Brainstorming and a List I Forgot I Had

The easiest way for me to be motivated about a program or even an individual story is to create the title. After finding a title that resonates with me, then I create a 30-60-word description.

Strangely, having a title and a 30-word description was the same requirement to be part of a lottery for the Fringe in connection with the 2006 National Storytelling Conference. I took this opportunity to figure out the now-called "Family Famine: Hunger for Love." When my name was not drawn for the Fringe, I put the project on hold. (You may notice a couple references to the Fringe or to deadlines throughout this blog entry.)

I have since decided that I can create my own event.

What to call this event? Though titles or descriptions may change as stories are chosen or another theme direction taken, the process seems to say "I am committed". With the commitment, I am ready for the storytelling adventure.

I forgot that back in 2005 I created a binder to throw in my ideas for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production. I found it today. More lists than expected were created so I will share one of them with you now.

Title/Concept Ideas (brainstorming):
Families: Eternally Ever After or The End
Family Fairytale: Ever After or The End
Family Fantasy: Ever After or The End
Do Families Exist?
Family Focus
Shaken Families
Family Physics: Every Action has an Equal or Opposite Reaction
Family Foul Play: Timeout!
Family Feuds
Parenting Nightmares
Abuse in the Home
Families of the Ages
Forever Families
Eternal Bonds
Beyond the Relationship
Family Fork in the Road: Ever After or The Dead End?
Eternally Ever After or Family Feuds
Eternally Ever After: Reality?
Eternally Ever After or Happy til Death
Eternally Ever After or The End--Families in Question
The End?--Families in Question
The End of Families. . .Or The Beginning
Family Weather Channel--Storm or Sunshine
Family Weather Report--Cloudy or Sunny
Family Forecast--Cloudy or Sunny
Happy Homes in all Shapes and Sizes
Homes Divided and Homes United
Scarred or Healed for Eternity
Eternal Courtship
No Place Like Home. . .Unless
Heaven Could Be Boring Without Families
Families Under Construction
Family Breakers and Creators
Family Famine: Hunger for Love

From the list above, I narrowed down to the titles I loved the best. I was at such a loss as to which one to choose. Appropriately enough, I turned to my family. I emailed or shared in-person the following request to my family, some storytelling friends, and a couple people in the position to hire me.

Basic Script when Requested People to Vote on Title:
I need your vote on your favorite title below. I am putting together an hour program focused on strong family relationships as well as the poor ones. Please respond quickly as the deadline to submit the title and 30-word description is Wednesday, November 30th. In fact, perhaps you can print a copy and show to others.

Family Physics: Every Action has an Equal or Opposite Reaction
Family life can be a fusion bomb upon the actions of abuse and abandonment. Rachel Hedman shares the nuclear energy of patience, humor, and unconditional love through multicultural tales.

Family Foul Play: Timeout!
Famly life can strike out when pitched abuse and abandonment. Rachel Hedman shares the victory of patience, humor, and unconditional love through multicultural tales.
Reasoning--Most families experience sports or Little League.
Possible Image--Umpire showing timeout signal

Family Fork in the Road: Ever After or The Dead End?
Family life can halt at the dead end of abandonment and abuse. Rachel Hedman shares the U-turn to the other road of patience, humor, and unconditional love through multicultural tales.
Reasoning--Perhaps growing up with "The Muppet Movie" did something for me.
Possible Image--Giant metal fork in the road and also Dead End sign

Family Fairytale: Ever After or The End?
Family life can be a curse when there is abandonment and abuse. Rachel Hedman shares how to uplift the spell through patience, humor, and unconditional love through multicultural tales.

Family Famine: Hunger for Love
Family life can starve when fed abuse and abandonment. Rachel Hedman shares the feast of patience, humor, and unconditional love through multicultural tales.
Reasoning--I thought of the spiritual famine that is mentioned in the scriptures.
Possible Image--An almost wooden empty bowl with a tiny oatmeal heart on the bottom with a spoon to the side

Which one(s) of the above titles stand out in your mind more? Why or why not?
***After sending the request, I received over 40 votes.

