http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadvStorytelling Adventures from Rachel Hedman as well as trends and how-to tips within the artSat, 07 Aug 2010 17:45:27 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/1OFZS/h/August_Free_Storytelling.htm Volume 1, Issue 9 August 2010 Welcome Rachel was very animated and engaging. Assemblies should be informative as well as entertaining for our students. There was appropriate academic and social components to make the time spent a worthwhile experience for the children. --Eve Bean, 3rd Grade Faculty/Administrative Intern, Layton, UT Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Fringe Cap's Off to You-Ruthie McEntyre Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip-3 featured Game of the Month-Wipe-Away Storytelling Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Fringe Art from Rachel's Perspective A story could be the fastest way to find a friend. . .or two...or twenty. When one 1st grader girl rushed toward me to give a hug, then dozens of children followed. I later learned that I was the first storyteller to perform at that elemetnary school. Sometimes I forget that there are children out there who do not experience storytelling, at least not on the stage. Hopefully, there is storytelling in the home. Such experiences only motivate me more to add stories to my Family Famine Series. Over 40 folktale family relationship stories are considered part of this programming. By 2012, I expect to have over 120. Three of those stories, delving into parent-child matters, were shared at the 2010 National Storytelling Conference in Los Angeles on July 30th. I was thrilled that singer/teller Holly Robison and electric guitarist Joshua Payne could join in the performance. Then, as people filled the room, we started five minutes late because we needed more chairs. The buzz from the room excited me and I felt like a permanent smile filled my face. Suddenly, Joshua told me that a string on his electric guitar broke. That was a good sign. When we premiered this series, the same thing happened. It was like Someone above said, It will be all right. Go and enjoy yourself. The energy from the room fueled the telling. As those last words were spoken, I felt good. We all felt good. That moment was added to the hugs from dozens of 1st graders. Ah, yes. The life of a storyteller--one of endless happily ever afters. When my husband and I adopt, then those feelings will be exponential. 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 Audience Spotlight Featuring: Ruthie McEntyre Loyal Listener and Retiring Kindergarten Teacher TN While Ruthie McEntyre of Tennessee roamed New York City with her daughter by subway, a lady spied Ruthie and proceeded to share a time when her daughter died in a plane crash in Florida. She told Ruthie, You are blessed to have a daughter. Reflecting on the experience, Ruthie determined, Sometimes it is easier to share a story with a stranger than with someone you know. She continued, I am constantly talking to people and people tell me their stories many times. One look at this retiring 60-year-old Kindergarten teacher and you will want to share stories with her. Being encircled about by five and six-year-olds since 1972, Ruthie's favorite part of the day was to sit down and to tell them a story. She laughed, I many not have their attention for the rest of the day. . .but had their attention for stories! Her father had a way of telling stories from the Civil War or the mines of the Tennessee area. Ruthie exclaimed, My dad would do anything to make people laugh. If he had to strip naked, he would! As for her mother, troubled stories leaked out due to the rough upbringing. Ruthie's compassion grew, knowing what her mother experienced. Ruthie recorded these stories to memory, which she had done since a child. I held onto those stories and tried to make sense of my life through those stories. Ruthie preferred to learn stories by listening than by books. People who can memorize or internalize literary works can fascinate her. One day, during the East Tennessee State University storytelling program, Ruthie listened as a lady with an Education background performed, When the People could Fly. Ruthie had read that story several times before, but it came alive when she told it. She remembered, The lady could tell it in such a way that your heart was torn out. Ruthie discovered that she had a gift to childhood stories as well as tell Jack tales of the Appalachian area. Still pursuing the Storytelling Masters, Ruthie proclaimed, God wants me as a certified storyteller, but He wants to use me in his own way. She does not expect storytelling to support her financially, but she does see spiritual fulfillment especially in regards to families. She said, I'm hoping that as I see families dissolving that storytelling is how we get to know each other. . .that people remember the stories and tell them to their children and make families stronger. As for her daughter, Ruthie declared, I want to remind her of who she is. . .how important she is in my life. Thank you, Ruthie. You are one of the many who reminds others of the importance of their lives through storytelling. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Story-based marketing will continue to grow in popularity, and storytelling organizations will embrace this technique that has already been long-used by corporations. Few storytelling organizations could claim a brand. . .or even a shared story told by their members. Corporations like Aflac, Target, and Kinko's have welcomed the use of stories by customers, employers, and employees as the main focus of their websites. These top companies are not alone. Rather than storytellers only having stories for the stage, guilds and groups could interview these same storytellers of what brought them to the art and, specifically, to the organization. The stories could be audio, video, and written formats. When all three of these formats are used, then the audiences grow. Professional pictures of these storytellers could be placed next to the place to click to hear these stories or to open up a box for the full written version. Stories could last anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Besides being featured on the storytelling organization's website, the stories could go viral and be shared through YouTube, Facebook and other social networking sites. So could story-based marketing become a trend in storytelling? This could happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Encourage youth to create storytelling scavenger hunts and play the games with local guilds, clubs, or neighbors. Adults could create and print off storytelling scavenger sheets, but then the game is not owned by the youth. The kids could have a blank table with so many rows and columns. A few examples could be given such as Tell me a memory with something red in it. The kids could be given a certain amount of time to fill in the other blanks. Perhaps the kids would like to work in partners. Then the kids could trade their games with others. They could delight in what the others developed. Let kids know that anyone--or any group--may wish to play these games. 2. Give independence to youth by letting them name the storytelling club, guild, or events. Creativity has that power. After a few icebreakers or storytelling games, the youth will feel more ready to come up with names for the newly formed club. This might also be a planning meeting for an upcoming storytelling event. If you have shy kids, then slips of paper could be given to write possible names. The slips could be placed in a hat. The names are all read and then there could be voting. Kids may want to debate. Share rules that no one can make fun of any other name. They are to focus on the positive reasons for a name. Sometimes voting is not necessary, as everyone gets excited about a name. I had an after-school group call themselves the The Dream Team Storyteller 4H Club. 3. Music and dance may be popular, yet remind youth that storytelling can be part of any talent show, reunion, or gathering. There will always be music and dance at a talent show. These are wonderful arts. When a talent show is announced, it may help to list other arts for people to better brainstorm how they wish to showcase. Place storytelling near or at the top. You might wish to put website addresses (or use www.tinyurl.com to shorten web addresses) as examples of storytelling as well as the other talents. Game of the Month: Wipe-Away Storytelling Shared by Rachel Hedman, creator Audience: youth, though adults could enjoy it Level: beginning to intermediate Items Needed: none Number of Players: 7-15 Roles: Teller, Frowners Ave. Playing Time: varies, could be less than a minute per teller depending on humor One-Liner: resembles a race for a teller to get frowning people to laugh while telling tall tales or outrageous funny stories Instructions: One person is chosen as the Teller. The other people create a semi-circle around the Teller and are known as the Frowners. These Frowners place exaggerated frowns on their faces. Interestingly, it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Then 10 minutes of vigorous laughter equals 10 minutes of rowing. The Teller can use eye contact, gestures, and words to change those frowns into laughs. The Teller cannot touch or tickle the Frowners. The group may decide that smiles count instead of only laughter. The Teller could use phrases of classic tall tales such as It was so hot that. . .I could fry an egg on my head and serve it to my brother. Don't worry, he'd eat it! or It was so cold that my lips froze together and I had to get the hairdryer to thaw them out. The group calls out a setting, character, and problem so that the Teller has a place to begin for a crazy story. The Teller calls out Wipe-Away! and the Frowners each take a hand and wipes it from top to bottom of the face so that frowns are upon their faces when the hand is removed. It gives a moment for the Frowners to be calm and composed. As soon as one Frowner laughs (or smiles), then that Frowner becomes the new Teller. Depending on how far the story is into the plot, the new Teller could continue the crazy tale. Otherwise, the group calls out a new setting, character, and problem. Rather than stories, the group could focus fully on facial expressions and eye contact. The only words from the Teller might be I have a story to tell repeated over and over in different tones and voices until a Frowner laughs. For each round, the Teller calls out Wipe-Away! to remove any signs of smiles or laughter. Feel free to tweak the game. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Reserve your book Year of the Family: 12 Adoption tales to place in your home and to value the process today here. All proceeds help in personal adoption process. