Joining us for Video Extras, this month is first-time teller Alison, who stepped up to the mic after taking a storytelling workshop with Better Said Than Done.
Think of this as the commentary track to Alison’s story from our March 2015 show, Earth, Wind, and Fire: elemental stories. Watch her story below and then read on for the story behind the story. You can catch Alison in our May show, The Mamas and the Papas: stories of moms, dads, and kids, on May 30, at The Auld Shebeen in Fairfax. (Childcare will be available!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7B1E_DHe3Y&w=560&h=315] Mary: Congratulations on an outstanding performance as a first-time teller! What motivated you to step on stage to tell a story?Alison: Oh, thank you so much! Storytelling is something that I’ve been interested in for a while. A few years ago, I saw a Speakeasy DC show and loved it. It got me thinking about what “my” story would be if I were to tell one. This fall, I discovered Better Said Than Done, went to two shows, took a class, and finally got up my nerve to do it! I enjoy writing narratives and I teach high school, so, in some ways, I guess I “perform” a little every day; storytelling just seems like the perfect blend of the two.
Mary: What did you do to prepare to tell this story?
Alison: Taking the one-day workshop was instrumental in getting me from the “Someday I want to do this” mentality to the “Oh, I am actually signed up to tell a story” one. It was just really helpful to practice telling my story aloud and hearing honest (but supportive) feedback. Without that, it’s hard to get a good read on how well it may work.
In terms of preparing, I did write out my whole story, and I started to memorize it from that, but I noticed that it sounded like I was reading rather than talking. I ended up just using that as the jumping off point, practicing telling it in my own words so it sounded more natural. I also forced myself to record the story on my phone and then play it back. For me, hearing myself on tape is pretty excruciating, but it helped me a lot with making changes.
Mary: Did you have this story in mind when you signed up to take the workshop?
Alison: Initially, I had a hard time picking a story, but this trip is a memory that has always stuck with me, so I thought it might be a good choice. My friends in the area are very outdoorsy and athletic – I am not, obviously! I thought that telling this story would be a good way to kind of explain my perspective so they understood why I don’t jump up and down when someone suggests hiking/camping/roughing it.
Mary: Were there any details you had to cut – either for time or they just didn’t fit the narrative – that you’d like to share?
Alison: For the sake of time, I cut out some of the details about the breakup and my motivation for going on the trip. My boyfriend was a sophomore and I was a freshman, so when we started dating in the fall of my first year, I was just sort of absorbed into his already-established friend group and didn’t put too much effort into making my own. When we broke up, I realized I was losing most of my friends in addition to my boyfriend, so it was a big reason I accepted the invite to go camping. Carrie was pretty much my one close friend, and I thought maybe I’d meet other friends by going on the trip.
Mary: Your story is about what it takes to get over heartbreak. Can you tell me a little about your relationship?
Alison: We had dated for about seven months – early fall until April. Not a crazy long time, but long for an 18-year-old who’d never really had a boyfriend before. He was definitely my first love, which is a big part of the reason I think the break-up hurt so badly. I am pretty convinced that nothing ever feels as brutal as the shock of getting your heart broken for the first time. This camping trip came a week or two after the breakup, so I was still having a really hard time.
Mary: Did you know the other people on the camping trip besides Carrie?
Alison: It was more like I knew of them than I knew them personally. We hadn’t spent much time together up to that point since I lived on a different floor of the dorm and things tended to be a little cliquey depending on where people lived. Unfortunately, the trip wasn’t exactly the bonding experience I hoped it might be!
Mary: While you were alone in Al’s tent and getting rained on, you said that some of the songs that were playing in your head were, “All by Myself” – Celine Dion, “Nothing Compares 2 U” – Sinead O’Connor, and “Everybody Hurts” – R.E.M. Any other sad songs you’d recommend to someone who’s nursing a broken heart?
Alison: Ooh, great question. Maybe “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – Bonnie Raitt – or “Almost Lover” – A Fine Frenzy. Both are amazingly/terribly sad songs. There’s a certain catharsis in just crying it out!
Mary: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – that brings me back to some break-ups. For me, that was up there with: “Separate Lives” – Phil Collins & Marilyn Matlin; “Throwing It All Away” – Genesis; “Anything For You” – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine; and “We Belong” – Pat Benatar.
Alison: And then there’s “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor and “Ridin’ Solo” – Jason Derulo, for phase two, when you’re ready to feel better and hit the gym and realize life goes on.
Mary: Are spiders still your biggest phobia?
Alison: YES! I know it’s irrational, but I can’t help it.
Mary: Have you ever gone camping since the trip in this story?
Alison: I’ve stayed in some cabins, but no “camping” camping, much to my husband’s dismay. 🙂
