Venues

I love storyteller Susan Marie Frontsczak’s motto: “Give me a place to stand, and I’ll take you someplace else.” – !!!

Ohhh, I wish I’d thought of that and copyrighted it…darn!  😉

That’s part of the beauty and power and magic of storytelling – it can happen pretty much anywhere physically, and can take you pretty much anywhere imaginatively.

But…there are venues and then there are venues…

And so here’s my short, quick, belated catch-up “V-post”…to complete the April A-to-Z Daily Blogging Challenge!

In general, whether as the performer or the listener, I prefer an indoor space free from distractions (sound and/or visual), and good sightlines for everyone.

Story slams are teaching me to think more broadly, be more flexible, and hopefully be more creative in seeking and experiencing a broader range of venues for storytelling that might bring in new/more audience.

Often a more-social-oriented rather than a more-performance-oriented venue can be just fine (think of food and drink being available throughout, and maybe folks seated around tables, as contrasted with an auditorium or theater-style venue).

One of the more creative venues I’ve experienced has been Still Cellars Distillery & Art House in Longmont, CO. In particular, a storytelling series of Stories With Spirit holds a monthly storytelling evening there: stories with cocktails! I’ve had the pleasure of performing there, and attended other times as well. The audience is mixed aged-wise, informal, relaxed, open, and happy!

And it’s super-fun to see young hipsters sip their drinks and get all excited about Grimm’s fairy tales – I’ve seen it!

Another creative and very nice venue I’ve experience a few times would be a House Concert.  

Last March, in fact, I hosted a House Concert in my home (first time I’ve hosted – I hope it won’t be the last), offering a comfortable, fun, informal evening with stories told by me and storyteller friend Mark Goldman from Phoenix. (The picture to the left is from that evening, looking down into the performance area from upstairs, seeing half of the audience.)  My next-door neighbor had never before attended a storytelling event – she loved it!

It’s fun to seek ways to grow storytelling and storylistening audiences.  Seeking and creating new venues is part of it!

Thanks for reading – Pam

The theme for this 2015 April A-Z Daily Blogging Challenge has been “Story Slams & Traditional Storytelling – Bridging the Distance.”