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:45:27 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/p6K9/h/May_Issue_Free.htm Volume 1, Issue 8 May 2010 Welcome The stories were inspirational and the workshops were insightful. I plan on incorporating story into all I do! -CSUF Education Graduate Student, Lemoore, CA Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Internet Cap's Off to You-Anne Beardsley Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip-3 featured Game of the Month-Story Rampage Relay Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures 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 Audience Spotlight Featuring: Anne Beardsley Loyal Listener and 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 info@rachelhedman.com. 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. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Reserve your book Year of the Family: 12 Adoption tales to place in your home and to value the process today here. All proceeds help in personal adoption process. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Sun, 02 May 2010 02:09:04 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/1DGh1/h/April_Issue_Free.htm Volume 1, Issue 7 April 2010 Welcome We heard great things about your storytelling for days. --Miriam Ramos, Assistant Principal, Meadowlark Elementary, SLC, UT Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Library Cap's Off to You-Joanna Huffaker Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip-3 featured Game of the Month-The Magic Remote Control Story Game Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Library Art from Rachel's Perspective When I carried--or rolled--35 books about adoption from the library, I imagined all the knowledge that would help in my adoption folktale project. In case of an emergency, my husband is willing to lend me his library card. I was thrilled when Dr. Joseph Sobol gave permission for me to research for the Storytelling Masters thesis before the Research Methods class in June. As I am attempting to graduate in August 2010, everything will be tight. No matter what, there is always graduation in December, but I am not that kind of gal. I have the drive and the energy to make my dreams come to pass. Though a journey of this kind is never traveled alone. The support from my family and friends has been phenomenal. Sometimes I feel like they are personal cheerleaders. My energy level most likely comes from them. Why choose to rush graduation? My husband and I are uncertain when things may develop for our adoption process. It would be easier to finish the Masters program before all of the exciting adventures of parenthood. Easier. . .yes. . .but maybe the Lord has other plans for us. Par of the thesis writing involves deciding on 12 adoption folktales from around the world that best reflect the adoption process. I aim to have two folktales from each of the six major continents. Sorry, Antarctica. Several people have said, Oh, you should use the Moses story. That would qualify, but I prefer to work with tales that not many people have heard. Friends have scanned or skimmed folktale book collections for key words like adopt, baby, childless, etc. From this simple yet effective technique, I found an Ancient Egyptian tale called The Wanderings of Isis and the Agony of Horus. The parallels to the adoption process were amazing as even a caseworker was identified in the story: Thoth. Many of the adoption folktales I have found do not necessarily have one person dedicated to that caseworker role. Often the adoptive parent(s) merges as being the caseworker to make the placement. If you happen to know of any adoption folktales, please send them my way at info@rachelhedman.com. I would welcome them with open arms. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Joanna Huffaker Loyal Listener and Writer/Teller Taylorsville, UT Stories naturally come to Joanna Huffaker whether holding a paintbrush, a pencil and a pad of paper, or a microphone. It would be difficult to categorize her as one kind of artist, though everything she creates is story-based. My parents still have pictures they took of me when I was just little, sitting on a bed and telling stories out loud. Joanna continued, Stories run in my family's blood--get my Dad's side of the family together, and stories come out. She has an answer to inheriting this family trait. Stories are how I work. Joanna remembered when several performing artists would come to elementary school assemblies. Besides actors and musicians, she deemed some of these people storytellers because they actually look[ed] out into the audience at us. One of her favorite tellers told about Halley's Comet. She did not recall any other organized-type storytelling until she attended Brigham Young University. Joanna noticed a sign asking for members to take part in a newly formed Storytelling Club on campus. Joanna reflected, Joining the Storytelling Club felt like coming home. Despite all her experience of playing pretend with her siblings, when it came to choosing a story to tell as part of the club, she recited from a charming book. Though, Joanna declared, I soon discovered that I got my best results with the stories that I created myself. With this realization, she polished storytelling skills with the club that just gave me tools to express the stories that were already inside me. Regardless of the ability to share stories, she was reluctant to call herself a storyteller. She admitted, I'm more of an appreciator of storytelling now. . .that's my feeling anyway. Some of her stories have gathered dust. She quickly added that she would always love stories. That would never change. While not professing to be a fortuneteller, Joanna predicted that as technology inundated society, people would need a sense of community. To this need, Joanna responded, The element that storytelling has that many other arts do not have to the same degree is connection--direct connection with the audience. Thank you, Joanna. You are one of the many who brings that connection to others through stories shared in all worlds: visual, writing, and telling. Find Joanna's artwork online at http://jo1day.deviantart.com. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Guilds will establish relationships with one or more organizations to sponsor activities so that the art would expand its reach to new audiences and once-thought-impossible projects. Most of the time, guilds around the world rely on the energies of their members to accomplish goals. Who said that there were not any other pro-storytelling people who would also like to see the art more prevalent in society? The most successful storytelling festivals have consistent support from corporations, organizations, and individuals. All of these donations--money, in-kind, services--come from people who may or may not call themselves storytellers but are willing to see the art go forth. The help from sponsors does not have to be restricted to events hosted by the guild. Collaborations could also improve the quality of any newsletters, advertising literature, or provide interns to delve into tasks that no one in the guild is qualified to do. For example, the Utah Storytelling Guild hopes to find a sponsor to make it possible to transform the black and white regular paper newsletter into a glossy color miniature magazine. Whether guilds connect with restaurants or home improvement stores or bookstores, there are plenty of people who respect the art. So could sponsored guilds become a trend in storytelling? This could happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Establish traditions to begin and end storytelling gatherings. Traditions unify and provide stability in a changing world. Traditions do not have to be elaborate. They only need to be consistent inspirations of positive memories. For example, a story stick could be passed around at the beginning of each gathering for people to share a good news moment that may or may not be related to storytelling. A common ending tradition would be to create a circle where everyone clasps hands and one by one people share a word or phrase of what they will take with them as a result of meeting. Traditions can unify people as singing choruses do for songs. Your participants may not remember what was done for each meeting, but they will remember the feelings they had there. 2. Certificates are like the I was there statement for all youth storytelling participants. They are often collected. We tend to have times when we need physical proof that we belong or that we took part in something amazing. Certificates, ribbons, or other items could help fulfill that need. These things do not cost much, though keeping in mind these details could make the difference of how well the experience will be remembered later on in life. Certificates may find themselves framed and on the walls or perhaps in protector sheets in a scrapbook or binder. Even if certificates and ribbons get lost later, when participants receive them there is still a flutter of joy or pride. 3. Kids may tell intense stories. Be willing to listen. Storytelling tends to open hearts, and hearts could be tender. When a child tells an intense story, it most likely will be intended for a small or even one-on-one audience. The story may delve into sensitive topics like abuse, violence, or drug use. An adult may first want to quiet such talk or possible foul language. Nevertheless, an adult could discern whether the child is telling the story to shock the adult or if there is a genuine purpose. If the child is discouraged to share such stories, then the child may not share any other stories when in desperate need. Be thankful that the child chose you to listen. Game of the Month: The Magic Remote Control Shared by Rachel Hedman, creator Audience: youth to adult Level: intermediate Items Needed: None, though an actual remote control could be fun Number of Players: 10-30 Roles: Controller and Players Ave. Playing Time: 10 min. to however long you want to play One-Liner: resembles a person using a pretend remote control to rewind, fast-forward, pause or any other functions for different parts of a story of which the other people act out or tell Instructions: Everyone stands facing each other as part of one huge circle about the width of 30'. Make sure that when people spread their arms that they cannot touch the person next to them. Then one person, known as the Controller, is either given a remote control or pretends to have one. The rest left around the circle are the Players. Review with everyone the agreed upon functions of the remote control. The basics are rewind, pause, play, and fast-forward. You