Some Responses to Titles in November 2005:
Professional Storyteller in UT--
"I like them because they are unique, clever and I love wordplay. I'm not actually that keen on physics or baseball, but I like that you matched the title and the description. Well put! (Cold fusion OR homerun, depending on your choice!)"

"I like the others as well, especially the 'Fork In the Road', but for some reason, these two struck me brightest. Maybe it was because they were first on your list--who knows? But maybe the (dead) end gives me just a little pause--I always think of someone who has dealt successfully with abuse as a 'transcender' even more than a survivor, but there is some personal bias there. My mother grew up in an abusive home and managed to break the cycle. But then again, offering a 'U-turn' is a wonderful image. I love the visual images each of your titles/descriptions evoke--good work there, too."

"Anyway, I think you've got some good stuff here--real attention getters--so whether or not the National Storytelling Network picks it up, definitely DO develop this program. I think it has REAL merit and much value."

Commenting after hearing from Professional Storyteller in OH--
Thank you for responding to the different titles. I was quite divided on what title I felt mirrored my thoughts for this program. Although I would like to share this program at the Fringe (if drawn), most of the audience may be LDS or be from the community such as libraries and colleges.

In the end, I have decided on "Family Famine: Hunger for Love." The "Family Fairytale: Ever After or The End?" was a very close second. Part of my decision was based on the fact that I don't plan to share this with kids under 12 and I am afraid that "fairytale" might give the wrong impression to some people. Although fun and humorous stories will be used, I have two serious stories on child abuse and abandonment. Nothing graphic but it's not meant to hold attention of kids in elementary.

I will have to keep "Family Fairytale: Ever After or The End" for a program open to any age or for a younger group. Storytellers can appreciate the title but I don't want to worry about changing the title for the same program.

Commenting after hearing from Librarian in CA
I am in process of developing a program that could be a circuit program for libraries as well as other places. It's called "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" and it's geared for 12-year-olds and up. Utah has a teen program through the library, too, so I plan to share this program with them when it's completed.

So now you understand a little more of the history of the title.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com
Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com

Outreach: Transform Solo Piece to Community Art

A storyteller does not have to be alone. With all the wondrous art forms out in the world, the merging of them brings about something that more than one person can enjoy.

When I attended a workshop by the Utah Arts Council, I already had the idea of asking for who would like to join me in this "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere set for February 9, 2009. With so many months for preparation, what was was ideal? What was realistic? Could ideal and realistic be the same thing?

Visual Art
I may like to draw with colored pencils every so often, but I do not have anything good enough to display in a gallery. Yet, the title "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" would conjure images that a group of artists could share.

Since there are still a few months before the premiere, I wondered if I could connect with Brigham Young University's Department of Visual Arts and have some or one professor challenge their students to create according to the theme. Then, during opening night, the images could be displayed as if a gallery before people take their seats.

Since I saw some staff from the Utah Arts Council, I explained my dream of a call-out to all visual artists in the state and beyond to join in the challenge. Though an official call may not be possible, it seemed that at least an email through the Utah Arts Council could be sent. At least some people may respond or at least have other ideas on how to merge many arts to make something a community effort.

Then one lady who used to work with the Council suggested that I also connect with high school art teachers, especially with Muray High School and its annual artist show of students. She also mentioned the Bountiful/Davis Art Center. Other individual names were shared who lived from Orem to American Fork.

Perhaps the artwork imagined could help when eventually there is a book on "Family Famine: Hunger for Love". Maybe that would give more motivation to the artists to participate.

Music
I already planned to sing some songs of my creation in the program. I continue to debate the use of hymns and church songs such as "Love at Home" (click to hear sung by Morman Tabernacle Choir) or "Families can be Together Forever" (click to hear sung by a one-year-old). It may be best to use songs outside of my LDS culture just as I expect to use multicultural stories outside of my own.

Strangely, the classic primary song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" (click to hear a little brother and sister sing it with actions) keeps coming to mind.

I will need to keep in mind permissions as this event will be recorded.

