Everyone loves a good story, whether it's in a book or newspaper, on film or TV, at the theatre, the street corner, hairdresser's or in a bus or train, cafe or pub... In fact, we are all storytellers in our own way. My first memories of stories come from sitting on my grannie's knee hearing her tales of a big snowball inhabited by little magic people. She no doubt made them up on the spot. Then I remember ghost stories in a dimly-lit room with my brother trying (successfully) to scare the boots off me. Into this heady mix came annual visits to the pantomime, and very small-scale but excellent puppet shows in Edinburgh. Those early memories (however sketchy) are the most important and enduring, I think, as they lay down the foundations for the imagination to build on. I am always fascinated to hear other people's recollections from their early years, especially if these relate to stories, because our character is so deeply influenced by them.
Everyone loves a good oral storyteller. To be in the presence of a person who can engage your attention, and reach your inner thoughts and feelings with look and gesture, is a very special experience. Some people say, "Oh I can't possibly do THAT!", but it most definitely can be achievable. By simply observing other people telling stories, then having a go oneself on a number of occasions, confidence grows in leaps and bounds. There's nothing like "doing it" to find out!
I remember, as a puppeteer, how I learned quickly what worked, what didn't work - and what might work in time. Audiences of any size and age-group send out the vital signals to the performer. I remember in the early days, after I had just finished performing what I regarded as a pretty magical wee show, putting everything I had into it', when a little girl in the front row said loud and clear, "I got new shoes yesterday!" Nowadays I can go along with most things that are said or happen, because I suppose I instinctively know what has made an impression and what hasn't - and you cannae please everybody all the time!
And now I am gently morphing into being a storyteller from being a puppeteer. However, when with small children, I still use puppets frequently, as they do like the visual element. Older children and adults can become engrossed without anything visual, but still appreciate the odd surprise. I am working out ways to create the right balance. As a puppeteer I have learnt how to focus on the puppet by speaking through it with its own special voice, animating it, and taking care over staging, entrances and exits. Many puppeteers nowadays, myself included, use a style which mixes elements of storytelling with puppetry. Performers are visible most of the time, no longer hidden inside a puppet theatre. But now I am experimenting with ways of increasing the storytelling element. I am becoming more confident with switching the focus from the puppet to myself, and back again, while I hold the puppet. The danger is that the audience becomes confused and starts to disengage because it isn't being made clear who or what is doing the talking. Because the puppet can be so eye-catching and characterful, it can start to dominate proceedings, and the story becomes confusing and cluttered. I am having to simplify, and sort out the main elements. Sometimes the puppet has to remain in a static position in the background, while I walk away in order to engage the audience with the story. At first I found this very awkward, and kept fumbling about, trying to put the puppets somewhere else when not required. However I soon found that nobody seemed to mind if I simply left them there, then picked them up again later. It no doubt shows that if the storyteller can make audiences thoroughly interested, and make them "believe" their imaginations will fill in any seeming gaps in the presentation.
So, storytelling is fun, it's fascinating, and totally various. There are folk tales and fairy tales from Scotland and all round the world in the book shops. There are more recent tales, perhaps heard in a social gathering, and there are one's own experiences and childhood memories.
P.S. Long hours on a train, or in a waiting room...? Keep a scrap of paper and a pen handy, and you will never be bored. There are ideas and maybe stories waiting to emerge!...