might want to have fun with volume, mute, and the ability to switch channels. By switching channels, the story type would completely change. The Controller would call out something like Channel Switch--Western! or Channel Switch--Soap Opera! or Channel Switch--Ninja! Once the remote control functions are discussed, then the Controller can announce, Story On! The Controller then points the remote control to at least two people who would start the first story. The Players chosen to start interact with each other as soon as the Controller announces what kind of channel will be the starting point. Besides the kind of channel, the Controller needs to determine what kind of characters the chosen Players will be. If the Controller wants help, the Plays could suggest ideas. For example, if the Controller calls out Channel--Mystery! then possible characters could be a sleuth, a criminal, a witness, or even something as silly as a talking dog. The chosen Players talk to each other as if the characters within the type of channel decided upon. With each new story or channel switch, the position of Controller could change or the Controller could choose other Players to act out the channels. Within the story itself, the Controller could call out Remind! and the Players pretend to go backwards of what they recently did for the story. This gives a chance for the Players to approach the one or two lines of story in a different way. For example, one of the Players might have said, Let us follow these footprints! The rewind option could change this line to something like I'm hungry for a sandwich. How about you? For fast-forward, the Players could skip what would normally happen and jump one or more scenes--perhaps even to what would be an ending. Mute could make it possible for the Players to interact as mimes, thus still progressing the plot of the story. Remember that the Controller could play with the volume, too. Pause could be a test of how well the Players stay still and let everyone enjoy their facial expressions and body language. Repeat the channel switching or have one channel equal a round. Feel free to tweak the game. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Reserve your book Year of the Family: 12 Adoption tales to place in your home and to value the process today here. All proceeds help in personal adoption process. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:33:08 -0400http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/1yBAP/h/March_Free_Storytelling.htm Volume 1, Issue 6 March 2010 Welcome I love how your stories reach out to people of any age. You let the viewers participate with you. --Jessica, Teenager, UT Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Guild Cap's Off to You-Carrie Groneman Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip-3 featured Game of the Month-What? What? Oh! Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Guild Art from Rachel's Perspective During the 2010 Timpanogos Storytelling Conference, I officially transitioned as the 16th president of the 19-year-old Utah Storytelling Guild. I am in awe at how this organization has thrived. Interestingly, the four founding members--Nancy Alder, Syd Riggs, Keith Rogers, and Marsha Broadway--are rarely seen at guild events anymore. Other commitments or life-changes could be the reasons for the absence, though I still wonder at the moments and the experiences they must have shared together in 1991. I can imagine much of what they must have experienced--the writing of charters and by-laws, recruiting of members, crossing fingers or praying that things would work out. In 1997 I founded the Brigham Young University Storytelling Club and had to go forth alone. . .until others joined me. If I had a chance to go back in history of the BYU Storytelling Club, I would have created some sort of video documentary rather than being limited by scrapbook pages. At least I have something. For the Utah Storytelling Guild, there are old Taleswapper newsletters archived online for due-paying members. The early years--from 1993 to 2000--seem to be missing. So what can the 16th president of a 19-year-old organization do? Prepare for the 20th anniversary. I called Marsha Broadway, who was my Honors thesis advisor during BYU days, and mentioned that I would love to gather the founding members and videotape while they chat about their memories. She was enthusiastic and gave me some clues as to how to reach the others. Besides playing the role of guild president, I am also storyteller chair for the Weber State University Storytelling Festival. My desire to document has carried into that position. For the first time in fourteen years, we have over nine hours of footage so that we could create 3-5 minute promo pieces to educate the public about the festival while also preserving memories. I am thankful to the youth tellers, parents, Utah tellers, and national tellers who so generously gave permission for such a project to go forth. Now it is time to look to the guild. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Carrie Groneman Loyal Listener and Mother Layton, UT When Orson Welles' War of the Worlds was aired on the radio in 1938, many people believed that aliens were invading earth and people panicked. Reflecting on this moment in history, Carrie Groneman recognized that storytelling could be powerful, so much so that people might decide whether to live or die by this art. Then, when Rachel Hedman first moved into the neighborhood, Carrie heard someone say of Rachel, Oh, she's a storyteller. A what? Carrie responded. During a church Christmas party, Carrie heard Rachel tell for the first time. Carrie also attended a storytelling performance by Rishi Richardson that she learned about through Rachel. Carrie suddenly recognized the art had a place beyond conversations and radio programs. Rishi and Rachel. . ,made it seem so seamless. She continued, When you get caught up in a story to where you forget where you are, that impresses me. Besides hearing the stories on stage, Carrie heard stories of food as a sixteen-year-old from her Grandma Oakeson, a survivor of the Depression who knew how to combine ingredients in delicious ways. Grandma shared a killer pancake recipe that was requested every time Carrie's boys went to Scout camp. The assignment was constant. Grandma's divinity candy, made of mostly pure sugar and egg whites with a lot of vanilla, was also well known. Erin admitted, I try to get every story I can! I am truly addicted. There were also the gaggy recipes when Grandma's Depression tricks used common ingredients in uncommon ways like Bisquick mixed with ground beef and tomato soup. The dough would be rolled like a cinnamon roll and then doused with gravy! Even now, those food stories continue to give pleasure to Carrie, her mother and her aunt. Carrie is open to hear stories within and without the home. She is relatively new to organized storytelling events, though someday she wishes to attend a story slam and other evolving trends in the art. Thank you, Carrie. You are one of the many who discovers and celebrates the new adventures in the art of storytelling. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Youth teller reunions will become a tradition for festivals and events across the nation. Although not every event invites youth to tell stories along with the professionals, there are plenty of events that do. When it comes to socializing with fellow tellers, adults have opportunities to gather each year at regional or national level storytelling conferences. These events are often compared to reunions. High school reunions are also common for adults, but what is there for youth today? The Weber State University Storytelling Festival will have its first youth teller reunion the end of June. One parent or adult would accompany each child. Other family members would be welcome to join the festivities, too. This reunion will transform into an annual tradition geared for any youth teller who has ever told for the festival in its 14-year history. The kids will be inducted into the youth storytelling family and grow the art within the community for many generations to come. Perhaps the idea of a reunion seems like an expensive and demanding venture. However, this event could be offered in a free way if each youth teller brought some sort of potluck dish. Suddenly, food costs would not be an issue. People could also be told to bring their own plates, cups, and utensils. Though, these items could be assigned to a specific number of people. As for activities, youth tellers are often excited to play storytelling games. Many of these games do not even have to use props. The grand finale of the reunion could be a concert open to the public featuring a certain number of youth tellers possibly chosen through a drawing for fairness. So could youth teller reunions become the next trend in storytelling? These could happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. We learn to talk before we learn to write. Have this be the order in storytelling by youth. Many times teachers or coaches want youth to write stories first. As the written word is more prevalent in curriculum standards for the classroom, sometimes the more natural order is forgotten. Yet, when we were infants, our senses soaked in our environment until we formed sounds and noises that eventually turned to speech. It was not until four to five years later that we learned how to hold a pencil and make symbols on a piece of paper. If you learn about writing assignments from teachers, try to encourage teachers to have the students tell the stories, transcribe them, and then work out the grammar and sentence structure. 2. Support from fathers is as important as mothers when it comes to youth storytelling. Sometimes kids watch them even more. A child tends to hear the most advice from their mother. However, the child may be more intrigued by what is not said by the father. Whether or not a father is reserved does not matter to a child. Parents who sit in on more than one practice at home or who attend the grand performance will be remembered fondly in the eyes of their children. Besides being present at events, parents could show their children that they respect the art by sharing bedtime stories or sharing moments around the kitchen table. 