Thursday, February 18, 2010

Storytelling and the Communication Arts Part 1

This post is part of a series on storytelling and communication arts. It's the material that I developed for the seminar-workshop in Iriga tomorrow, February 19, 2010. If you're not from the Bicol region, you can still catch this session in April during the PLAI-STRLC in Palawan.

See you (and don't be shy to say hi)!

I.Introduction
Storytelling.

The mere mention of the word and a host of images rush through one’s mind and consciousness.

What is your metaphor of storytelling? An open book; a lock and key; a child reading; a parent reading lovingly to his or her child; a teacher holding a book; a bird in flight; a rainbow. The list could go on and on. Each of us holds a special meaning on stories and the way we tell them.

To some, telling stories is as simple as sharing with another the mundane activities of everyday. To others it involves the utility of a variety of art forms and discipline especially when storytelling is used as a means to educate and entertain.

The use of voice, body movement and props enhance the telling to an audience, young and old alike. In such cases, performance storytelling becomes a delightful audio-visual experience. In schools, reading aloud is a very common but relevant activity. Holding a book while telling a story has become a technique many teachers and educators employ. In media, storytelling in radio shows and TV programs figure prominently but with a history that traces way back to the babaylan and the Lola Basyang tradition. Writers for television of telenovelas and movie scripts are storytellers in their own right. Thus, their output becomes a storytelling fodder for an intended audience. With the advent of computers and information technology, modern weavers of stories find many creative ways to render a captive audience the enchantment found in storytelling.

Indeed, stories make up the very fabric of our existence. Through storytelling magic happens; our wounds heal; our wings grow and we take flight.

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