Stories are what make us human. They are how we learn, how we connect with one another, how we share information and how we create new realities.
I’ve been a professional oral storyteller for nearly 15 years now. When I tell that to people who are new to storytelling, I usually get a couple of reactions: firstly, they’re surprised that such a profession exists, and secondly, they’re usually not 100% certain what storytelling is!
So, for those of you new to it, this is my definition of storytelling:
Storytelling is when one human shares a tale with others, purely from how it exists in their mind, and does so in a way that is adapted, moment by moment, to the listeners, the environment and the situation in which the tale is being told.
So, it’s not read from a book, or learnt like a script, it’s simply shared in whatever way feels right in the moment – just like you’d tell a friend down the pub about a great night out you had!
A tale can be told a thousand times by the same teller, and while what happens in the story will not change; the words, the movement, the sounds used to tell it will change in some way every time depending on who’s listening. So, storytelling at its best is an interaction and a co-creation, even when you feel like you’re just sitting back and enjoying a tale well told.
It’s the skill of the storyteller to find the right tale and use the right words, actions and movement for the audience they find themselves in front of – be that one woman on a park bench or an entire auditorium of theatre goers!
It’s that adaptability and interaction that makes storytelling so accessible for everyone which is the reason I love it so much – it transports you to other places, other ideas and other worlds using only the power of human to human interaction – and for me, that’s a kind of magic.
If you’d like to find out more about my storytelling performances, activity sessions, workshops and training for anyone aged 0 – 100, then please do check out the main website at
www.sowhatsthestory.co.uk or www.facebook.com/sowhatsthestory
“Justine doesn’t tell stories, she inhabits them, gets inside and lives them, while grabbing you by the hand and saying ‘Come on, let’s go!”
Janina Vigurs, Storyteller
You can also find out more about my Darklove show, which combines, songs, stories and poems all about the darker side of love at
www.darkloveshow.co.uk or www.facebook.com/darkloveshow
You can also join the Tales n Tunes group on facebook to find out more about my regular spoken word and acoustic music open mic where you can hear tales and share your own with others
www.facebook.com/groups/talesntunes