3. Food and contests attract youth in the beginning. After the experience, they come for the fun of storytelling. There are adults who feel uncomfortable whenever there is competition or the bribery of food. Even some events have opted to use the word showcase instead of contest to diminish the idea of competition. Nevertheless, youth compete every day in sports, debate, and other activities. . .and food tends to be part of these extracurriculars. Who can resist food? There does not have to be food at each gathering. Choose times for food that would make the most sense such as the first meeting of a youth storytelling club or the occasional party to celebrate storytelling success. Game of the Month: What? What? Oh! Shared by Rachel Hedman, creator Audience: youth (due to running) Level: intermediate Items Needed: None Number of Players: 10-30 Roles: It and the Talkers Ave. Playing Time: 10 min. to however long you want to play One-Liner: resembles Duck, Duck, Goose of which the time running around the circle gives time for the one being chased to tell a part of a story using the last word shouted by the person who is It Instructions: Everyone stands facing each other as part of one huge circle about the width of 30'. Make sure that when people spread their arms that they cannot touch the person next to them. Then one person steps away from the circle and becomes It. The rest left around the circle are potential Talkers. It says aloud one to three sentences of a story. Then It walks around the outside of the circle and pats each person on the head while saying What? What? Oh! similar to when people say Duck, Duck, Goose. The phrase of What? What? Oh! is repeated as It walks around until It chooses to change Oh! to some other word. For example, It may announce, A long time ago there was a time when no one could taste anything. Nothing was bland or sour or sweet because there was no taste. Then one day a. . .What? What? Oh! What? What? Oh! What? What? Goat! Whatever the word that took the place of Oh! is the word that the chosen person, the Talker, must then continue in the story. So from the previous example, the Talker might say, Goat roamed the countryside and came upon a red hot substance that he had never seen before. While using the word and completing the sentence so everyone in the circle could hear and understand, the Talker chases It, who runs around the circle three times. Meanwhile, the Talker only needs to complete the circle once so to give more attention to the story and share the sentence in a not-so-rushed manner. If the Talker reaches It before It can take the Talker's empty spot in the circle, then It shares another sentence to add to the story already started. If It reaches the Talker's empty spot in the circle, then the Talker becomes It and adds another sentence to the story and says What? What? Oh! and on and on. In some ways, this gives the Teller a break to think of ideas for the story. As soon as the Teller restarts the story from the moment the Teller left off, the pause and forbidden word rules apply. Repeat for as many rounds as desired to expand the story. Eventually, one person would provide the ending sentence. Then a whole new game of What? What? Oh! could commence for another story. Feel free to tweak the number of times to run around the circle to match the skills of your storytellers. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Reserve your book Year of the Family: 12 Adoption tales to place in your home and to value the process today here. All proceeds help in personal adoption process. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:25:04 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/115y1/h/February_Free_Storytelling.htm Volume 1, Issue 5 February 2010 Welcome I really enjoyed it and I loved it so much that I told them to my mom. --Emma, 1st Grade Student, UT Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Editor Cap's Off to You-Erin Taggart Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip-3 featured Game of the Month-Weeping Angels, Story Version Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Editor Art from Rachel's Perspective My husband and I became officially visible for the adoption process. One could compare it to expecting in pregnancy. Being visible means that birth parents could find our profile and maybe choose us as the ones to provide a home for their little one. You can see our profile. Feel free to share with others. This excitement heightens my endeavor to write the book Year of the Family: 12 Adoption tales to place in your home and to value the process today. This site can be found here. Word has spread of this project, and I have received many offers of help or interest since its announcement last month. I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from Jeanne Fischer, a freelance technical writer. She volunteered to be the copy editor and wrote, I really enjoy getting involved in projects that I believe in and your book is a beautiful idea. Then, a couple days ago, our caseworker wondered if I might be able to perform some of the adoption folktales at a national adoption conference. I was delighted. . .until I discovered it was the same weekend as the National Storytelling Conference in Los Angeles. I am scheduled to perform stories from my Family Famine Series on parent/child relationships. I was promised to be remembered for next year. There is still time if you would like to help in any way for this project. Spread the word that the sales for the pre-orders are for our adoption fund. The goal is to reach $8,000 (400 books). Go to yearofthefamily.com for your reserved copy. Thank you for your support--no matter how big or small. If you know of any adoption folklore stories, please share with me through info@rachelhedman.com. You might see your name in the dedication and credits. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Erin Taggart Loyal Listener and Grandmother Liberty, UT About the Picture: Erin does not have her picture taken often and gave permission to draw a stick-figure person. Though I am not an artist, I decided to give her more flesh and thus you see the picture above. Erin Taggart may have attended many American Library Association conventions ever since a ten-year-old, though that was not the first time that stories and literature impressed upon her mind. Erin realized, I was born hearing stories. Her mother, besides taking Erin to the ALA conventions, was also a storyteller extraordinaire. Erin's mother has since passed on five year ago at the age of ninety-four. Erin's mother kept busy throughout life as she taught Children's Literature at Weber State University, was a media specialist, and served as president of the Utah Library Association. Erin proclaimed, She breathed stories. Her mother also had the honor of being the first recipient of the Karen J. Ashton Storytelling Award due to commitment, advocacy, and natural skills in the art. Erin's mother even mentored Dr. Ann Ellis, the current Weber State University Storytelling Festival Director. Today Erin serves on the Volunteer Committee for that same festival. As Erin attends or volunteers, she is reminded of a wish. I want to grow up to be her--a storyteller. Erin admitted, I try to get every story I can! I am truly addicted. She believed there are others who are drawn to the art every day. She stated, I only see storytelling getting more popular. Everyone loves a story and there are so many ways to tell a story. She declared, We need to bring the art form forward into the upcoming generation. Thank you, Erin. You are one of the many who shares the love of this art with and for the next generation. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Storytelling guilds will interact with each other no matter what city, state, or nation they reside. With conference calls and the Internet, there will form the Story Guild Exchange in which two groups set a date of when to call in or to broadcast to share strengths. . .and stories. Every state has at least one guild. Some are like the Utah Storytelling Guild where there is a state organization composed of chapters or the Florida Storytelling Association with local StoryGroups. Some guilds are independent such as the groups scattered across California. Distance no longer determines if one can attend a meeting. There are services that provide free conference calls. . .as long as one is willing to call a long distance number. This tends to not be an obstacle as most people have cell phones and long distance numbers are treated as if they are local numbers. Storytellers like Doug Lipman, Sean Buvala, and Eric Wolf coach or teach people through one-on-one or small groups by telephone or video-casting all the time. It would make sense that such a communication tool could then be applied to storytelling guilds and organizations. Instead of the typical isolation of guilds, we can be in contact with each other so to cultivate that storytelling spirit that so often happens when we gather in-person at conferences or at events. This could happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from Daily YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Kids who memorize their stories, by encouragement of parents/coaches, sound frozen. Encourage another storytelling way. When parents and theater coaches are introduced the idea of youth storytelling in the schools, many times the method of memorization is the first one chosen. Theater people are used to scripts and there is always comfort with the known way. However, when youth memorize, they are stuck with one way of telling. There is no room for interacting with the audience. Other ways to learn stories could be through outlines, storyboarding, or playing through improvisation. 2. Welcome youth to practice storytelling differently so practicing is as fun as showtime. Consider web camera with partner. A few kids are energized to go to the same part of the house to tell the same story with the same audience. Most are not. Though they were drawn to the art form, no one really prepared them for the repetitive tasks necessary to be wonderful artists. Change the place. Change the audience. The story may not be as flexible to change due to an upcoming performance, though there could still be permission to explore the story beyond the regular way of telling it. Kids want to be extraordinary, so help them still feel that excitement during practice. 