We’re back with the second in our series showcasing the superb tellers who will be performing in the fourth annual Women’s Storytelling Festival, running March 24th through March 26th in beautiful Fairfax, VA!
Today is a peek behind the curtain of how these magnificent women create and hone the tales they tell on stage. We’ve got a great group to give us that behind-the-scenes perspective: Laura Deal, Lyn Ford, Cindy Rivka Marshall, Misty Mator, and Mo Reynolds.
You can read about all of the 2023 festival storytellers here.
My question to each of them was…
What’s your favorite part of the story crafting process?
Let’s see how they responded…
Laura Deal: I love imagining and reimagining the story as I’m developing it, looking for details that will bring the story to life for the listener. Whether I’m changing the point of view character of a folktale, playing with setting or dialogue, or crafting a personal story, brainstorming is the most fun part of the process for me.
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Lyn Ford: I love hearing folktale variants and recognizing their connections to diverse story traditions around the world. I also love developing the heart of a personal story, that core truth that builds a relationship with and a community among listeners.
Cindy Rivka Marshall: I love the interactive nature of the storytelling process. The role of the listener and the witness is key to discovering how to best express and convey the story. I enjoy being on both sides of this process, as a teller, and as a story coach, seeing stories come alive.
Misty Mator: I love when there’s what my college professor called a “stroke of brilliance” moment for a story: when a great phrase, description, or direction emerges from working with a live audience. No matter how many times I rehearse a story, the best bits always seem to arise when I’m with the listeners. Stories really do come to life best when they are shared.
Mo Reynolds: I love the debut of a story because it is thrilling to see what comes out of the story and into the story the first time it bounces off an audience. I will hear myself add something to the story and think, “Oh, I like that! I’m definitely keeping that in there.” A story is a living thing and I love feeling it change with every outing.
Now that you know their favorite part of the process, come and see them tell the stories they’ve crafted. You can join us in Fairfax, or watch from afar via our live-stream.
Everything you need to know is right here!
