Grant's True Tales Presents Spark London Storytelling
Telling Tales in BroadwayBaby.com
Venue Number 16. Riddle's Court,
322 Lawnmarket,Edinburgh, EH1
2PG. 4-14 August 17:30 (1 hour 30
minutes).
If everyone has a story to tell, one
that’s worth listening to, then why is
it that the only stories that shift
copies off shelves and set Twitter
alight are the births, marriages and
deaths of the rich and the famous?
As part of Grant’s True Tales, Spark
London have come to Edinburgh to
question a celebrity obsessed era
that only wants to hear one type of
tale and to deliver an important
alternative: a tight and beautifully
told ten minute story written and
performed by the person it’s about.
It’s a flawless story telling format
that took this very reviewer from her
seat at Riddles Court to every corner
of the globe in just under an hour,
transported by voices fro every age
and every background. I began in
post war Hungary, travelled through a
Countdown obsessed Britain, en
route Cardiff’s Taff River, before
crash landing on a Caribbean island.
The stories were funny, elegant, and
articulate and each one threw a light
on a life previously unknown. You
might enjoy one more than another,
speaking for myself stories regarding
childhood pets are usually lost on
me, but they’re all worth a listen.
Each tale is delivered like a carefully
gift wrapped package which has
dropped unexpectedly onto your
doormat. The stories are carefully
crafted but not contrived for the sake
of performance and because each one is so personal, the performer
cares about how it reaches you.
Riddles Court provides an enchanting
setting for the course of the evening.
A story telling mood is set from the
moment you walk into the tree lined
courtyard, a short story suspended
from each leaf and written by the
pens placed in front of you.
Yes, the storytelling is interactive but
in an utterly charming and inoffensive
way. Depending on the theme of
each evening - mine was family - you
will be asked to impart just a few
lines based on your own colourful
personal history. A few good ones
are selected to read out in an
interlude between the performers
who have already mastered the art.
Each of these few short lines proved
to be performance worthy and
persuaded people to believe that, in
the space of their own memory, a
treasure chest full of “ordinary”
stories are waiting to be cracked
open.
If you fancy dusting off any stories
yourself, Spark are holding a 24 hour
Storyathon and workshops to support
the shakier storyteller before they
perform.
Spark London should not just be
stumbled on; they should be booked
in advance and seats should be
taken with anticipation.
[Kirsty Allen]
Thank you Kirty Allen! I even did not realise I opened the story event with my tale.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I closed it. But we are yet far from finish. We all have so many tales to tell!