Student to my Rescue: Research Assistance

When approached to be part of the Weber State University Storytelling Festival Board, I was honored.

Then I realized how many other projects and positions I had and wondered if this was too much.

Finally, I was promised that in return for work with the festival, an undergraduate student would be found within the Department of Education to assist in research for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" project.

Today I received the telephone call from the student.

We did not chat for long, though we were able to discuss the main ideas of the project and the goals. Eventually, we will meet in-person to get to know each other better and see how we could mutually benefit from the exchange.

She is majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in American Sign Language. I did not think about it while speaking with her, though afterward I wondered about the possibility of having an ASL interpreter at the premiere. A couple months ago this idea intrigued me. I forgot about it. . .until now.

In the meantime, I am requesting to see the senior project guidelines to make sure "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" will match what is required of the university. Interestingly, this narrative production connects to achieving my Storytelling Masters.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Official Venue: I have Covey Center for the Arts!

I learned that the Covey Center for the Arts signed their half of the venue contract.

Now it is official: I have the place for my premiere on February 9, 2009 at 8:00pm!

I will wait to send out invites through Facebook, Twitter, Professional Storyteller, and other online avenues until the information on the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production is on the Covey Center for the Arts website. By November 26th the page will be up, if not earlier. When I receive notification, then I will also submit the event to online calendars including NowPlayingUtah.com.

Each event that takes place there has their own page to post a few pictures, description, and list any websites connected to it. Of most use is link so people could order tickets online.

Perhaps I should not have stalled to work on the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" logo. I wanted to have the venue in place first as the location's information would be needed for posters, fliers, and postcards. The logo itself did not need those details. Still, there is a certain security to waiting when things are more in stone.

I could always have the logo uploaded on the Covey Center for the Arts website as I get it. In the meantime, I will submit the picture of me looking back over my shoulder. This is the same picture used for my Facebook support group.

I expect to have pictures of my accompanist and possible someone to sing duet with me for a song or two. This will be more clear as the structures of the stories progress.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

The Big Revelation during Lipman's Coaching

Every year is the Utah Storytelling Guild Story Swap where members from all chapters "talk stories" and are taught workshops.

This year we were privileged to have Doug Lipman.

From marketing to storytelling techniques to coaching, Lipman shared so much information for us to apply to our goals in the art. Eventually, he asked for volunteers in regards to coaching on marketing/niche. My hand shot up and I was thrilled when I could go before the other Utah Storytelling Guild members and share my plans so far.

I was unsure what types of questions Doug may ask me nor did I know how much background everyone would need for the coaching to be productive.

I rattled off the marketing ideas already in place such as having "Save the Date" postcards sent, the use of this blog to record my journey on the project, the existence of the Facebook group, etc. I did not realize that because the marketing side was clearest to me for this project, I really needed coaching on the story development and confidence.

This became apparent as I shared one of my great fears: Am I a fake?

Tears fell as I shared with my fellow storytellers that I did not want to go upon the stage on February 9th and feel like I failed everyone including myself. I have built such high expectations on this premiere.

I may be ambitious and resolute about some things in life, though I am greatly affected by how others perceive me.

In some ways, I felt upset at crying because I knew that it is better to focus on the positive as has been taught by my friend, Carol Esterreicher, through Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) of creating the "Circle of Excellence."

The "Circle of Excellence" is a concept in which you step in and out of an imaginary circle that represents the perfect performance. Each entrance into the circle means a different sense to trigger happy memories whether through calming visuals, encouraging sounds, or even stimulating smells.

Yet, even with this knowlegdge, I pictured silence as people left the theatre disappointed. These negative images I had to erase if my "creative intelligence", a term that Lipman uses, will emerge and grow.

This coaching time reminded me of the need to plan my story development as fervently--if not more--than what I am dedicating to the marketing aspects.

Thankfully, I received several offers for rehearsal buddies as well as people who said they will definitely attend.

Even the Utah Storytelling Guild Timp Tellers Chapter president, April Johnson, offered for the December meeting to give some time for me to share pieces of my project so as to receive group coaching. As I attend the Olympus and the Ben Lomond chapters, this was especially moving for me.

This means I will aim for the beginning of January to be quite solid with the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" program. Then I can have some practice runs and receive audience reactions before the big premiere.

Thank you to Doug Lipman and the Utah Storytelling Guild for opening my eyes to what I need at this time.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Venue Contract: "So let it be written, so let it be done"

Having word that I could have the Grand Theater of the Covey Center for the Arts was a glorious moment.