3. Kids love sharing their storytelling with their schools as well as for parents. Approach teachers of this desire. Of all the different aspects of storytelling--from finding the story to cultural research to outlines to practicing--the part that kids most look forward to is performing for others. They often view telling for their classmates as an honor and a chance to be good at something. Some kids are blessed with speed to run. Some kids are blessed with brains to get perfect report cards. Then there are the kids blessed with voice and intuition to be tellers. You may want to remind teachers and principals that storytelling could be as much a part of talent shows as singing and dancing. Game of the Month: Weeping Angels, Story Version Inspired by game created by Brenna and Rhys--5th graders--and Doctor Who episode (see history) Audience: youth to adults Level: intermediate Items Needed: Indoor area with light switch (could adapt without light switch), masking tape Number of Players: 3-10 Roles: Teller and everyone else as Weeping Angels Ave. Playing Time: 5 min. to however long you want to play One-Liner: resembles Red Light, Green Light as teller shares an improvisational story while the others race to reach teller first whenever there are too many pauses in the story or words such as like or you know voiced Instructions: Many places could be a location for this game such as a long hallway or even a stairwell, though you may want at least an area of 30' by 5'. One person will be the Teller and be positioned at one far end--ideally next to a light switch--while the Weeping Angels will be at the opposite end. If using a stairwell, the Teller would be at the bottom. As for the Weeping Angels, their faces would cover their hands and be lined up at about equal distance from the Teller. The Weeping Angels could still see out of the sides of their faces but not straight ahead. The Weeping Angels will need to listen carefully rather than rely on visual cues that the Teller is struggling to find words to share the story. About two feet away from the Teller's position needs to be a small line made with masking tape no more than a foot long. Someone besides the Teller shouts out a moment of time to base the story for the Teller. Start with Tell a time when when. . . For example, a person might say, Tell a time when aliens invaded earth until they realized that they conquered the wrong planet or Tell a time when someone ate a bug or Tell a time when Greek gods and goddesses decided they did not want to rule earth anymore. The phrase would be enough for the Teller to develop a story. Since the story would be improvisation, the Teller will pause at times to think of the next part of the story. The story must continue until one of the Weeping Angels reaches the Teller. Whenever the Weeping Angels hear the Teller pause at least three seconds or say agreed upon words such as like, you know, and uh, they can advance towards the Teller. As soon as the pause is over or immediately after the forbidden words are spoken, the Weeping Angels must stay as still as statues. Though the Teller faces the Weeping Angels the whole time and can thus see them advance, if the Teller notices that a Weeping Angel does not stop when they should, then the Teller makes a loud buzzing noise. This stops the game as the Teller calls out which Weeping Angel was caught and must go backwards five steps. In some ways, this gives the Teller a break to think of ideas for the story. As soon as the Teller restarts the story from the moment the Teller left off, the pause and forbidden word rules apply. When any Weeping Angel advances to the masking tape line, the Teller switches the light on and off rapidly. This gives that Weeping Angel the moment to uncover their hands from their face and show their fangs and claws. At this point, the Teller knows they have one line of the story left. If the Teller comes up with a sensible ending in one sentence, the Teller wins. If the Teller pauses too long for an ending or cannot come up with an ending in one sentence, then the Weeping Angel wins. Repeat for as many rounds as desired. The longer the play area, then the longer the stories shared by the Teller. History of the Game: When mentioning the Doctor Who television series, Brenna explained the Weeping Angels game that she and her classmate, Rhys, created. The episode Blink introduces these terrifying angel statues that can move as fast as lightning when no one looks at them. A simple blink could mean being grabbed by their claws and traveling to the past to never see your family or friends again. The Weeping Angels game did not start as a storytelling game, though I sensed potential. I asked permission to adapt it into a storytelling game. You never know what game will inspire another game. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:16:16 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/1l_89/h/January_Free_Storytelling.htm Volume 1, Issue 4 January 2010 Welcome I really enjoyed the energy level and activities Rachel Hedman did. --Vizlka Martinez, CSUF Education Graduate Student, CA Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Page Cap's Off to You-Casey Hedman Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip-3 featured Game of the Month-Story Amoeba Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Page Art from Rachel's Perspective As one of the symbols of the New Year is a baby, it may be no surprise that my husband and I wanted to have everything completed for our part of the adoption process. Now come the waiting and the hoping. We have been married for over eight years, and we have always wanted children. Motherhood and adoption was on my mind while interviewed by two different local newspapers on December 18th (http://tinyurl.com/utfrogkisser) and December 24th (http://tinyurl.com/davisfrogkisser) in regards to the newly released Frog Kisser CD. Suddenly, I wondered how many folktales delved into adoption. How close were these tales to the adoption process today? With 2010, it seemed as good as any time to dub it the Year of the Family. Though, every year should be Year of the Family. Then, that phrase took hold as well as an idea to publish a book entitled Year of the Family: 12 adoption tales to place in your home and to value the process today. Perhaps my experience as a storyteller and as a prospective adoptive parent could help others. Any parent--biological or adoptive--could embrace such a book and receive comfort and joy from the love we give each other when we create families. Besides my experience with the adoption process--with still much adventure to come--part of the inspiration came from the book Happily Ever After: Folktales that Illuminate Marriage and Commitment by Meliss Bunce. If you know of any adoption folklore stories, please share with me through info@rachelhedman.com. You might see your name in the dedication and credits. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Casey Hedman Loyal Listener and Rachel's Husband Layton, UT With the New Year, it seemed a time to truly kick-off for the Year of the Family by exploring my husband's views on storytelling, especially as he supports me in this art. Ever since a 10-year-old boy, Casey recognized the skill his neighbor, Lora Schmidt, has as a storyteller. Adults noticed the talent, too, and sometimes invited her to tell a story or two at neighborhood or church gatherings. Lora was not the only well-known storyteller to Casey. During elementary and junior high schools, he watched Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy routines that felt more like expanded stories rather than the typical rapid-fire jokes that most comedians would use. Casey particularly enjoyed when Cosby described the moment of confronting his son about his pig-sty room. Casey smiled and reflected, My dad used some of the same words about my room. It was the humor found within personal narratives that drew Casey the most to the art of storytelling. He exclaimed, That makes everyone a storyteller, in that sense. Casey added, It's like a member of your family telling you a funny story that happened to them or one of their kids. . .only the professional storytellers have a better way of telling it. Though Casey is quick to say that he is not a professional storyteller, he did tell a story while at a storytelling guild summer party for families rather than pass the opportunity. Casey teased his wife, I tell stories once every seven years. . .in public. If you hang around Casey enough, you would hear stories more often. In fact, it was through the form of story that Casey proposed to Rachel. He focused on the story of their relationship merged with fairy tale terms and ended with an eternally ever after. Besides one-on-one storytelling, he has noticed a larger scale of storytelling online. The world is getting smaller, and social media makes storytelling more readily available--whether [people] recognize it or not as 'storytelling'. Casey continued, They may now know it is 'storytelling', but they would recognize the performance aspect. They may look back and realize storytelling for what it is. Thank you, Casey. You are one of the many who recognize storytelling for what it is and what it could be. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace National Forensics League will have storytelling as a national category with the same rules for competition rather than the scattered rules that differ from district to district. Although there are 50 states, there are 104 districts that hold Forensics, public-speaking contests. The storytelling category developed between 1960 and 1970. Yet, each district determines if this category would be available to students. The rules could also be different. A Minnesota district has a student draw three titles of stories from a total of 10-15 stories previously chosen by NFL. The student has half an hour to prepare one of the three titles. Then, a Kentucky district requires that the story be published. A Hawaii district urges the student to retell a story in their own words and much emphasis on gestures and movement. Two Wisconsin districts have rules that consist of five decided types of stories to choose each year and each round has one of these stories told with no repeats. Besides local tournaments, storytelling is available at the National Tournament but only as a supplemental/consolation for the finalists who do not get pass the first round of judging. If the districts which offer storytelling had a conference call or meeting, perhaps one set of rules for the storytelling category could be agreed upon and pave the way for it to be available at the National Tournament beyond a consolation level. This could happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from Daily YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Share storytelling skills on avoiding fast talk, fidgeting, and forced gestures in comical way with you as bad example. Youth have energy that could be directed as positive strength for storytelling. Otherwise the energy could transform into fast talk, fidgeting, or even forced gestures. The youth may not even be aware that they do these habits. When you provide the bad examples, exaggerate so that there would be no doubt as to what the youth need to watch for in the art. 2. Teach storytelling microphone etiquette so they feel like stars. Kindergartners could have more stage presence than adults. Youth may be perfect in their performance until it comes to working with a microphone. Homes are not usually equipped with microphones so taking something as simple as a paper towel roll could work for the youth to practice having one hand while telling. However, nothing can replace a real microphone, as youth need to understand about feedback sounds and the distance to hold the microphone to their mouths. 