Performing at Here:Say Storytelling: Your Questions Answered

Here:Say Storytelling is a Traverse City-based live storytelling show featuring true, first-person stories told on stage by performers of all backgrounds and experience level. We accept pitches for both regular-season shows and the occasional popup shows we produce on behalf of other organizations.

 

Following are the answers to the questions we field a lot. Got a question not answered here? Reach out to Kabie Stein at kabie@heresaystorytelling.com.

 

What’s the Here:Say vibe? To listen to past shows to get to know the Here:Say vibe and a sense of the storytelling model we follow, listen to our podcast.

 

What kind of storytelling background is required? No experience necessary. All that’s required is an openness to engaging in the story workshopping process and a willingness to tell your story on stage to an audience.

 

What kind of stories are you looking for? Here:Say stories are true, first-person narratives that tell the story of a specific experience the teller had within their lives.  There’s no requirement about tone (it doesn’t have to be a funny story), but it should be meaningful to you in some way and make for an entertaining story.

 

What does it mean to tell a “first-person” story: You can say of your story, “This is an experience that happened to me.”

 

What kind of stories are you *not* looking for? There are many perfectly legitimate forms of storytelling, but some are meant to be read rather than listened to aloud. But we don’t necessarily give an automatic “no” to the stories that we think just don’t work on stage – instead, if you are game for it, we will workshop the story with you to find a way to tell it in a way that aligns with the Here:Say model.

The type of stories we tend to avoid on the Here:Say stage: memoir that covers a whole lot of timeline, “journey” stories that evaluate an experience instead of telling what happened, long anecdotes that only serve to get to a punchline, other people’s stories, rants and comedy riffs on an overall topic, fiction, stories that comment on the process of telling a story.

 

How long are the stories? Stories are about 10 minutes in length, which translates to approximately 5 double-spaced pages in Word.

 

How many performers do you have at each show? Typically the lineup includes 5-6 performers, plus an emcee.

 

Can I just show up and tell a story? Here:Say shows are curated – the lineup is determined well in advance of each show. All story pitches are evaluated  by Kabie Stein, Here:Say Storytelling creative director. All performers new to the stage will participate in a one-to-one story workshopping process.

 

What is the workshopping process? If your story is selected for this show, the Here:Say workshopping process includes the following steps:

  1. Once an in-person or video-call meet up with Kabie Stein (Here:Say creative director) is scheduled, she will provide you with the Here:Say handout that provides guidance on how to deliver a kickass storytelling performance on stage.

  2. Meet with Kabie to discuss live storytelling and strategies for kicking ass while telling the story you pitched.

  3. Write your story, then submit draft via email to Kabie. (Word preferred.)

  4. Kabie reads story and returns draft to you with feedback. Typically this feedback is provided as comments/questions in the document itself and an overall response in the email.

  5. Submit revised draft to Kabie Stein.

  6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed, until you and Kabie both feel it’s ready for stage.

 

Depending on the time you have available to work on your story, this process typically takes 2-4 weeks.

 

Why workshop stories? Can’t I just tell my story how I want to? The workshopping process is meant to get your story stage-ready. Although there are countless ways to tell a story, a story told on stage at a storytelling show has some requirements. The workshopping process is 100% intended to help you succeed on stage.

 

How to pitch a story: Fill out the the Pitch Your Story form – don’t forget to select a theme from the dropdown menu and include your email address so we can write you back! Or, feel free to send an email to Kabie Stein, Here:Say Storytelling creative director, at kabie@heresaystorytelling.com.

 

What if I don’t have a story that fits the theme? The themes for regular-season shows are loose and not meant to be taken literally. If you have a specific story you want to tell but aren’t sure which theme to pitch for, get in touch! We can work with you to figure it out.

What should I expect on the actual day of the show? As the day of the show gets closer, all performers on the lineup will receive an email from Kabie Stein with all the necessary details, including venue information, required arrival time, stage tips, the performer question, and so on. Details about order of stories will be shared at the day-of-show performer meeting, which takes place a half-hour before the show begins.

Ready to pitch? Click here and follow the prompts. Be sure to include your email address so we can reply to your message.