Joyous sounds left my mouth when I heard that the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble and the Covey Center for the Arts would allow me to have my performance at 8:00pm on Monday, February 9th. (see previous entry for details)

When thoughts are placed onto paper, it had the finality of "So let it be written, so let it be done" as pronounced by the Pharaoh on "The Ten Commandments" movie.

I was amused that the service agreement that I send to those who hire me is only one page while this contract from the Covey Center for the Arts was five pages long. Despite the length of the contract, I gladly read every word.

Here are some details that may be of interest--

Deposit:

• $200 deposit. Deposit is applied to Base Rental Fee and is due at signing of contract. No date is confirmed without deposit.

Payments:

• Base Rental Fee (school project rate due to part of Storytelling Masters program, based on scheduled time-charge will be based on actual use)-$500
• Performance Day Cleaning Fee-$50
• Reimbursables (estimate includes use of technicians, ushers, etc.)-$205
• TULIP (at least $1,000,000 liability insurance coverage for event)-$125

Estimated Total Costs-$880

Other Sections of the Contract:

• General information (name, address, telephone, program title)
• Stage Requirements
• Stage Personnel
• Equipment Use
• Piano Tuning, if applicable
• Alcoholic Beverages and Smoking
• Royalties, Copyrights and Licenses
• Unsafe Practices
• Cancellations
• Insurance
• Ticket Requirements and Ticket Office
• Program Requirements
• Displays and Tables
• Sponsorships
• Publicity
• Custodians
• Merchandise
• Concessions
• House Manager/Security
• Ushers
• Parking
• Professional Recording
• Audience Recording
• Settlement
• Legal
• Signatures of Renter (me) and Covey Center for the Arts General Manager
  

Forms beyond Contract:

• Technical Questionnaire (two pages)--determine staging, sound, and lighting
• Marketing & Ticket Office Questionnaire (two pages)--target the audience desired such as minimum age admitted, recommended age, ticket prices, discounts if any, merchandise to be sold, etc.
• Provo City New Vendor Data Form (one page)--sell merchandise as well as pre-ordering DVD copies of "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" in the area
  
• W-9 (one page)--receive sales from tickets and merchandise

Though my deposit and contract as well as the other forms were mailed, it is not until the contract is signed by the Covey Center for the Arts when it is official. Even so, the prospect of having the Grand Theater in my mind is sealed.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Covey Center for the Arts: Could I really get it?

After the Covey Center for the Arts virtual tour, I fell in love with it.

It matched the dreams I have had for the premiere since the ideas formed in my head in 2005. The ambiance was perfect.

The big question: could I really get it?

From there I wondered--

• Will it be available on February 9, 2009?
• Could I afford it?
• Would my husband support the potential cost of it?

The Covey Center for the Arts is owned by Provo City and many organizations and performing artists reserve the spaces usually a year in advance. With about three months before my "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere, it is a wonder if any dates would be available let alone the February 9th that I desire.

When I asked Jenni McCall, Scheduling and Events Manager, about February 9th, she said that though there was not a performance on that Monday night, the stage was reserved until 7:00pm by the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble.

I sighed. I had already called the SCERA Shell, another venue I considered, and February 9th was taken. Now with the Covey Center for the Arts out of the picture, I could not think of any other place that had the seat capacity or the ambiance that I wanted.

But wait!

I asked Jenni if it was possible to still have the Covey Center for the Arts as long as my premiere did not start until 8:00pm. Could I still be allowed to come early and set up displays in the lobby and hallways? Would the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble be open to my presence? How would the General Manager of the Covey Center for the Arts feel?

When I explained that the timing of this premiere was based around the time of the Timpanogos Storytelling Conference and that my professor Elizabeth Ellis would be in the state, I sensed positive vibes on the other side of the telephone from Jenni.

"I will check for you," she said.

That was what I wanted to hear. I have grown up with the mentality that it does not hurt to ask.

Due to needing to talk with the General Manager as well as the person over the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble, Jenni predicted that she should know the answer by Wednesday, November 12th. If I had not heard from her by that time, then I was to call her the next day.

November 12th seemed forever away, yet it gave time for me to call friends and ask for prayers. Perhaps this seems like a strange thing to pray for when there is so much to pray for in the world. Though, if the Lord saw it fit to amuse and to tickle me pink, then maybe this was not such a terrible request.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Latin Tales with the Right Aroma: Pantheon Books

I can never seem to leave a bookstore empty-handed. The trip to Barnes & Noble was no different.