Regardless of the songs chosen or created, I could see a couple moments where I would be accompanied. Some storytellers have the talent with one or more instruments. Though I used to play the piano, I could not see it good enough for something like this project. There is a certain mood that occurs during a cappella--what I normally do with song--and when accompanied.

Clive Romney, one of my friends and Executive Director of the Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts, is an accomplished musician and song composer. When I saw him at the Council event, I asked if he had a moment to hear my plans. He agreed that I had a wonderful concept and asked to hear the story "Forsaken Brother", an Ojibwa tale, to understand what inspired this journey in the first place. The other attendees had gone for lunch. With a little hesitation, I did an impromptu performance. Before I started, Sally Johnson from Green Light, a booking and talent management company, walked into the room, noticed I was about to share something, and asked if she could take join us. I nodded.

After the telling, Clive gave a couple names on someone who I might tandem compose so to avoid the pitfalls for amateur songwriters as myself. One person was a guitarists. Clive thought since I was striving for quality good enough for the PBS station, that having more polished pieces were in order.

Dance
I have not explored this area too much, though I have thought to what Buck P Creacy did with his "Soup" production in which he told stories and music and dance merged with his telling. Only he often went to the side when the pieces were done. You can find some clips of "Soup" on his link.

I do have a talented sister-in-law who danced for the BYU Modern Dance Team since a freshmen, a feat in and of itself. The style of modern dance would make the most sense for my narrative production anyway. Now to give her a call.

Theatre
Perhaps because I am taking a theatrical approach and even using the term "narrative production" qualifies for this area of art. Though there may be a structure to the performance, I do not picture it scripted. I do want to interact with the audience so that the piece would change if someone were missing or added to the group.

The development of this piece, however, may be of interest to Drama clubs or the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. I may want to put a sort of residency. Maybe teachers or professors would encourage questions to be asked or to give comments to this blog. There are the possiblities of discussion on the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" Facebook account.

I will continue to see how this solo piece of mine can become something more. Something that could be toured from campus to campus across the world so that the visual art, music, dance, and theatre aspects could change each time and therefore have an ever-evolving production. Though center stage of all of this would be the storytelling.

This is what I dream.

Until we tell again,
Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com
Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com

Listing and Building Allies around Campus

Every so often I think back to my professors at Brigham Young University where I majored in Communications Marketing with a Business Minor. I chose this combination because it was the closest to storytelling. My decision to being a professional storyteller was decided before I setup my dorm room.

From 1997 to 2001, I had professors who supported the idea that storytelling made the most powerful marketing and advertising campaigns. Most of my research papers were allowed to have the art of storytelling as the focus, which included my Honors thesis entitled "Transformation of the Storyteller's Identity and Role through the American Storytelling Movement". Announcements could be made in class about the BYU Storytelling Club activities. Thanks to how I sometimes used other voices such as a witch to make the announcements, even best-selling author Brandon Mull with his Fablehaven series remembered them when I saw him seven or more years later during a writing conference.

Is it any surprise that I would remember my professors for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production? Normally, being only a little more than an hour from BYU, I would stop in-person to make my requests. With the Fall Semester starting August 27th, I felt urgency was in order.

I went to the BYU website, discovered the telephone number for the Department of Communications and checked to see which of my professors were still around the campus. I left some voice mails though was able to speak directly to one of them.

"Remember how there was a class where we helped local businesses with a marketing campaign?" I asked. "Well, I am a professional storyteller and a small business owner--even if by small I mean one person."

"Oh, that would be Communications 330." my professor responded. "I'm not teaching that class this semester, but these are the ones who are. . .." He continued that professors of the Public Relations emphasis would be good to pursue, too.

I received telephone numbers and emails. My next step is to put a one-page proposal of what I would like done for my project. There is no guarantee that my project would be chosen by the professor let alone by the class. Yet I find only positive possibilities.

Besides the Department of Communications, there are several areas at BYU that would be a boon to my work.

