From the Stage. . .
or the Internet
Art from Rachel's Perspective
You, as a reader, have influence and power as to the direction of my life.
Several of you have shared encouraging words, references, contacts, stories or even services so that the "Year of the Family" adoption tales project could be successful. This help has come from-though not limited to-Terrence Gargiulo, Tim Lowry, Mary-Eileen McClear, Robert Bela Wilhelm, and Jeanne Fischer.
Perhaps I should have started this newsletter earlier than October 2009. Alas, I am thankful I started in the first place.
Dreams can be talk for so long until that is all they remain: dreams. It is then action that transforms dreams into reality.
Your support and love will strengthen me for the coming days. As my husband and I still do not have children, there is a time of year that is hardest for me: Mother's Day.
I had thought about adopting a child or two for the day.
Luckily, May is also the month that my husband and I celebrate our anniversary. The 19th to be exact. So a day of sorrow could be replaced quickly by the fact that we will be together for nine years. . .and many more years. That is my eternally ever after.
I do have more peace for this Mother's Day than for past ones because we know we have done our part. We are "visible" with the adoption process. All paperwork, fingerprints, and essays are done. Our adoption profile is online at http://www.tinyurl.com/CaseyandRachel.
Soon we will send out adoption business cards to spread the word further.
If you happen to know of other ways to spread the word that we would like to adopt, please send them to info@rachelhedman.com.
Thank you in advance.
 Cap's Off to You
Featuring: Anne Beardsley
Loyal Listener & Young Mom
UT
"World-class" parents tend to be "world-class" storytellers, and such is the respect for Anne Beardsley's mother and father. Anne noted, "They never performed on a stage, as far as I am aware, but even when they talked about their day and how it went, they could launch into this 20-minute spiel and do sound effects of anything that happened."
When it turned into bedtime, Anne and her siblings heard about Sylvia the Cow from spontaneous creations from Dad. In the first story of the series, Sylvia the Cow peaks her head into a one-room schoolhouse and a little boy named Billy discovers the talking creature. Later on, the cow helps the children with their homework.
Anne remembered, "In every single story, someone was shocked that the cow could talk."
She and her siblings thought the idea of a talking cow was hilarious, though Sylvia the Cow was also known to drive a tank during a desert storm, start a restaurant, campaign for senator, and hunt for buried treasure.
Anne laughed, "Sylvia the Cow had an exciting life!"
When the Disney movie "Aladdin" came out in theaters, Anne's family got the book based on the movie. All five kids wanted to read the book, so it was decided that the story be read aloud by Anne, the oldest. She never had the privilege to read aloud before.
Anne recalled, "I looked up from the book and saw all my brothers and sisters wide-eyed and completely enthralled." She continued, "That was the moment I got hooked."
Sometimes she got in trouble by one of her younger brothers when it was discovered that Anne did not always read the story word-for-word and added descriptions or details.
When Anne attended Brigham Young University, she told and heard stories as part of the campus Storytelling Club for places such as schools, old folks homes, and clubs. One time she and at least five other tellers told for the Southern Culture Club.
"They were shocked that we had half a dozen different stories of various types that all had to do with the South." When the Storytelling Club was requested for the event, the college-aged audience expected fairy tales. Rather the mix included a Brer Rabbit story, old southern folklore, ghost stories set in the south, and even a story about a teller's sister and roommate who had a disastrous vacation in Georgia.
The Storytelling Club shocked many other adult groups. Anne noticed, "So many people, when they hear the word 'storytelling', they think of a bunch of people sitting around talking about knights and castles."
Anne loves being a listener as much as a teller. She commented, "When I hear others perform, I get both sides of the magic." Anne can vicariously tell along with the teller as well as appreciate the story as an audience member.
She has felt a certain energy that exudes forth from both the teller and the listener. She exclaimed, "I love the bond between the teller and the listener, the way that--between them--they can create almost an entirely different world."
Anne added, "It is almost as if the barrier is taken down between two people...having a common experience, living the same story together."
Thank you, Anne.
You are one of the many who brings down barriers whenever you hear or tell stories.
What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to
Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs)
Ideas for the Art to Embrace
Storytelling events and organizations will recognize the value of documentaries and share these filmed features along with live performances to the general public.
There may not be a single storytelling documentary. Plenty of film footage and thousands of pictures exist, but nothing has been pursued beyond that point. Some people have taken the initiative to transform footage into DVDs, though the focus was on the performance itself rather than the journey on how the event turned fantastic.
A documentary could be as simple as turning on a regular video camera and knowing someone who is familiar with editing software or it could be as complex as a grant-sponsored endeavor with university film interns and professionals guiding the process.
Once the documentary is created, remind the public of the value of live performance. Determine a release date for the documentary and then follow it with a live storytelling showcase. You could connect with people who would otherwise not understand the dynamics of the art of storytelling.
Every community has access to a nearby university, local film center, or other associations who would be fascinated by participation in a storytelling documentary. These people only need to be made aware of the vision. You may find that local theaters, that already show other "usual" live performances like operas, would love to feature the documentary.
So could documentaries become a trend in storytelling?
This could happen.