3. Storytelling staging is not the same as theatre staging. Drama teachers who coach tellers need to know the differences. Drama teachers need to be coached as to storytelling staging to avoid youth learning theatre techniques that would be hard to unlearn later on. Tandems and tridems are popular with youth, though this is where staging becomes even more important. Kids are tempted to look at each other rather than the audience. The loss of eye contact then transforms a storytelling experience to a theatre experience. The kids could single out an audience member that they could pretend is their partner on the stage. Share the excitement of looking at your audience rather than stressing the scariness of such a feat. Game of the Month: Story Amoeba Shared by Rachel Hedman, creator Audience: youth to adults Level: intermediate Items Needed: None Number of Players: 10-30 Roles: Heads (at least two) and Tails (all others) Ave. Playing Time: 10 min. to however long you want to play One-Liner: resembles story race between two or more amoebas as people latch onto each other and build stories until everyone is connected Instructions: A large area of about 30' by 30' or more allows for more excitement for the game. At least two people need to be the Heads of the amoebas, with roughly one Head per 10 or more people. The decision for the number of Heads also depends on the number of stories to be told at the same time. Everyone else will be potential Tails for any of the amoebas. Each Head has the goal to be the longest amoeba by the end of the round. A Head approaches a potential Tail and starts a line of a story such as The forest was known to be magical and the villagers kept away from it. The Tail grabs onto the Head's waist and adds another line to continue the story. The Head and Tail walk together, still latched at the waist, and approach another potential Tail. The Head repeats the first line--with tweaks if desired, the first Tail repeats their part, and then the next Tail adds to the story. This Tail grabs onto the end and so on. The quicker that the people come up with their stories, the faster they could build their story amoeba. The other Heads are also running around and attempting to develop their stories. When everyone is latched together in some way, the round ends. Another round could start with different people as the Heads. Repeat for as many rounds as desired. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:30:12 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/1v4tg/h/December_Free_Storytelling.htm Volume 1, Issue 3 December 2009 Welcome Rachel displays a youthful vitality while being wise beyond her years. There isn't a detail that she slips by her. She's organized, creative, and focused. I hope to work with her in the future and to be part of her story. --Marilyn Kinsella Storyteller, Author and Puppeteer, MO Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Studio Cap's Off to You-Jay Barnson Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip--3 featured Game of the Month-Freeze! Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Studio Art from Rachel's Perspective Disney reminds us of the fairy tale classics, especially as The Princess and The Frog premieres in theatres this month. Of all the animals in the world, a prince seems most likely to transform into a frog. To much of Medieval Europe, the frog symbolized ugliness, magic and witchcraft. That inspired Sean Buvala, director of Storyteller.net, with the idea to collaborate with other tellers on the CD called Frog Kisser. More can be learned at http://www.frogkisser.com. I was honored to be one of the seven tellers across the nation invited to participate on the CD. The other tellers featured are Karol V. Brown (WA), K. Sean Buvala (AZ), Tim Ereneta (CA), Sandy Oglesby (AZ), Elly Reidy (AZ), and Ellouise Schoettler (MD). All cultures have images, animals, or creatures that represent the ugly. Often a transformation brings forth the beautiful of the outer and inner self. A kiss is not always the required catalyst. While reading many stories of enchantment, I came upon the German folktale Der Zwerg Nase--translated as The History of Dwarf Long Nose--by Wilhelm Hauff. His contributions could rival the collections from the Brothers Grimm. The story seemed to want a song. At first, my ideas for lyrics and tunes focused on the insults that Jamie made to the old woman in defense of his mother. The intention was for the song to then transform into a song about Jamie when he became Dwarf Long Nose. Finally, I shifted focus on the mother and son relationship. Though I have not yet experienced parenthood, I could connect with the quick passage of time. Of their offspring, many parents mourn the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence. The mother either could not accept or understand the transformation of her son. She had no words for this phase of life. She became the silent mother. How does any parent talk to their child at this time? Only when Jamie reached adulthood at 21 could there be the hope of reconciliation and reunion. The song was the something familiar that had the potential to connect the mother and the son again. You can order your copy of this newly released CD with free shipping through PayPal from my website homepage at http://www.rachelhedman.com --just in time for the holidays! It can also be found on Amazon.com. Give the gift of Frog Kisser this season. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Jay Barnson Loyal Listener and Software Engineer Riverton, UT See his Tales of the Rampant Coyote blog at: http://www.rampantgames.com/blog Jay Barnson loves a good ghost story. Luckily he married Julie, a professional storyteller who specializes in ghost stories from around the world. This makes Jay an expert listener when he said, A really good teller can send chills up your spine the way no movie can. During this couple's same month of marriage, Jay and Julie attended the 3rd Annual Timpanogos Storytelling Festival complete with the Ghost Tales Night in August 1991. Jay reflected, The moon was full, it had briefly rained, but by the time the tellers began the rain had stopped and the clouds had parted - and were flying across the moon from a strong wind that helped make everything so much creepier. J.J. Reneaux was one of the most memorable tellers from that night. Jay and Julie have attended every festival since that time. Other types of stories, like Appalachian tales, have been memorable for Jay. While growing up in West Virginia, his father often told Jack Seven-In-A-Whack. According to Jay, It was, quite simply, the coolest story of all time. Jay heard at least three or four other Jack tales from his father, and it was not until later in life that Jay realized that the stories were Appalachian stories and from the imagination of his father. Though it can be certain that his father shared a unique style in the tellings. Now Jay, as a father of two daughters, can pass along the art. He does wish that storytelling eventually be recognized as being appropriate for more than just younger audiences. He continued, I guess for adults it is often called Stand-Up Comedy, but there is so much more to it than that. He expects that the rise in storytelling events will promote this idea. Whatever happens for the art, he exclaimed that storytelling is a fascinating medium - very old, and yet reinventing itself. Thank you, Jay. You are one of the many who reinvent the art. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Online as well as brick and mortar libraries and museums will have sections, and in some cases, whole buildings, dedicated to the perpetuation and preservation of the art. There are already storytelling buildings that house relics and information in relation to the global storytelling movement. Part of the dream is to have more of these structures. The Orem Public Library in Utah has one of the largest storytelling collections in the world. The City of Orem will be developing a Story Center that will magnify the already-impressive resources found at the library. One more building is not enough to make this dream a reality. Other people plan to collaborate the arts--with storytelling as the center--in a place that combines elements of a museum, library, school, and studio. In the meantime, we could build websites that involve video, audio, and other live-action tools as ways to interact with the general public. Some of these sites may receive so much traffic that brick and mortar buildings or satellite locations would be necessary to meet the demands. This could happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from Daily YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Youth need to see as many storytelling styles as possible so they know there is more than one way to tell a great story. When storytelling is introduced to youth, often one person leads the workshops or gatherings. The kids watch the style before them and could come to the conclusion that there is one right way to tell a story. Some schools grant permission for students to attend local storytelling festivals to enjoy variety of styles. Sometimes three or more storytellers visit the school. Storytelling guilds could invite youth and parents to special gatherings or meetings. Whatever the way, the kids will have a better idea as to the possibilities in the art. 2. Give tour of library so the youth can research versions of their stories on their own. This empowers their storytelling. Kids may have libraries within their schools or communities, though this does not guarantee that they know how to find stories between the bookshelves. Some kids may be comfortable to explore and grab books. Other kids could be overwhelmed by the rows upon rows of books. Scavenger games could be fun ways to review the library tour. In fact, if you tell a story that focuses on each area of the library--even better! The kids could recall the story and feel confident in where to find resources. Most kids will be drawn to picture books, though emphasize folktale or ghost story collections. Point out that many versions could be found of one story. Finally, reserve moments for the kids to discover the library on their own. 3. Common storytelling strengths of youth are energy, originality, willing to take risks, and intuitiveness. So praise them. Every generation of tellers has positive traits that we can all admire and strive to achieve. Sometimes, when working with youth, we focus so much on the coaching--or