 Storytellers, and other performers; don’t walk away from the opportunity to take a bow. It’s for you and for your audience.
Recently, a colleague commented on the fact that I always “take a bow” after telling a story. So I told him the story of why I do.
When I was in high school, I was already convinced that the theatre would be my life. Having started at age twelve, and then as a sophomore at fifteen, my fate was sealed. I was in as many plays as I could get cast. That year, Mr. Sommers came to the school and was our drama teacher, and directed all the plays. Our first production was Our Town.
I remember many things from that experience, but the most important, the one that I will never forget, is what Mr. Sommers said about taking our curtain call. He said it was more than just the time to get applause. He described it this way:
It’s the time that everyone says, “Thank you.” It’s the time when the audience thanks you for the gift you have given them in your performance, and the time when you thank them for giving you the gift of attention. It’s a time of mutual appreciation; a time when you both take the opportunity to say, “Thank you.”
It’s one of the most important things I have ever heard, and has stayed with me throughout my life; and not just in the theatre. I have tried to take every “thank you” moment as a time of mutual appreciation.
 So, storytellers (and all other performers) don’t rob your audience of the opportunity to say, “Thank you.” And say it back to them by taking that moment on stage or in front of the mic. Don’t rush off as if you are dismissing them and your performance. Just as storytelling is a collaboration between you and your audience, extend that collaboration for just one moment more. Take your moment, and give the audience theirs.
©Mark Goldman 2012
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