There are big changes and there are small changes. This is one of the first elements of good storytelling covered last Saturday in the back room of the Hancock Public Library as a group of storytellers, myself included, sat in a semi-circle and prepared for the ninth Black Fly Story Hour.
Led by Tricia Rose Burt, a frequent storyteller for NPR’s The Moth, we each stood and told a short story to receive feedback, less a rehearsal and more of an on the spot semi-prepared brainstorming session. There’s an easy sense of formality towards the event, much like sitting around the dining room table or a campfire, everyone asking questions and making suggestions to help each other. Some stories were happy, some tragic, some vast, some small; all of them impactful in some way. Such is the nature of this very event.
Based off The Moth, storytellers are given roughly five minutes to tell a story of their choosing. We are made to keep it brief and, in doing so, evaluate exactly what about the story is important to us. What is integral and what is merely sentimental? What is truly at stake? Where does the story really begin? Since five minutes is somewhere locked between an eternity and not nearly enough time, we then must reshape the stories to a focused and clear point.
Overall, a wide range of stories from a wide range of people, from high school students to retirees, are on display. This year’s storytellers are Donlin Foreman, Cheyenne Heinselman, Julia Lennon, Michael Lucow, Gabby Oja, Avery Pope, Russell Robertson, Margaret Walsh, Sage Wheeler and David Young.
The event will be emceed by Tricia Rose Burt, who has offered her expertise as a masterful storyteller in her own right to guide us along this process. As well as her work for The Moth, Tricia holds workshops and delivers keynotes on the power of storytelling. She also performs one-woman shows, the first of which, entitled “How to Draw a Nekkid Man,” was selected for the 15th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. More information about her and her work can be found at www.triciaroseburt.com.
While The Black Fly Story Hour is certainly about storytelling, it also serves a dual purpose as a fundraiser for the Thornton Wilder Center for the Arts, a performance arts space currently in planning to replace the limited venues at ConVal High School.
Organized by a group of parents, educators, and community members, the project, previously known as “Fill The Void” and now named for “Our Town” playwright Thornton Wilder, looks to provide a performance location for both the students at ConVal and local organizations as well. As there is a lack of public funding for school building projects, the Thornton Wilder Center for the Arts seeks funding from events like this.
The 9th Black Fly Story Hour will be this coming Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School. Tickets are available in advance for $15 at the Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, or online at www.thorntonwildercenterforthearts.org.