Letters to Myself

Here's my latest theatre project, helping Dave Tinney and Rob Moffat put together a new show:

Letters to Myself

If you could say one thing to your 17 year old self, what would it be?

The UVU Department of Theatrical Arts is gathering letters from people world-wide to be made into a play called Letters to Myself. The Black Box Repertoire Company will tour the show to area middle schools and high schools during the Spring 2014 term. We want to hear from you! 

What makes a good letter?

• Confronting an honest, real-life issue that you feel passionate about
• The use of story
• Strong emotional content:  anger, laughter, despair, surprise
• A moment of clarity or hope
• A time when you were proven wrong or your world just got bigger

Be sure to include your contact info, if you want us to let you know if we use your letter.

How do you submit a letter?

• Email:  letterstomyselfUVU@gmail.com
• Mail:    “Letters to Myself” c/o David Tinney  FA 719 UVU  

    800 W. University Parkway, Orem, Utah 84058

• Post:    https://www.facebook.com/letterstomyselfUVU
• Text:     801 633-4918
• Tweet:  @LettersUVU

Come share your wisdom, your folly, your story...

Reaching Into the Void - The Healing Story Alliance

When I was at the National Storytelling Network’s conference, I also attended the Healing Story Alliance Pre-Conference. I’ve never done any sort of healing story work, but I’ve always watched with fascination those who did work in detention centers, hospitals, homeless shelters and a myriad of other places. I’ve always wanted to try, but never knew how. Did I need a counseling degree? How would I know how to meet another’s needs? There always seems to be a void between my background and skills and the needs I see all around me.

Attending the pre-conference was like taking the first step into that void and what I found was beautiful. Elisa Pearmain is a counselor who presented her work on forgiveness. She uses folk tales to get her clients to accept and overcome their past wounds and find a new way to rewrite their stories. One of my favorite things she said was, “Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having a better past.” She talked a lot about what forgiveness is, what gets in the way of it, how to grieve, having empathy for ourselves and finally, how to tell a new story. It was very powerful. You can learn more about her work at: http://www.wisdomtales.com

The Garden of Exile, Jewish Museum Berlin

We also heard from Pati Hernandez. She’s a fiery Chilean woman who works in the prison system in Vermont. I’ve heard of a lot of people doing story work in prisons, but what I loved about Pati’s Telling My Story program is she trains and brings a group of ivy league students to facilitate the program. These two very different worlds collide and begin to break down barriers. As they share their stories with each other and create a performance piece, both groups are changed. Pati brought along Kim, an alumni of the program who now serves on the board of Telling My Story. Kim’s involvement in the program was a turning point for her life. She now owns her own business and is attending college. You can see an amazing movie about Pati’s work, here: http://tellingmystorymovie.com/home.php

I learned that I didn’t need a specific degree to do healing story work, although it might not hurt to partner up with someone who does. One good place to start getting experience is to speak with an organization’s program or volunteer coordinator. I think the main thing is to be observant, listen intently, and as Pati’s says, “Be willing to be profoundly uncomfortable and to not know what you’re doing - yet wanting to be there. That’s beautiful; that’s courageous.” As I tentatively step further into the void, I’m going to keep that in mind.

To learn more about healing story work, visit the Healing Story Alliance at http://healingstory.org

A Fool's Errand

I haven’t done a lot of performance storytelling in the past couple of years as I’ve been finishing up my degree and developing my playwrighting, but attending the National Storytelling Network’s conference this past week reminded me, once again, that storytellers are my primary breed - my clan.

We’re a diverse group, but I would say the biggest commonality between us is a passion for crafting and telling stories in a meaningful way and a willingness to take the road less traveled. Armed only with story (our sword) and an open heart (leaving shield behind,) we are the Don Quixotes of our era, titling at the windmills of the world. Often we get knocked off our horses, but consider it a worthy part of the journey if it leads to the discovery of Dulcinea.

The conference allows us to be each other’s Sancho Panza, dusting each other off, raising our glasses and sharing a song. While I attended many amazing classes and events, it was the people that made the conference for me - the new ones I met and the acquaintances that deepened into friendships. Thanks to all who took time out to spend with me. It’s good to know I’m not the only fool on the road and I’m honored to share the journey with you.

“Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.”  Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda, Don Quixote