the correcting--that the strengths are overlooked. Express the praise immediately or soon after the occurrence. You may want to journal moments of these strengths to uplift if ever you feel frustrated or tired from working with youth. Maybe you will never undergo these feelings. Then the journal entries would serve as celebration of your experiences. Youth and parents would appreciate these stories either aloud or by mail. Game of the Month: Freeze! Creator unknown Audience: youth to adults Level: intermediate Items Needed: None Number of Players: 4-25 Roles: Two Tellers, Everyone else as Freezers (and potential Tellers) Ave. Playing Time: 5 min. to however long you want to play One-Liner: resembles two-person story role-playing with ability of others to stop the action, replace a person, and continue with a different story line Instructions: Clear a space of at least 10' by 10' or whatever space is needed to make a circle to include all of the Freezers. The two Tellers stand in the center of the circle. The two Tellers take different positions. There could be any mixture of bent elbows, raised hands, perked-up chins, huddled legs, and so on. Someone--anyone--calls out a location. This could vary from outer space to swamplands to inside a kitchen. The two Tellers interact with each other in dialogue inspired by the chosen location and their starting positions. After a moment of this interaction, any of the Freezers could call Freeze! The two Tellers stay in their positions. The one who stopped the actions replaces one of the Tellers and takes the exact position. The replaced Teller joins the other Freezers. Another person--anyone--calls out a location. A different story line develops. Again, the two Tellers are inspired by the location and their starting positions. Repeat for as many rounds as desired. History of this Game: If only we knew who to credit for creating this game. It has been played by Brigham Young Storytelling Club members in Utah to Hanford High School students in California. Perhaps the game has learned the status of a folk storytelling game? Let me know. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Find at: frogkisser.com Rachel's Website Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:25:04 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/UmiY/h/November_Free_Storytelling.htm Volume 1, Issue 2 November 2009 Welcome It was beneficial and probably the best workshop I have ever attended. --K. Gordon CSUF Grad. Student, CA Thank you for loving storytelling as much as I do through these free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Telephone Cap's Off to You-Ronda Woolston Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip--3 featured Game of the Month-The Computer Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Telephone Art from Rachel's Perspective The calendar in my head declared, In the year 2011, you will film the second volume to the Family Famine Series. And every other year will come out another volume. Then I received a telephone call on October 1st that changed my timetable. Marjorie Shaefer, storytelling friend in Tennessee, said that my name was drawn for one of twelve fringe slots at the 2010 National Storytelling Conference in Los Angeles. There were 101 slips, and yet my name got pulled. The cranks and cogs in my head turned and seemed to make a whirring sound. A sponsor would be needed to cover costs so that singer Holly Robison, guitarist Joshua Payne, and upright bass player Geoffrey Rayback could perform in Los Angeles with me. I would want another three-camera shoot with American Sign Language interpretation plus other features not yet experienced on storytelling DVDs before. Why all the attention to details? This Family Famine Series would be part of my legacy due to the results to: * Increase positive communication with family * Discover your role and how best to magnify it * Build sense of worth as individuals and as unit * Cultivate positive behaviors in the home * Appreciate your loved ones. . .and, if needed, gain courage to seek help for a stronger home Sean Buvala, another storytelling friend, mentioned that any of us tellers could have (or do have) Oprah-worthy material. He felt that my Family Famine Series had that potential. By now fumes of joyous thoughts drifted from my head. What if I could partner such a program with other family organizations and foundations that shared similar philosophies? What organizations do YOU know that support these aspects? Please share these ideas with me at info@rachelhedman.com. With your support, this Family Famine Series could be a worldwide program. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Ronda Woolston Loyal Listener and Event Organizer Director/Curator of The Gale Center of History and Culture in South Jordan, UT For over two years, The Gale Center of History and Culture has been dubbed a pro-storytelling place thanks to Ronda Woolston, museum director and curator. Of the twelve monthly Terrific Tuesdays provided for the community there, at least four of them are dedicated to the art to include professional storytelling, youth tall tale contests, and National Youth Storytelling Showcase auditions. Although Ronda has not seen much change in how she enjoys the art, she noted, What has changed it that now I have the chance to help others experience storytelling for themselves and carry on that tradition in my own community. She remembered the stories her grandmother shared, though she could not recall when the first experience occurred. She decided, So really storytelling is one of my earliest memories. When it was time to visit grandma, Ronda said, It was always a special time because us kids always knew we would get one of her stories. Now Ronda continues that tradition within the walls of the museum. She exclaimed, We have had Rachel Hedman and Lori Wenerstrom tell and they have both been very popular with audiences and are known to our participants as performers who are always entertaining and fun. As for the youth telling at the Gale Center, their talents have impressed Ronda. For the future of the art, she stated, It could be that younger tellers will become interested in getting involved but I believe that whatever age people decide to share their stories with others, they will continue to tell about what interests them, thereby passing that excitement on to others. Thank you, Ronda. You are one of the many who spread excitement for the art. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com. Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Boy Scouts of America will have a storytelling merit badge that will be so successful in its initial year that the Advancement Committee will wonder why they did not adopt it sooner. In the past 10 years, there have been three main attempts to formally approach the BSA in regards to having a storytelling merit badge. While there have been positive reactions from Scout leaders, boys, and storytellers, the National Advancement Committee have not seen the distinctive traits of the art, especially as they confuse it with communications or theatre. Though, it is only a matter of time, as more proposals are submitted, that the badge will be created. I am receiving contacts of people associated with the National BSA Jamboree in Virginia. Over 43,000 leaders and boys attend. Perhaps by 2012 we will have a storytelling concert there with six youth tellers representing different regions of the United States. Then we would have a national teller to accompany them. There would be no denying the art then. The audience would demand the storytelling badge. This will happen. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from Daily YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Play storytelling games to build skills. Adults need to play along with the youth. No I'm too old for this business. The adults who do not play in the storytelling games are in the same category as the adults who stand or sit in the back while the little ones are in front to hear the storyteller. The choice to distance oneself from the experience is so powerful that it may influence other youth to do likewise. The youth may question your presence or even your intentions. This could lead to distrust and fuel negative views towards adults in general. Besides, once you play the games, you will have fun. Who said adults should stop having fun once they reach a certain age? 2. Inspire tellers early through bedtime stories. Even college students and adults love storytelling before sleep. Dreams are ultimate places to express creativity. Intensify the imagination subconsciously by having youth hear stories before their eyes close. By the next morning, this act could energize the story recipient to make a difference in the world. After telling bedtime stories, jot down the outline or the entire story before going to bed yourself as these stories may be your best ones. Generations may want to treasure and continue to tell them with their descendants. 3. Give youth the power to choose the stories they share. Otherwise, it could be considered forced storytelling. Go for fun. Too often I have seen lifeless eyes of youth who tell stories that they do not love. Usually, this is because a coach or a parent chose the story. Suddenly, storytelling turns into an assignment rather than a joyous experience. Yes, adults could still guide the teller in story types that may suit the youth's personality, but the final decision must come from the youth. This also gives the youth the impression that the first story they read may not be the one for them. It may take several or even hundreds of tries. The adventure is as much the finding of the tale as it is in telling the tale. Game of the Month: The Computer Shared by Rachel Hedman, creator Audience: youth to adults Level: intermediate Items Needed: 1 chair, an imaginary computer/laptop Number of Players: 4-8 Roles: Typist, Story Characters, Props and Settings as the Typist describes them Ave. Playing Time: 5 min. to 1 hr. One-Liner: resembles story theatre that starts with one person directing the tale until all have control and must react to the additions Instructions: Clear a space of at least 5' by 10', though more room could allow more creativity. Place the chair to the back and to the side of this space. Determine who will be the Typist. That person sits in the chair. The rest of the people stand in a line at the back of the area to be ready to step forward as potential Story Characters or possibly some Props or Settings. The Typist pretends to type on an imaginary computer and shares story thoughts aloud so all can hear. For example, the Typist may say something like, Deep in the jungle, there was a girl who. . .. Since girl is a story character, one of the other players--whoever steps forward first-- becomes the girl and could add dialogue without help from the Typist. At this point, the Typist realizes he is not alone in his thoughts and adjusts his story depending on the personality of the Story Character. For people waiting to be Story Characters, they could intensify the action by becoming Props or Settings in the story. If there is a storm as part of the narrative, people could wave their arms to represent the wind or rain. These same people could become Story Characters later on as shared by the Typist. Since Story Characters could add dialogue at any time, the Typist must be willing to narrate the story as well as to respond to what he hears. When the story comes to a climax and an ending, then the game could be repeated with a new Typist. History of this Game: Rachel Hedman brainstormed how to teach improvisational skills to fellow members of the Brigham Young University Storytelling Club in 1998. Despite never using a typewriter before, she imagined someone typing on it and characters coming to life from the page. She converted this image into the game. The game has since been called The Computer to keep up with technological times, though perhaps it should be called The Laptop or The Blackberry today. