Storytelling Institute: A Modern Approach to an Ancient Skill
"Stories differ from advice in that once you get them, they become a fabric of your whole soul. This is why they heal you." ~Alice Walker
Storytelling is a powerful medium for teaching and learning because it invites the listener to interact with concepts and ideas in a natural way.
This program is designed to provide students with knowledge of humane, literary, dramatic and historical perspectives which are the foundation for story.
Join us on a tour of our Storytelling Institute by clicking the link which will take you to the Storytelling Institute. In this site you will find information about the programs we offer in storytelling, upcoming events, and our spring and fall festivals.
- Course Offerings
- Meet our Faculty & Staff
Ticket Purchase
Tickets to selected Performing Arts Center events are available for purchase online, at showup.com.
Fast Facts
- Storytelling is the ancient art of conveying events in words, images, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment.
- A storyteller does not memorize a set text, but learns a series of script-like incidents with a distinct beginning, middle and end.
- A storyteller visualizes characters and settings, and then improvises the actual wording. For this reason, no two tellings of an oral story are exactly alike.
- Elements of the storytelling art form include visualization (the seeing of images in the mind's eye), and vocal and bodily gestures.
- Folklorists sometimes divide oral tales into two main groups: "Märchen" and "Sagen". These are German terms for which there are no exact English equivalents; the first one is both singular and plural.
(Sources: Story Arts, Sura Lune Storytelling, Story Center)