Emcee – Makes all the difference!

…And never more so than in a story slam…

Reams could be written about the role and skill of emceeing. (And yes, “emcee” is a real word, having evolved from “MC,” short for “Master/Mistress of Ceremonies”). When it comes to storytelling events, I have witnessed fine storytellers who…are less gifted, shall we say, at emceeing. There’s a certain je ne sais quoi an emcee must have for welcoming everyone gathered, setting the tone, introducing the storyteller(s), keeping things moving, being prepared yet thinking on their feet (now that’s a skill every storyteller needs, too!)…and more.

Today I’d like to focus on what I’ve witnessed so far in Story Slam Emcees…

…Because an emcee has huge responsibility and impact on how the story slam goes.

To date I’ve only been to 4 story slams, yet have witnessed quite a variety of emcee skills and personalities. The Boulder Story Slam (which I’ve been able to attend only once so far) had a duo sharing the emceeing. While there was a fun intro to the evening, and they seemed to genuinely be having a good time, I will say that their humor and stage personas felt too self-consciously-I’m-cool-and-hip-and-aren’t-I-funny to be truly engaging for me. Yes, there were laughs throughout the evening, which seemed to be their goal, but it felt rather disjointed and unsatisfying – to some of us, anyway. Sigh.

I’ve also been to the Denver Moth 3 times since it started up last fall. The first and third times I went there was the same emcee, a Denver comedian by the name of Kristen; the 2nd time there was a guy emcee who I think is also a stand-up comedian who I’ll call Joe.

I wish Kristen would be the emcee every time because she – was – dynamite!!!! The first Moth I went to last November was SO FUN, and I’d been so looking forward to the next one…and it was much less so. And largely due to the difference in emcee skills and choices. And then Kristen was back for the 3rd one I went to – and that experience sealed it for me…

…No question: the emcee for a story slam is a primary factor in how it is experienced, in spite of – or perhaps especially because of – the potluck nature of the event.

Kristen provided a fantastic model for good emceeing.  She wove together:

• natural comedic talent
• skill in the mechanics of the event and keeping it moving
• not upstaging the storytellers – in fact very warmly welcoming/introducing/supporting them
• and really, really – through tone of voice, demeanor, words chosen (both the funny stuff and sincere comments), naturally-warm exhortations to the audience, and modeling – she was able to create a wonderfully communal and supportive atmosphere, basically making the entire 300-member audience love all over each of the 10 tellers whose names were drawn.
• All of this in addition to keeping us in tears of laughter much of the time.
• And yet when there was a moving or poignant story, she was able to honor that appropriately…and then steer us back to laughter at the right time.

She – was – magnificent.

“Joe”…not so much.  The biggest, regretful difference (apart from innate comedic talent, which there may not be much one can do about), was in the actual introducing and support of the tellers. Kristen did a lot of enjoyable “Let’s give it up for this storyteller!!” patter, both before and after each teller, as well as making sure to welcome and remind each (sometimes quite nervous!) teller of the process and where to stand, etc. – making the teller comfortable and the audience responsive-supportive. Joe was much less helpful to each teller, mostly just reading their name when drawn and then going on to make his own between-stories-jokes. There had been loads’n’loads of applause throughout Kristen’s evening, flowing from the supportive/fun atmosphere she had generated.  During Emcee Joe’s slam, I found myself (buoyed by my previous month’s experience) being the one most often instigating applause from my seat in the audience before and after stories….the whole experience was a lot less exuberant all ’round.  Sigh.

So a given story slam will be shaped largely by the emcee, especially because of how in a slam you just don’t know ahead of time who the storytellers will be, or what the stories will be.

There’s no predicting how much humor or drama or pathos or boredom or pizazz there will be in the stories of a slam! With the more “traditional storytelling” event, it’s more common to not only know ahead of time just who the tellers will be, you might also be familiar with their styles and perhaps even know precisely what stories they will tell.

With the open-endedness of a slam, the emcee’s role and skill seem to be even more crucial to the event’s success.

If you’re ever moved to produce or organize a story slam, remember that.  🙂

I wonder if Kristen will host the next Denver Moth…?!  One can always hope…!

Thanks for reading – Pam

[Theme for this A-Z April Daily Blogging Challenge: “Story Slams & Traditional Storytelling – Bridging the Distance”]