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Storytelling Conference
Jun. 20th, 2006 10:49 amThis past weekend, I attended a small storytelling conference that attempted to bridge the gap between the two solitudes. Don't get the wrong idea: it's not that there's any kind of tension between the French and English storytelling communities. It's just that there are practically no venues where the two groups can meet (hence, this weekend's conference).
There were a few people I hadn't seen in a while, a few people I had seen but never had a chance to meet, and other people who were completely new. As in any business, it's always good to network.
One of the main issues that came up was that storytelling is a difficult sell to the mainstream audience. To deal with that problem, storytellers are left to create their own market.
For many of us, this is a skill that we do not possess. For those of us that do have this marketing/organizational skill, we spend all our time working the media, organizing events, applying for grants, etc., but we are then left with no time/energy to do what we love (actually tell the stories).
On Saturday night, I told my French version of The Blue Hippopotamus and it was very well received. There were 8 tellers in this concert: some told in their native tongue, some told in their other language, and some duos told the same story in both languages.
It was a great night, but I don't think bilingual shows are something that a mainstream audience can really enjoy. Having stories in both languages can mean that you are always losing part of your audience. While I think having multi-lingual shows are cool, they are not a vehicle to draw more people to storytelling.
As for getting more gigs, I'm afraid I just need to invest in more travel. If I want to get invited to Jonesborough Storytelling Festival, I need to visit the Jonesborough Storytelling Festival on my own dime and find a swap to tell in. Networking!
The conference was cool and it gave me lots more ideas about how to push my storytelling career further.
Link of the Day: Quebec Writers Federation Just joined!
There were a few people I hadn't seen in a while, a few people I had seen but never had a chance to meet, and other people who were completely new. As in any business, it's always good to network.
One of the main issues that came up was that storytelling is a difficult sell to the mainstream audience. To deal with that problem, storytellers are left to create their own market.
For many of us, this is a skill that we do not possess. For those of us that do have this marketing/organizational skill, we spend all our time working the media, organizing events, applying for grants, etc., but we are then left with no time/energy to do what we love (actually tell the stories).
On Saturday night, I told my French version of The Blue Hippopotamus and it was very well received. There were 8 tellers in this concert: some told in their native tongue, some told in their other language, and some duos told the same story in both languages.
It was a great night, but I don't think bilingual shows are something that a mainstream audience can really enjoy. Having stories in both languages can mean that you are always losing part of your audience. While I think having multi-lingual shows are cool, they are not a vehicle to draw more people to storytelling.
As for getting more gigs, I'm afraid I just need to invest in more travel. If I want to get invited to Jonesborough Storytelling Festival, I need to visit the Jonesborough Storytelling Festival on my own dime and find a swap to tell in. Networking!
The conference was cool and it gave me lots more ideas about how to push my storytelling career further.
Link of the Day: Quebec Writers Federation Just joined!
