - October 9-11
Join a worldwide movement to promote understanding among different racial, ethnic and religious groups through Stories Connect Us All, the world’s first-ever online storytelling festival to focus on building bridges between cultures.
During the three-day festival, participants can log onto the Stories Connect Us All Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/StoriesConnectUsAll) to watch personal videos stories from a different professional storyteller every half hour, from 8 a.m. to 10 pm (CDT) each day. The videos will feature multicultural storytellers sharing stories of their unique cultural backgrounds, challenges and triumphs.
Over the three days, you can hear 72 stories by over 60 professional storytellers!
When you tell people you are a storyteller, what is their response? How do you respond back to them? Do they ask you "What kind of stories do you tell?" Then what do you say? Do you tell them a story? You should.
This exchange between storyteller and "potential listener" happens all the time. There's only one real way to let them in on what you do...tell them a story. What story should you tell? Well, if you only have a moment to capture their interest, it's clearly not the time to tell the legend of Gilgamesh - even if that is your favorite.
You need some "pocket" stories; short stories, no longer than one minute. Sounds crazy, no? Something that will give them a glimpse of what you do. Keep it short, just enough to whet their appetite.
Have a few different ones so you can pick the most appropriate one to tell. Take one of your favorites and pare it down to just the essentials. Or choose a short fable or parable.Tell your story with all the gusto you have, as if you were telling the long version. Don't skimp on the emotion and characterizations. At the end of your story, you can always say, “There’s more to it than that…that’s just a taste!”
Breaking Bad Star's Advice to Actors Valid for storytellers too!
At last year's Academy new member reception, Actor Bryan Cranston, star of Breaking Bad (not looking much like his character, Walter White), shared his advice to aspiring actors. He is speaking specifically about auditioning, but his thoughts fit for performances as well, and storytelling. He tells actors they need to "serve the text". Not too dissimilar from my blog of March, 2012 about serving the story..
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
Congratulations to 
And speaking of crowdsourcing...
Thursday, October 3rd
Friday, October 4th - 6:30-8:30 pm
Saturday, October 5th
Online Storytelling Festival - October 9-11