For example, the college television station KBYU is the same one that partnered with PBS to create the high-quality "The Call of Story" DVD. As I want my premiere to be recorded--with at least three cameras for angles--then this seems the most likely group to do it for me.

Since my topic is on the family, then approaching the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences makes sense. The performance is not until the Winter Semester so there is time to have professors add attendance to the event as part of their syllabi. With the use of multicultural tales, I can go to the College of Humanities and have support from the Humanities and the Folklore professors.

Not to mention the BYU Storytelling Club still exists since I founded it in 1997 and their support would be tremendous.

My list of allies grows and I am anxious to hear back from all of them.

Until we tell again,
Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com
Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com

A Venue--"This is the Right Place"

I announced the date and time (February 9, 2009 at 7:00pm) though I have yet to have a venue. I pictured a beautiful theatre as can be found at the Brigham Young University campus. As I am an alumna, there are connections that the average person would not have in making arrangements. The picture is my mother and I standing outside the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center in November 2007.

I purposely scheduled the premiere close to the Timpanogos Storytelling Conference held in partnership with BYU's Department of Continuing Education. Anyone attending the conference could easily come to my narrative production/storytelling as a post-conference/send-off event.

Most of the event takes place at the Harman building also known as the BYU Conference Building. One of the storytelling concerts takes place in a room that has stadium seating, though my eye is on some of the theatres inside the Harris Fine Arts and Communications building (see layouts of each of the theatres). The Gerrit de Jong, Jr. Concert Hall is the "dream" place as it seats 1,268 people and many live high-quality recordings have been done of several major events. However, the Young Ambassadors have a performance on the February 5th so this may be more possible in 2010 or later.

You may wonder why I even considered the de Jong venue as it is not realistic--at least for the premiere. Yet to dream is an important part of storytelling. Then to act on it--that is the next important part. You may be surprised how close you get.

So now my sights are on one of two places: the Franklin and Florence Jepperson Madsen Recital Hall (seats 402 people) or the T. Earl and Kathryn Pardoe Drama Theatre (seats 509 people). If possible, I want Pardoe.

At this point I am not officially linked to the Timpanogos Storytelling Conference though I hope to be. As the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival is the Labor Day weekend, I am holding off my "negotiations" until the organizers can breathe again. I may put a buzz in their ear while I'm there running the Utah Storytelling Guild booth and attending the many amazing sessions.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com
Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com

The Beginning--An Idea Formed

This has not been the first time that I tossed about the idea to create the narrative production "Family Famine: Hunger for Love". I have wrestled with the magnitude of this project since summer of 2005, especially as this will determine my next level as a professional storyteller and ultimately my legacy.

Part of my artist statement says, "I am exploring the strength of family relationships within the lives of historical, mythical, and personal heroes." Though that was written, I practically abandoned my intended exploration. . .until now.

You are welcome to join me on this journey and offer your comments and questions. The posts will be made almost daily and likely short compared to the how-to articles I write semi-monthly on my "Voice--A Storyteller's Lifestyle" blog.

From what I call "Random Rachel Ideas" (that Jimmy Neil Smith has placed the acronym RRI), you will see thoughts ranging from story ideas and transitions to the marketing of such a venture. You will receive almost a full picture of the research and the rehearsal needed to make something extraordinary.

Back to the Inspiration--
Ever since my cousin, Kristen Lorensen, mailed me the Ojibwa tale "Forsaken Brother", I have been intrigued by the presence of such stories of abuse and abandonment in other cultures and times including nowadays.

Kristen is known as the family history expert. She discovered that deep within our family bloodline we have some Ojibwa in us. (I am sure my blonde hair and blue eyes masks any of that background.) Knowing my love for stories, she determined that she could keep track of the names and dates of our family while I could explore the cultural stories that rise from each one.

As soon as I read "Forsaken Brother", I knew that this would be my anchor story--the story that would be in the middle of this "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" program. Finding what will go around it will be most of the development adventure.

At least I know the storytelling community is filled with wonderful mentors. Don Doyle, for one, will be hearing from me much more often.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com
http://www.rachelhedman.com
http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com