Story telling

[dubhease]

Our parish talent show is set for Feb. 28. I generally sing something with Piers playing guitar. I was telling him about the date and remarking that we'll have to plan something. I off-handedly said, "Maybe I should also dance this year." To which Piers said, "Why don't you tell a story

Comments

[siglinde99]

I think the finger puppet version would work well for a non-medieval audience. If you really want to do a more authentic story, perhaps a comic tale?

[dubhease]

Piers said to use finger puppets, but I don't want to do it. I used them at Practicum 2008 and Twelfth Night 2010 and even though they were almost 2 years apart, people remember me for it. I don't want to be "that finger puppet bard."

Comic is a good thought. Not a lot of Irish stories are funny. They have their moments, and you can throw some humour into the telling, but mostly they are kind of tragic.

[siglinde99]

Remember that the finger puppets were for an SCA audience, and this will be for your parish - they won't have seen it before and won't associate you with being a bard at all.

[dubhease]

I think that satire works best if you know what is being made fun of. (Think SNL or the Simpsons - the pop culture references are only funny if you know the TV or movie they are making fun of.) I don't mind doing satire at Twelfth night because people mostly know what a medieval story sounds like.

I did story telling once at the local library. I had a group of 4-5 year olds and a group of 8 yer olds plus. It was Viking storytelling and I did it with no puppets and no gimmicks. Of course, it was audicence specific. The older kids got Eric Bloodaxe and the younger ones got a Loki story. I like the idea of keeping it more period outside the SCA because it's almost an advertisement for the SCA. For example, if you had to do something for a non-SCA audience, I doubt you would wear what you wore to 12th Night. We get the joke; others wouldn't.

[spindriftdancer]

Pick something shorter rather than longer(: Most people aren't used to sitting and listening to stories anymore...

[dubhease]

I want to do shorter. The problem with most of my stories is that they are kind of epic. To tell the story of anyone is fairly long, even when cutting a lot of of the middle. Diarmuid and Grainne was like that. I chose to do the set up, beginning, and end while cutting the 20 year pursuit to about 2 sentences.

The problem with just doing one story (like a beginning) is that it seems to me to be incomplete. It is the nature of something that sprang from a itinerant bardic culture of trying to keep stories and gigs going (ala 1001 Arabian nights). I need to really re-think this, especially in light of Siglinde's good point about finding something that has humour in it. Plus I need something suitable for a family audience.

[spindriftdancer]

Good luck. Keep us posted on what you decide on (:

[cortejo]

"Are you awake"
"well I am now"

that one at 12th Night I think could fly...or is there too much magic and slaughter?

[dubhease]

It's not the magic or slaughter. I don't want to use finger puppets. I want to hold a non-SCA audience with no gimicks, just the story. Everyone seems to be doubting it can be done, but I think I can do it. It's like a challenge to me.

[cortejo]

oh no, I think you can totally do it. I just liked it.

[dubhease]

But I am thrilled people liked my Twelfth Night piece so much.