FAQ
What is storytelling?
Depends on who you ask! Many art forms use the term “storytelling”; from movies, to literature to graphic art and dance; but for our purposes the following definition developed by the National Storytelling Network (NSN) will suffice: “Storytelling is the art of using language, vocalization, and/or physical movement and gesture to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience.” Another term you might hear applied is “oral tradition”. Storytelling has been been used in every culture to pass along wisdom, shared values, and knowledge as well as to comfort, challenge or entertain.
Do you mean you read stories to people? No, we learn stories by heart (different from memorizing them) and tell them to our listeners using words and silence, voice, facial expressions and body language to communicate. It’s a bit like acting but different too in that we tell our stories directly to the audience. There’s no imaginary barrier or “fourth wall” as there is in many types of theatrical productions. Because of this direct interaction with the audience, every telling of a story is a little different. Again from the NSN definition: “An audience responds to the teller’s words and actions. The teller uses this generally non-verbal feedback to immediately, spontaneously, and improvisationally adjust the tones, wording, and pace of the story to better meet the needs of the audience”. Storytelling then is an event in which both the teller and listeners play an active part.
Where do you get your stories? We get stories from a variety of places. Some of our stories come from our own personal experience; others come from folklore or myth to which we add our own personal touches so that these tales too become “personal stories”. Other stories that we tell are “literary stories” written by the storytellers themselves or by other authors; still others are true stories that come from history.
Isn’t storytelling for little kids? Not at all. Through storytelling festivals, open mic nights and other venues, thousands of adults have discovered that they love stories as much now as they did when they were young — maybe even more! Though many of the storytellers in The Tell Tales Hearts Storytellers Theatre also tell stories to children in schools and librairies, we started our troupe specifically to present storytelling for adult audiences.
How do you learn to tell stories? Actually, we all tell stories naturally as part of our conversations with others. But to tell them in a more formal way the best way to learn is by doing. We sponsor an Open Mic Night for storytellers which currently meets at the Dumbarton library in Richmond on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The atmosphere is low pressure and accepting, in fact many of us got our starts as storytellers through participating in Open Mic Nights. You can also attend workshops and classes — some of the storytellers listed on this website offer these. And finally listening to other tellers is also a great way to learn, but don’t try to copy what someone else does. Storytelling like any art form is best when it comes from who you are, not from trying to be like someone else!