Start Again
Welcome,
A wise man said to me one time,
‘Prepare meticulously and once you step on the stage, abandon all preparation’
That’s the dream of the live work. To someday walk out, yap and be easy and move on. Its probably why I’m so attracted to the type of conversations that can be had on chat shows and podcasts. You do your thing and then move on. You’re not endlessly repeating yourself over and over.
But the storytelling craft demands a different sort of creativity. The only way to get good at them, to play with them, is to tell them again and again.
Some of the stories are being told here for the first time so there’s a bit of vulnerability about them. I don’t mind that as long as it feels like an adventure….. like a thief at night sneaking slowly around a big old country house tryig to decide what is of value and what is not……
I finish off with The Taeman story. I heard this one from Dr Martin Shaw (House of Beast and Vines) while on a storytelling tour with him recently. I used to sit in the darkness each night by the side of the stage and listen to him. It was to be freed and hypnotised and enchanted all at the same time. A great gift….
The other audio file is a Hen House recording of my version of an old folktale that I came across recently, the text of which can be read below