Welcome to the Storytellers of Nottingham. We are a group whose aim is to encourage storytelling in all its forms, and if you are reading this information, you may be interested in learning to write and perform stories yourself.
Storytelling is the ancient method of handing down stories, culture and history in society before the written form became dominant, however, that does not mean that it has no relevance in modern society. Quite the opposite in fact, as we all tell stories all the time, from telling workmates what we did the previous night, to telling jokes, to regaling friends with anecdotes over a pint in the pub. All of this is storytelling.
Most members of the group are writers who perform their own work, however, we are not prescriptive and welcome anyone who wishes to perform either traditional tales or their own tales.
Our aim here is to provide you with some hints and tips to turn everyday storytelling into a performance for an audience, and to get you up in front of a real audience at the Trip to Jerusalem to perform* your story!
A storytelling audience is a very civilised one and they will expect an intelligent and cohesive performance. Telling to our audience is a privilege and should not be abused. They will usually have paid for and expect entertainment; you are there to entertain them; so this should be at the forefront of your preparation.
* You will be expected to perform, ie. learn, your story, not read it. Our audience expects storytelling in its traditional form, even though the stories themselves are often very modern ones. Please do not read your story.
Always tell a story you enjoy - it will be easier to learn and your enthusiasm will be infectious for the audience.
Try to visualise your story - having a strong visual image of each part of the story you are telling will make it easier to remember and will help you focus on the description that is truly necessary and remove the padding!
Keep it simple - this is extremely important both for you as the teller and for the audience. You will find it much easier to remember a simple story and the audience will be able to follow it.
Aim for 10 -12 minute performances - any longer than this, then your story is too long/complicated and the audience will struggle to keep up with you. If you write your stories before learning them, this equates to 2 to 2 and a half sides of A4 at the most.
Too much detail confuses the audience - think about your descriptions carefully. As you tell your story the audience will be visualising the story you are telling them, so be aware of the images you are creating. Look for ways of conveying your meaning in the smallest amount of words to help the audience imagine the story you are painting without conflict. One way to create an instant image is to use archetypes, eg. the King, the Beggar, the Shoemaker etc... Everyone's image will be different, but that doesn't matter, as they are all visualising a King and you have used 2 words instead of 20 leaving more room for story.
Understand the key message - be clear about why the story is important to you. This will help you focus the story correctly and not alter the underlying meaning of it, which could cause confusion for your audience.
'Why?' exercise - once you have your story, check that it is plausible by examining it by asking yourself 'why?' at each point. If you can answer this, then your story is working well. If you don't know why something is happening or why a character is reacting in a certain way, revisit the story and answer the question. Also ask yourself: Are your characters plausible? Are there any inconsistencies? Is the plot plausible? By this we mean, state the obvious - you have written it and know the story, but the audience doesn't, so make sure it is clear. Does it need anything else? Perhaps a laugh, another character, a serious note etc... Is there any padding? If so, remove it.
Writing verses Performance - be aware that the art to writing for a reading audience and a listening audience is different. Check that your story still works when it is spoken out loud. In general, the story will need to be simpler for a listening audience as they will not have the text to refer back to.
Subject matter - we are not prescriptive and do not wish to dictate what type of stories you may wish to tell, however, there are a couple of rules:
Rehearsing - make sure you have plenty of time to rehearse. The least onerous way to do it is to practise your story once or twice a day for a week. You will be surprised how quickly you will remember it.
People prepare in lots of different ways, some will write every word and learn it verbatim, others will only write pivot points and trip lines, telling the story with different words each time. Tellers often start with the former and move onto the latter, but if you are comfortable with telling your story 'ad hoc', we recommend going straight for the latter method, as you will not have to worry about forgetting your lines.
Good luck.
Mentoring sessions are available to help you get started. Please come along to talk about any of the points raised here, to discuss story ideas, to practise your story and get feedback, or just come for a natter.
Currently mentoring sessions are available on request, so if you would like a session to be organised, please contact Pete Davis on 0115 955 8054.