Better Said Than Done has class! In “Spotlight on You,” one of our storytelling worskhops, students workshop a story, learn storytelling structure, character development, and receive a few performance tips. As our classes have just recently launched, we are featuring the four Better Said Than Done storytelling teachers on our blog. This one is all about Jessica Piscitelli Robinson.
When did you tell your first story and what was that experience like?
February 2007, on the SpeakeasyDC stage. It was a great experience. I had never been in front of a large audience before. I am a writer and have read my fiction at open mics, but that was usually only for 20 or so people. This was a lot bigger. Plus I had to memorize – something I had never done before – and I was really nervous. But the audience was great. I heard a lot of laughter and a few “Bless her hearts” from the audience and so began my obsession with storytelling.
Why do you think people are drawn to storytelling?
Because it is so relatable. Everyone is telling a true, personal story. For the most part, these aren’t tall tales of impossible feats. They are stories about every day things, that every day people have experienced. I have never told a story and not had someone come up to me afterwards and say, “man, I know just how that feels.”
Worst moment on stage?
I presented a story for TEDx Glenn Echo and I froze in the middle of it. The venue was weird – it was an auditorium and it was winter and for some reason there was no heat, or it wasn’t working – the audience wasn’t prepared for a storyteller so they all looked kind of stupefied when I launched into my tale, and my story had a lot of twists and turns in it so it wasn’t an easy to follow trail. Somewhere in the middle, I caught someone in the audience looking at me funny and started thinking about how my story wasn’t going over that well and just forgot where I was. It felt like forever to me while I stumbled and tried to come up with something to fill the air until I could find my spot. On the video, it turned out to be only a few seconds of a blip and, after the show, I had a lot of people tell me they loved my story. One woman said she just wished it hadn’t been so miserably cold in the room, so that might have explained the expression of discomfort on everyone’s faces while I was talking. I hope so!
Best stage experience and why?
The second time Better Said Than Done performed at Jammin’ Java was one of the greatest experiences in my career. First of all, it was standing room only, and having a packed room is always fun. The second reason is a little weirder. I had been in the hospital the night before, sick as a dog, and I was still sick from no sleep and the load of antibiotics running through my body. I felt like the show must go on, and decided to still tell my story that night. It was a very personal story, about how my relationship with my dad changed after he was diagnosed with cancer, and I was already nervous about opening up so deeply to a group of mostly strangers. It’s hard to tell a serious story. You don’t get as much audience feedback. When you tell a funny story, they laugh. When you tell a heavy story, they are silent. But I made it through my story without collapsing, and I really felt that I had the audience the whole way through. I even saw some people wiping tissues across their eyes. Afterward I felt like I had just worked through some huge challenges to pull off one of my better tellings. It felt to me like a great accomplishment.
Thoughts on “everyone can be a storyteller.”
I think everyone has at least one good story in them and probably lots. The challenge for a lot of people is knowing what makes for a good story, where to begin, where to end, how to create an arc. That’s part of why we offer classes. So people who want to tell some great stories but aren’t sure where to begin, can get some guidance and hopefully tell at some of our shows.
What teaching experience do you have?
I went to NYU Tisch School of the Arts and studied filmmaking. Part of that, of course, was screenwriting. When I moved to Virginia I started and ran a screenwriting workshop for 6 years. It was a great experience and I am excited to again be in workshop mode with storytelling.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a light serial entrepreneur. In 2000, I started Capture Video, Inc., a corporate video production company that, in addition to paying my salary, helps companies create moving branding campaigns and video seminars. In 2003 I launched a sub division of that company called Jessica Pi Productions, my wedding video company. We have been listed as one of Washingtonian Magazines best vendors since 2009. And in 2011 I launched Better Said Than Done. I think you all know what that is.
Any other reasons people might want to take a class with you?
Aside from the fact that I really am a very nice person (really!), I also know a lot about storytelling and writing. I have performed over 25 stories for groups like SpeakeasyDC, TEDx, Fan-Freaking-Tastic, SWAN Day, McLean Bible Church, and DCIFF. I have been writing fiction since I was a child and am involved currently in two fiction writing workshops, which keep me on my toes. I am a very good listener and think I can help people find their story, the story they want to tell, without being too pushy about the story I want them to tell! You can read all about my writing career, and all the heartbreak that entails, on my writer’s blog.
If you are interested in taking a storytelling workshop, you can get all the information on our storytelling workshops here or find a list of available classes to register for here.