 YouthTellerTip
3 featured from YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv)
1. When kids are taught to emcee, a cousin art of storytelling, then the whole story event could be run by youth.
Adults could use the art of emceeing as much as youth. However, in this case, we are giving the opportunity for youth to feel in control of an event. If already the majority of tellers will be youth, then saving one or more emcee spots for youth would be like the cherry on top. As youth practice stories, so do youth need to practice emceeing. This art of introduction involves knowing how to pronounce names, share short yet fascinating facts with energy and without notes, and improvising transitions between tellers. Youth are perfect to take on this challenge.
2. Kids could tell stories only with words and facial expressions for a game. Gestures are not always needed in storytelling.
Sometimes kids spend so much time worrying about gestures that they become forced rather than natural. They forget that the story could be told whether or not gestures are used. Playing games that emphasize word choice and facial expressions could show other ways to share a story. After the game, when laughs and or smiles are exchanged, point out that what was experienced could enhance the way they work out stories.
3. Kids know few fairy tales and tall tales. Share them for some storytelling games to work. Disney cannot and should not do it all.
We cannot assume that kids know the classic tales and are familiar with characters like The Three Little Pigs, Pecos Bill, or Puss n' Boots. When there are parodies or references to fairy tales, children nowadays are missing the moments. Disney and Pixar have brought attention some of these characters, but these companies could use help from us to tell the tales. Stories always need more than one version. As a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or friend, you could open the eyes of story lines and characters that have lasted for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years.
Game of the Month:
Story Rampage Relay
Shared by Rachel Hedman, creator
Audience: youth (due to running)
Level: intermediate
Items Needed: blank index cards, markers, masking tape, stopwatch
Number of Players: 13-30
Roles: Timer, Listener per Team and Relay Runners
Ave. Playing Time: 5-10 min. per race if cards already made, 15 min. if cards are created that day
One-Liner: resembles a relay race with two or more teams using homemade storytelling cards that have images or words of settings, characters, and problems with a dedicated listener per team that will share the entire story to claim victory
Instructions:
Give three blank index cards to each person who will take part in this game. Of the three cards, one card would be labeled "Setting", one card would be labeled "Character", and the last card would be labeled "Problem". If 13 people were to play, then there would be 13 Setting cards, 13 Character cards, and 13 Problem cards.
In about five minutes, the people would have plenty of time to come up with their own ideas for a Setting, Character, and Problem. After writing the name like "kitchen" or "trapeze artist" or "ran out of toilet paper", then the extra time could be an attempt to draw the word. Share with the group possible ideas to get their brains to think of others.
Gather all the homemade cards and separate them into three different piles dependent on if they are Setting, Character, or Problem cards. Shuffle the cards of each of the three decks and then give one Setting, Character, and Problem card per Relay Runner. There will be extras left, as the Listeners and Timer do not need any cards.
Rather than the typical relay where each team takes off at the same time, this is a one-team-at-a-time effort. You could run several teams at once, but the room may get too loud and make it difficult for the Listeners to be successful.
With the masking tape, mark the starting point for the Relay Runners as well as the place for the Listener no longer than 50 feet apart. Since the Relay Runners will needs the Listener and teammates to hear, the distance is for the safety of voice muscles.
The first Relay Runner of the team will choose one of his three cards to start the team story. The Relay Runner could actually walk or sprint to the Listener. The space traveled between the Relay Runner and the Listener could give time to think how to use the Setting, Character, or Problem into the story. However, fast thinkers may run and give advantage to their team.
Have a stopwatch and time each team so that speed of thinking and of running count.
Once the Relay Runner has reached the Listener, he will project his voice so the Listener and his teammates hear a line or two for the story.
For example, if the Relay Runner used his Character card first and it was "Betty Lou, the neighborhood kid", then he could start the story like, "When Billy's family moved into the house with the crooked fence, Betty Lou, the neighborhood kid, was quick to tell Billy that the house was haunted."
When the Relay Runner is done with his part of the story, he gives the card to the Listener. The Listener collects the cards as each Relay Runner comes to him.
Eventually, all the Relay Runners will have a turn. Then the story continues when the first Relay Runner chooses one of the two cards left and races again to the Listener. The story must flow together, though silliness is expected.
Everyone runs a second time and a third time until the last card in each of the Relay Runners' hands is used.
The timer is stopped when the last card is given to the Listener. The time is recorded and the next Relay team goes to the line.
Meanwhile, all the Listeners hang onto the cards to remember the full story shared by their teammates.
After each team has had a turn, the Listener from the fastest team is called in front of everyone.
In order for the fastest team to claim ultimate victory, the Listener of that team must share the complete story. This part is not timed, and the Listener is encouraged to stick to the bones of the story though the Listener could add details or sound effects, as he feels inspired. The Listener might use the cards to remember the order of the story. Or everyone may decide that cards would be "illegal" to use as prompts.
When the Listener is done, then the audience will determine if the story line had a flow to it with a decent ending. A hefty amount of cheering for everyone's efforts makes for the best ending of all!
You may want to collect all the Setting, Character, and Problem cards so that they can be reused for other times to play this game.
Feel free to tweak the game.
If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with
others.
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