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then please spread the word with others. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:30:04 -0500http://archive.aweber.com/storytellingadv/1hAZA/h/Premiere_Issue_The_Rachel.htm Volume 1, Issue 1 October 2009 Welcome Very enjoyable, but also very instructive--taught me some new things and I've been selling for years. --Clay Neves, Director of Seminars, UT Thank you for celebrating this first issue of many free monthly e-newsletters. Enjoy the Following Sections: From the Stage. . .or the Principal's Office Cap's Off to You Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) YouthTellerTip--3 featured Game of the Month Until we tell again, Rachel Hedman Professional Storyteller Renown for Family Famine Series P. S. Your feedback, comments, and questions are welcomed at info@rachelhedman.com. Storytelling Adventures From the Stage. . . or the Principal's Office Art from Rachel's Perspective The intercom is the new microphone. Some principals, counselors, or selected students share daily anecdotes and snippets of history to promote values such as honesty and empathy over the P.A. system. As I held one-on-one interviews with principals last month to discover storytelling needs, one principal sighed in reference to the intercom stories, It has become a necessity these days. More parents hope that the schools instill the needed values for their children. Then, this same principal hefted a 3-inch binder that held the Wisdom Project complete with scripts indexed by topics. This program focused on character, confidence, and community. A different school also had a 3-inch binder, but this program was called Marvin and Jessie and about the adventures of a boy and a girl who attempt to make good choices. Each month a new value is highlighted. Two of my programs came to mind: Family Famine Series and the Youth Hero Series. What if I created a similar program for schools? Short stories could be gathered, indexed and placed in a binder. Once a month I could introduce the new theme with a live performance. With this being an intense need of schools nowadays, this may be another role that the storyteller must play. I am ready to play. Cap's Off to You Audience Spotlight Featuring: Marie Marshall 20-year+ Loyal Listener President and CEO of Chamber East Chamber of Commerce in Salt Lake County, UT When the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival celebrated 20 years, Marie Marshall attended along with 12 other family members and friends for the trip. She reflected, I'm instantly transported to another world free from everyday thoughts with an atmosphere that delights every sense. As her grandkids reach the age of three, she then takes them along to the festival. Marie said, You could say they've grown up with the Storytelling Festival being a highlight of their entire summer. The tradition with her grandkids seems ironic considering her first festival experience in 1989 She said, Figuring it would be mostly for children I thought I'd have to make allowance for short chairs, minor disturbances from kids, etc. When she looked around, she saw an equal ratio of adults to children. She exclaimed, I was happy to find no short chairs. For future festival years, Marie envisioned that the art would continue to evolve into stories that are owned by individual storytellers, stories that have the authentic stamp of exceptional performers with the likes of Donald Davis, Syd Lieberman, Bill Harley, Carmen Deedy, and the list could go on for a few more pages. She delighted in the now 26,000+ festival attendees and created a Facebook fan page. Yet, she treasured the intimacy when the festival began at the Ashton's home rather than the Mount Timpanogos Park. Marie said, I do miss the appeal of a well kept secret that we story lovers had in the beginning. Thank you, Marie. You are one of the many who spread news of the storytelling secret. What are your loyal listener memories? Email your story to info@rachelhedman.com Random Rachel Ideas (RRIs) Ideas for the Art to Embrace Storytelling Clubs will be as popular as Drama Clubs within our schools, community groups, and universities. Though this vision may take a few decades to come to pass, every year there are more Story Camps across the United States while more schools embrace storytelling festivals as a possible way to raise money rather than the traditional carnivals. Other schools recognize storytelling as a way to meet curriculum standards. Youth Storytelling Clubs could be formed and maintained if each storytelling festival adopted a school. The students would naturally want a club as popularity for the art increased. Remember that these students could be preschool kids to university students. Make room for youth on the stages and you will see more storytelling clubs. YouthTellerTip 3 featured from Daily YouthTellerTip from Twitter (StorytellingAdv) 1. Give as much attention to Preschool and Kindergarten tellers as you do to High Schoolers. Any age can grasp storytelling. I know people who only offer the storytelling festival opportunities to their 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders. Some people see high school tellers with potential. Yet, the amount of confidence we have in our youth determines what will happen in the art. Kindergartners could have more poise, passion, and stage presence than adults. 2. The shyest kid may be the most dynamic teller. Assume nothing in storytelling. Offer the chance to all. These kids might be quiet to allow ideas to flow through their minds. Then, when it comes time to perform, they explode with energy. Storytellers can be introverts. I have witnessed these shy ones become instant stars before their classmates. Rather than complimenting on bravery, praise instead on their abilities to connect with their audiences. 3. Consider each teller to have a youth and an adult mentor in storytelling. Wisdom is gained from all ages. When I competed in storytelling as a high school sophomore, there were other youth in the same category. We hung out and rooted for each other. I also met with an adult coach weekly to develop skills. Often a youth teller nowadays has an adult mentor, though they lack in peers to cheer them on. Game of the Month: Tell-Off Shared by permission of Rixon Lane, creator Audience: youth to adults Level: advanced Items Needed: timer, masking tape Number of Players: 7-25 Roles: Judge, Jury (2-6 people), Prosecution (2-6 people), Defense (2-6 people), Other normal court roles like Bailiff as you see fit Ave. Playing Time: 45 min. to hrs. One-Liner: resembles storytelling court mixed with tag-team word wrestling Instructions: Determine the boundaries such as a 5' by 3' rectangle out of masking tape on the floor. Have a timer that can countdown a minute. Someone plays the Judge, who gives penalties at any time during the game, even if telling is perfect. For example, if someone steps out of bounds, the offender could receive a punishment of pretending to be a duck while singing Mary had a Little Lamb. The Judge always consults with the Jury for penalties. The Jury decides what six things must be mentioned in the stories to be told by the two tag-teams (Prosecution and Defense). The first person on the Prosecution has one minute to tell a crazy story using all six items within the floor boundaries. If any item is missed or said wrong (like saying purple-spotted platypus vs. polka-dotted platypus), the Judge and Jury issue penalties. Then, the first person on the Defense has one minute to tell a crazy story with the same six items but with a different plot. Afterward, the Jury comes up with six more items to be used by the second person of the Prosecution. This person continues the story that their partner already started. Likewise, the second person of the Defense continues their partner's story. Repeat until all people from both tag-teams have time to tell. Finally, the Judge gives the verdict by sharing positive attributes of both teams so no one goes home guilty. ***The punishments are as important as the stories throughout the game. Any of the accused could argue their way out of punishment, thus improving persuasion skills. All rules are flexible. History of this Game: Rixon Lane, a youth teller from South Carolina, created Tell-Off while participating in the National Youth Storytelling Showcase in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee of February 2006. People Who Played the 1st Game: Rixon Lane, Chloe Clunis, Trent Howard, Tyler Smith, Eduardo Estrella, Maggie Lowe, and Rachel Hedman. To this day, Tell-Off is my favorite game. If you enjoyed this e-newsletter, then the best way to say thank you is to spread the word. People can sign-up at www.rachelhedman.com. #aweber_rem {background-color: rgb(255, 243, 209); text-align:center; margin:auto;}About Rachel Hedman Rachel explores family relationships in folklore and what that means for us today. Sometimes she adopts musicians, singers, dancers or tellers for collaborative efforts much like a reunion of artists. You are welcome to join the adventures. Find at: FamilyFamine.com Storytelling Adventures Blog Amazon.com Links My Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter (StorytellingAdv) My YouTube Channel Professional Storyteller Contact Info Storytelling Adventures, Inc. PO Box 160631 Clearfield, UT 84016 Telephone: (801) 870-5799 Email: info@rachelhedman.com © 2009 Company Name. All rights reserved Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:16:37 -0400