Bringing the Dead to Life: Historical Storytelling
Clive Romney, Executive Director,
Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts
Intro:
Question: What is the most difficult type of story to tell well?
Answer: Faithful Historical Storytelling: the most difficult type,
but sometimes the most rewarding! (What you learn in the
process can enrich and change you! And, you’ve brought someone
to life again and honored them and their descendents)
I What do we assume when we tell a story from our own life?
Language & context is shared-they know our time period, culture,
meanings
We know essentially all there is to know about the story
We know the protagonist
These assumptions may be only partially true!
Most of that is gone with historical storytelling!
II
We tell who we are through the story – teller must know who
he/she is and be comfortable with it. Otherwise your anxiety gets in the
way of the telling.
Can you welcome listeners into your world? How long does it take
to get comfortable in your own skin? Take the time, however long it is—
you’ll be a better teller.
Am I this audience's friend? – How many of them do you know by
name?
Welcoming your audience, getting acquainted, assessment – When
start?
Difference between acting and storytelling? - no wall between you
& audience – interaction
Now can you welcome the listener into the world of your
protagonist? Do you know his or her world well enough to do that?
III The obligations of historical storytelling
Faithfulness to the facts – you can’t “make up” your story, but must
search to “find” it.
Faithfulness to the time period – you must learn the culture, lifestyle,
language of the time period
Faithfulness to the person - to what type of life are we bringing
them? What was their character? What actions were “characteristic” of
them? What was their experience? How would they react to our
portrayal of them? Study them so much that you know how they would
react. How will their descendents feel about our telling?
Faithfulness to our audience: we may be the only history book they
read, so we must portray the story, time period and character faithfully.
We are creating a living biographical sketch of them.
IV Prospecting: Finding the ore (facts) beneath the overburden
Sources: Journals (their own and others’), letters (their own and
others’), books, newspapers, government records, educational records,
oral histories, sites, structures, pictures
Libraries, genealogical libraries, historical societies, government
offices, museums, docents, affinity groups, family groups, descendents,
Credit/attribution
Methodology: Read & take categorized notes: people, feelings, places,
events, dates, concerns, etc.
Networking: let others know what you are researching, internet
notices
V Reading beneath the lines: Interpretation of the facts: context of time,
place, culture, experience (history) Putting flesh on the bones of the
historical facts requires that we interpret the facts.
VI Refining: Separating the ore from the dross – the art.
What is central, what is peripheral?
What is consistent, what is an aberration? (Motifs & Themes)
What is interesting, what is emotionally gripping?
What is essential, what is disposable? (to establish character,
motivation, setting, story (problem) and sequence?)
VII The Smelting Process: Crafting an engaging historical story
Point of view – should someone else tell the story? 1st P, 3rd P.
Setting both time and place
Developing the character
Identifying the problem(s), the opposition (drama)
Building to a climax – THE TURNING POINT
“Good prose is like a windowpane” -George Orwell (1903-1950)
Message: Why tell this story?
Great stories are not written: they are re-written
VIII Presentation – creating gold bars
Great performances begin to take place after the 100th performance
How to introduce historical storytelling to your audience
Language
Attire
Props/Stage Dressing
Carriage
Tangible takeaways – cards, CDs, DVDs, photos, crafts,
memorabilia
IX What Do I Want Them to Feel from my performance?
Admiration, gratitude, sorrow, joy
X What Do I Want Them to Do because of my performance?
Resolve to:
Take courage or hope
Model behavior of my protagonist
Research their family stories
Tell historical stories effectively
XI
Example: The Last Wagon Down the Hole: Joseph Stanford Smith
Perform it if they have not yet heard it.
Pass out the written poem
XII
Dissect the story – where is the turning point?
What leads to the turning point?
Where is the drama?
Where does the message become apparent?
XIII
Encourage them to find and tell historical stories
They give us ROOTS and HOPE!