The book that caught my eye was "Latin American Folktales: stories from Hispanic and Indian traditions" edited by John Bierhorst. When I saw it was published by Pantheon Books, I knew I had struck gold. Books from this publisher have fantastic notes in the back on each of the stories and even lists the Aarne-Thompson (At) Motif-Index.

I became more fully aware of this fact due to my Storytelling Masters program at East Tennessee State University. More specifically, Dr. Joseph D. Sobol urged two publishers when considering collections of folktales: Pantheon Books and the University of Chicago Press.

With guides to the AT, then I could be guided to other version or variants of any stories that I would want to add to the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

As I scanned the Table of Contents, I searched for titles of stories that may suggest family relationships as the center focus. Not all can be gained from titles, but it is a start. If it had family connections as well as references to food or famine, then it intrigued me more.

These are some that caught my attention first:

• "Mother and Daughter" from Columbia, yet only half a page so it would be hard to develop
  
• "The Witch Wife" from Columbia, which reveals the strange eating habits of the man's wife and the consequences for the husband when he discovered why
• "The Three Sisters" from Columbia, where three sisters said who they would marry and the kinds of foods they would expect from each husband

I need to read the whole book, though sometimes research and story development means I cannot read from cover to cover as I would prefer.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Trek (7 of 7): Which Title Inspires You?

If ever you want to expand your mind, then there is someone you must talk with: Dr. Marsha D. Broadway.

This is seven of seven posts relating to my info-gathering trek to BYU on October 21, 2008.

When I wrote my Honors Thesis "Transformation of the Storyteller's Identity and Role Through the American Storytelling Movement", Marsha was my thesis adviser. As one of the founders of the Utah Storytelling Guild, she had inside knowledge of the storytelling community as well as intense English and grammar skills. To this day, she is the Head Juvenile Literature Librarian in the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University (see above picture).

I could not have had a better adviser.

While on the BYU campus, I was anxious to hear any questions she would ask about the project. Any question would be her way to open my mind rather than purely out of curiosity.

Marsha read my title and description and wondered, "Why did you call it 'Family Famine: Hunger for Love' rather than 'Family Feast: A Hunger for Love'"?

Her point was that the "famine" choice had a more negative or pessimistic view.

I could not answer for a while. I always thought of myself as an optimist. When I had asked friends and family to vote for a title in 2005, "Family Feast" was not even an option. Yet, the word "feast" was a word used within the description.

When I met with Elizabeth Ellis, one of my East Tennessee State University professors, to discuss "My Finest Hour" project, I shared the title "Family Famine: Hunger for Love". Her immediate reaction was "oooooooooo." If ever I had questions or doubts regarding the title, they vanished after that response.

Yet, here I was with Marsha and questions poured into me.

She did not mean to ask the question with the attitude of "Why would you ever. . .". She sincerely asked "Why?"

Finally, I created lists of the "why" for "Family Famine" and for "Family Feast".

Reasons to use "Family Famine: Hunger for Love":

• Program would eventually delve into the dark side of family life such as abuse and abandonment (though would begin and end with the light side)
• Goal to have 12-year-olds+ in attendance and "too happy" of a title could confuse others to think it was a family show for all ages
• Center story "Forsaken Brother" has a moment when famine/hunger is experienced
• Blog and Facebook support group are entitled "Family Famine: Hunger for Love"
  

Reasons to use "Family Feast: A Hunger for Love":

• Program does begin and end with the light side of family relationships
• College students may feel more inclined when there sounds like the possibility of food at an event (and they are one of the main target audiences)
• Light refreshment will be served afterward to reflect the theme
• Focus on end result from performance versus "famine" mood in center of program
• Survey with friends so far has this title in the lead for "which program would you be more likely to attend?"
  

If nothing else, the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" could be perfect for a book title. For something deeper and darker, a person could always set the book down and come back to it when ready. Thus, a more "negative" title tends to work better for books. However, a live performance does not necessarily give that option.

Most of my programs tend to have the first word be the most important word. In this case, it is "family".

There is also the possibility that both "Family Famine" and "Family Feast" could be used interchangeably and advertising could reflect opposite images to the words. For example, the flies and posters for "Family Famine" would show plenty of food while the "Family Feast" would reflect the lack of food.

Please share which one of these titles you would be more inclined to attend?--

• "Family Famine: Hunger for Love"
• "Family Feast: A Hunger for Love"
• "Feast or Famine: Hunger for Love"
• "Family Feast or Famine: A Hunger for Love"

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller