Within Grasp: 3 Effects and 11 Trends of Art Audiences for Storytellers to Reach

Oftentimes the audience sets the trends more so than the artists. Applause and attendance inspire what is shared with the rest of the world, especially when funding is concerned.

Artists either adapt these trends into the way they present or the art itself may fade.

Storytellers usually are the last to embrace newfangled ideas such as technology or philosophies. Yet, storytellers could lead the way for other artists this time through the three forces and eleven trends reflective of art audiences. Kelly J. Barsdate, from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, presented these forces and trends at the Mountain West Conference on the Arts on May 7, 2009. I have applied them to storytelling with permission from Barsdate.

Three Forces:

1. Effects of a Digital Age
2. Explosion of Choice
3. K-12 Education Gaps

Barsdate said, "These three forces equal profound changes in cultural participation norms." Though positive changes have occurred, Barsdate worried over the headline in newspapers that said people spend more time with their computer than with their spouse. She also discovered that driving while distracted was on the rise. At least there was a rise in visual IQ for people.

"Customization is now common place," stated Barsdate. She mentioned that people are looking to buy an experience rather than a product. Besides the performance or the exhibit, people notice the physical and emotional experiences. Even the ease or difficulty of parking or the structure of intermission could make the difference.

When it comes to schools, sometimes it seems like there is a never-ending "intermission" of art within its walls. Children who see arts are more willing to become artists or audience members. As youth graduate from high school, employers cannot find employees who are creative enough in the workplace. From a national survey, 97% of employers said that creativity was important while 85% of employers could not find these people from those they interview.

Eleven Trends:

1. Aging Arts Audiences
2. Digital Natives as Creators
3. "The Curatorial Me"
4. Time-Shifting
5. Virtual Experiences
6. Audience as Actor
7. Participation at Home
8. Crowd-Sourcing
9. Distinguishing Design
10. Blending of Science & Marketing
11. Mega-Impact of Micro-Trends
    

Aging Arts Audiences
Across the nation, the media age of adults is 44. The median age is at least 3-10 years higher when compared to the typical audience for opera, classical music, theatre, musicals, ballet, and other events.

Many storytellers are concerned by the generation gap. Out of 300 storytellers at a conference, perhaps 10 to 15 are from the 18-35-year-old range. Yet, it is from the audience from which many storytellers are born. After hearing stories, someone often thinks or says aloud, "I could be a storyteller, too."

The National Storytelling Festival has had the Youthful Voices tent since 1997 with two years as the exception. These youth range from elementary to high school ages. Over twenty national tellers headline this festival, but again there is a gap of featured tellers involving 18-35-year-olds.

To combat this harmful trend, the Weber State University Storytelling Festival will create marketing materials geared specifically for college students to audition for the event. Existing venues as well as new venues could make room so that all generations experience storytelling and promote its growth for decades to come.

Digital Natives as Creators
With free and relatively inexpensive ways to record CDs and DVDs, there is no excuse for storytellers to lack in CDs and DVDs to share with their fans. Products made from home may not be as high-quality than if it was done through a film and duplication company, but that result could be pursued for future projects.

Storyteller Karl Behling uses Dexster, editing software for audio. He only had to pay a one-time fee of $40.00. He now can have back-of-the-room sales. Another storyteller, Carol Esterreicher, burns a single story on a CD as a giveaway at each of her performances.

"The Curatorial Me"
Libraries and museums will always be grand places to gather and collect boundless information. Lately, we as individuals have taken on this curatorial role as we buy individual songs and stories rather than whole albums or our iPods and mp3 players. Websites like iTunes.com and iTales.com are places to build collections.

Most of the time, the storyteller chooses what stories will be experienced on the CD or DVD. The latest trend is to give customers the power on the outlook of the final product.

Some day soon it will be common practice for storytellers to work alongside third-party companies so that the fans could create on-demand CDs or DVDs. For example, the CD or DVD titles could be something like "My Favorites of Bill Harley" or "My Favorites of Elizabeth Ellis", etc. The storyteller would have already-submitted artwork so that when the third-party company burns and mails the professional copy to the fan, then it still looks as slick as if it was bought from a store.

Time-Shifting
The idea of on-demand burning of CDs and DVDs relates to being able o hear or watch the stories when it suits you. Obviously, storytelling is best experienced by the audience live. Yet, with our busy lives, we need to make it easier for storytelling fans to enjoy stories.

The trend of time-shifting will only make the idea of audio or video recording as necessities rather than luxuries.

Besides performances, some storytellers have grasped onto the power of podcasting. These shows can be downloaded whether it be 2:00pm or at 2:00am. Some of the most note-worthy podcasts: The Art of Storytelling with Children hosted by Brother Wolf; Timeless Tale Podcast hosted by Djeliba Baba the Storyteller; and The Amphitheater Series hosted by Sean Buvala.

Virtual Experiences
We love to enjoy storytelling in a live setting, but sometimes it is not possible if you want to gather many listeners together from different countries. As the Internet is not a place of boundaries, then people can "gather" at their computer screens and enjoy virtual experiences.

Kids have jumped into this world through programs like Disney's Club Penguin where you are told to "waddle around and meet new friends. Over 30 million 11-12-year-olds have joined this crazy adventure complete with a penguin avatar/character to interact with other penguins through filtered chats and live moderators.

For adults, the most popular program is Second Life (SL), a 3-D virtual world found on the Internet for social and business purposes. At least 20 million people registered are over the age of 30. Once there, you could join the Storytelling Guild of Second Life headed by storyteller Dale Gilbert Jarvis. Several storytellers have told in this setting complete with earphones hooked to the computer. You can read about my own experience here.

Audience as Actor
If us storytellers love to be on stage, then imagine all of the audience members who secretly--or not so secretly--wish to be on the stage, too.

Some of my most precious memories are when I ask for volunteers from the audience to play different parts in a folktale I am about to tell. Instead of the original "Three Aunties" Norwegian story, it became "Two Uncles and an Auntie" due to the people who volunteered. We all had a laugh and the story became more meaningful. I still had the audience learn a part so that they did not feel left out of the fun.

Storytelling in and of itself is an interactive art form. Whether or not audience participation is used, storytellers look into the eyes of the audience and are willing to adapt their stories to match the feedback they sense from them. Of all the art audience trends, storytelling excels in this category.

Yet, there are ways to increase this strength.

Take, for example, the video game Guitar Hero. Although a controller shaped like a guitar is used, the sales of "real" guitars soared. Perhaps such a boost would happen if there was a "Storyteller Hero"-type game geared specifically for kids and youth. Since storytelling games are popular, perhaps it could be translated into a computer game where kids could play with other friends on the screen or even play with kids halfway around the world. If we can do it for Wii, then we could do it for us.

Participation at Home
Musicians and comedians have held House Concerts, and suddenly this venue-in-the-backyard has reached the hearts of storytellers. Rivka Willick, Dan Keding, and Priscilla Howe are all experienced storytellers in this arena.

The Utah Storytelling Guild became intrigued with the idea and will launch House Concerts as a guild-sponsored "professional development series" in Fall 2009. This program was designed to provide a place for storyteller to share material for older audiences.

With such terms as "staycation" creeping into our vocabulary, then perhaps "house concerts" will become as well known and revered.

Crowdsourcing
American Idol is certainly one of the most popular forms of crowdsourcing where feedback from the audience determines the results. These types of shows and entertainments believe in "the wisdom of the crowds". However, as popularity tends to trump quality, sometimes new or unknown artists are overlooked.

Every so often, creating the event is full of chaos. Parameters, therefore, need to be set so expectations can be met by both the creators and the participants of the events. For example, Voromator.com had a design contest where anyone could create original art from eight shapes posted online.

A similar activity could involve eight items that need to be in a story that was submitted by audio or video means online. People could vote on their favorite stories.

In the storytelling community, the tall tale or liars contests are prevalent. Professional storytellers and/or community tellers could sign-up to share a story within a certain time frame and allow the live audience to decide on who was best.

Story Slams would qualify as having one of the highest levels of crowdsourcing while the National Youth Storytelling Showcase would be at a more moderate level.

Distinguishing Design
People could be attracted sophisticated marketing through the use of visual art. Most people make judgments about people, places, and things within 90 seconds. Though many factors are involved, the artist's attire, body language, and demeanor are key elements.

Some storytellers have unique garb to have them stand out from others. Donald Davis is known for wearing bow-ties while I am known from wearing my Dutch cap. Some storytellers, like Dianne de Las Casas, have logos that people could recognize hundreds of feet away.

If color is involved in the branding, then brand recognition jumps to 80%.

Art audiences notice these details; us storytellers would benefit to keep this in mind as we design posters, fliers, websites, and even in what we wear on stage.

Blending of Science and Marketing
We know that storytelling has great power, but unless we have some of the "facts" to back it up, some people are not interested in hiring artists. Some people may consider what we do "fluff". However, if you can prove that there are socio-developmental needs or that enzymes in the brain respond in positive manners, then you will be heard and respected that much faster.

Kendall Haven has published many books with quantifiable statistics such as STORY PROOF: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story. You may also find these kinds of academic articles in Storytelling, Self, Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Storytelling Studies published by Taylor and Francis, Inc.

Proof is not the only needs. Scientists have discussed the power of "sensory branding" in that what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch add to our experiences. With our events, what are the emotions and associations that are appealed to in a positive manner? Could there be some changes to enhance these sensations?

Mega-Impact of Micro-Trends
The world permeates with specialized groups or micro-trends. Yes, we can say that we are all human beings, but there we have the people who are the:

• Working Retired
• Native American Language Speakers
• Young Knitters (over 6 million as teens and in 20s)
• Video Game Grown-ups (Average age of 33 to the 50+)
• New Luddites (also known as "America's great unrushed" or the "Tech-NOs"
• And many more

For every trend, there is always a counter-trend.

Any artist could explore the places they tend to share their craft and discover what groups are living amongst them.

Storytellers could gear programs for these niche groups.

As you consider the current art audience trends, remember that anyone could be a trend-setter. It may be one of those timeless roles that the storyteller has always had.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

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
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Virtual Storyteller: Going in Blind & Telling Clearly

Thanks to JJ Drinkwater, virtual Caledon Librarian on Second Life, for making this article possible through the invitation to tell stories in a different kind of venue as well as for sharing the snapshot below of my premiere performance on July 5, 2008.

Being a couple weeks new to Second Life (SL), a 3-D virtual world found on the Internet for social and business purposes, I accepted the chance to tell stories at the virtual Caledon Library for the first time. A couple minutes before showtime, I stood beside my computer with headphones and microphone in place and wrung my hands. At least this audience wouldn't see me sweat.

Tips known before my premiere Second Life performance:
1. Include website and/or blog addresses in your avatar profile
2. Join Storytelling Guild in SL and search for storytellers
3. Ask sponsor about audience and tip jar
4. Perform at least two sound checks
5. Practice walking and sitting and/or standing to stage area
6. Ask someone to take snapshots
7. Dress as you would for any real life performance
8. Keep eye on chat box so can respond to audience before, during, and after show
9. Remind audience that you are not reading
10. Become online friends with those who attend your SL events

Despite being prepared, I wondered if I would leave the experience with a satisfied feeling similar to when sharing stories for live audiences. In many ways, I would be blind to audience reactions just as the audience would not be able to see my usual facial expressions and body language involved with the telling.

I stared at my computer screen at what seemed like a video game scene. Twenty-eight human avatars and even a mouse sat on cartoon-looking pillows assembled in a semi-circle on the great lawn of the virtual Caledon Library, anticipating the program. Finally, the emcee introduced me and my avatar named Rachel Pevensey dressed in a Victorian dress walked to the storyteller's pillow and sat down.

With the attention on me, I talked through my microphone much like I would for any live gig. People would have a radio-like experience listening to me only they could respond through a small chat box to the left of the screen that I watched through the corner of my eye. This allowed me to see the acronym "LOL" for the term "Laugh Out Loud" when audience members thought story moments were funny as well as the common sideways smile made from a colon and a parentheses of :). Sometimes the typed words "clapping wildy" amused me as no sound could be heard except for when the button was pressed to trigger the recording of applause.

During an Ojibwa story called "Forsaken Brother" in which there is a transformation from human to wolf, one of the audience members created a soundbite to reflect a wolf's howl. The timing and tone was perfect and I felt chills as storytelling truly became interactive at that point. The audience and I were creating these stories together.

At the end, I left out a tip jar and earned $3,660 and a red chamber pot (due to a story told about a white chamber pot). Before all storytellers jump at the chance to earn such a sum, you need to know that Second Life has its own currency, the Linden Dollar, that can convert to real money. In American dollars, I earned $13.18 at the show.

While face-to-face storytelling is the vehicle of choice for professional storytellers, Second Life has created another opportunity for the art to be respected among people who may not normally attend a live storytelling event such as conferences, festivals, and even coaching sessions.

Include website and/or blog addresses in your avatar profile
By moving your mouse and right clicking the avatar, then you will see a circle with "Profile" to choose. Besides several tabs, you will discover your avatar's birthday, which reveals when you first entered Second Life. In SL my birthday for Rachel Pevensey is May 25, 2008 despite my real birthday being in August.

Make note of the tabs "2nd Life" and "1st Life" (aka real life). Keep your profile brief with a one-liner or more on your purpose being there and give your website and/or blog address.

My own profile shows the following:
I am a professional storyteller in Real Life who loves to take everyday events and share the adventures inside them.

I have a blog "Voice--A Storyteller's Lifestyle" that shares how-to articles on the art as well as marketing and trends in storytelling at http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com twice a month.

I look forward to when there are live storytelling events streamed into Second Life and encouraging others from the storytelling community as well as story appreciators to join us inworld.

Join Storytelling Guild in SL and search for storytellers
You can find this guild by clicking on the "Search" button on the bottom of your Second Life screen. Once this box is opened, then click on "Groups" followed by the name of the guild.

Once you have requested to be part of the guild, you will want to send a message and request to be online friends to at least the following: Gilbert Sapwood, Lehua Lamington, and Raymond and Mary Lee Frog.

Sapwood, aka Dale Jarvis in Real Life, is the founder of the guild and introduced me to people and places of interest to the storyteller. Lehua Lamington is a Hawaiian storyteller who prepared me on dream and nightmare performances that are possible through Second Life. She warned that the sound may not always be smooth and to be ready for distractions, especially if audience members are instant messaging during the show. Besides Lehua, there are Raymond and Mary Lee Frog, aka Frank and Mary Lee Sweet, who tailored the look of their avatars to look like their tandem team in real life. They run their own theater and sometimes have storytellers join them for sessions.

You could always contact my avatar, Rachel Pevensey, though I am still learning the ropes.

Remember that there are "cousin" groups that may be interested in following your storytelling path in Second Life so introduce yourself to them. Several people from the Poets of Zarahemla came to my premiere performance, especially as they posted the event to all their group members.

As you meet people and invite them to be online friends, you could also give personal invitations or instant messages.

Ask sponsor about audience and tip jar
Almost all the types of questions you would ask for a real life performance could help in Second Life. At the the age of your audience is easier to figure out as someone needs to be at least 18-years-old to create an avatar. Most likely you will not give children performances unless you happen to lead a conference among adults on how to connect with the younger audiences.

These are the kinds of questions I ask:

1. How did you learn about me?
2. What is the name of the program? Are you promoting a particular theme with your event?
3. Why are you having this event?
4. What type of group(s) is/are you most interested to reach?
5. How many people are expected to attend? How many people have attended similar events?
6. What experience(s) has the intended audience had to storytelling?
7. What is the general set-up of the intended performance space?
8. Do you have any special requests of me?

Beyond the basic questions, you will want to check if the sponsor will provide a tip jar to have close to your avatar while performing. JJ Drinkwater from the virtual Caledon Library was kind enough to give me a tip jar as a gift. He encouraged me to change the color or texture of the tip jar to fit my style. Otherwise, I could have kept the tip jar in its original form.

When people place their mouse on your tip jar and right click, then they can choose how much Linden dollars to give to you. You will hear little "cha-ching" sound effects as people give tips, though all focus must be on the stories. You can always click "OK" to accept all the money at the end of the program. Feel free to announce at the end that you have your tip jar in case someone forgot to show their appreciation.

Perform at least two sound checks
Two different options are available for storytellers: voice and streamed audio live. Test your comfort level with them as well as get used to the feel of the headset and microphone (most people recommend Logitech brand). Sound checks are recommended at least a day before as well as about 30 minutes before showtime.

Though you could type your stories, especially as Second Life began as a type-only arena, this would require fast typing or having smooth cut and paste skills for any written stories you have. Most storytellers do not have their stories in the written version so it is easiest to use the easiest version available on Second Life: voice.

Once the headset is plugged into its USB port, you need to check that your voice chat is enabled or at least labeled as "active". If there is another avatar nearby, then ask if they can hear you and perhaps share a piece of a story to determine if the volume works. (Please note that the person must have check marked the option to hear voice, which tends to be a default setting.)

Normally, the microphone is placed by the mouth. I discovered that I became so energetic in my tellings that it was best for the microphone to be aimed toward my eyes. This may seem strange except the audience will not see the position of the microphone. Other tellers are soft-spoken and so most likely will place the microphone as close as possible to their mouths.

Streamed audio live is a partnership with whatever virtual stage you are performing on and and Internet radio station such as Radio Riel. You will need to download Winamp, including the Shoutcast application, so that you can enter the proper passwords given by someone from the Internet radio station. Streamed audio tends to be more reliable than using voice except there is about 10-15 second delay as to when you talk and when your listeners hear you. This means delay in audience response as they sometimes type their reactions in a small chat box to the side of the main screen with the stage.

Originally, streamed audio was the way I was going to deliver my program "The American Way: From Sea to Shining Sea". The lady with Radio Riel was patient as I put in the passwords and addresses through the Winamp, however her software was incompatible with my computer as it had Vista. Despite hours of attempts, we went with voice. Audience members told me after the show that the sound was loud and clear. I was lucky as voice can breakdown when you least expect it.

Practice walking and sitting and/or standing to stage area
Unless you are an avid video game player, you will want to familiar yourself with how to walk as an avatar whether by using the mouse or through the up, down, and side arrow keys. The emcee or host will announce your program so your avatar needs to be to the side until the introductions are given. Even in real life, the moment we walk on the stage is really the start of telling our first story.

At the Caledon Library, I appreciated that a pillow was on the ground for my avatar to sit upon. When I walked close enough to the pillow, I could eventually place my mouse on the rock, right click, and choose the option "sit". I face the audience correctly and I am ready to delve into stories.

Wherever will be the intended stage area, go into your Inventory and place the tip jar on the ground nearby. Audience members will know to play money in it even if you do not announce its presence.

Ask someone to take snapshots
At any point, you can click on the button "Snapshot" on the bottom of the screen and have a picture of your avatar and anything else in your computer screen at the moment and email the image almost like an online post card. During the show, you will be too focused to capture the moments so ask someone before the show to take some snapshots and have them email you the results. I had JJ Drinkwater to thank for the pictures I have of the event.

Dress as you would for any real life performance
You could tell stories in your pajamas with the headphones on your ears, but this could result in a lower quality performance. Although the audience will only receive the audio part of your story, the way we dress often reflects our attitudes toward the stories. I had on my usual slacks, plain blouse and Dutch cap on while people in Second Life saw my avatar in a green Victorian dress and bonnet.

Your avatar will simply stand or sit during the entire show unless you have learned how to do gestures like bowing or blowing kisses. For my premiere performance, I pulled back the office chair to make sure I had enough room to stand and make gestures as if I was performing in real life. This builds the necessary energy that transforms in the tone and attitudes of my voice.

Keep eye on chat box so can respond to audience before, during, and after show
Besides the main screen, make sure you have the small chat box to the side. Though the host will usually remind other attendees to be mute so others can hear you, the storyteller, there could still be conversations or reactions that are typed.

In real life, it is nice to shake hands with people before the show starts or get to know people. You can do the same by typing message in the chat box or even mixing a sound check with welcoming expressions through the microphone. During the show, you will receive acronyms like "LOL" for "Laugh Out Loud" or words like "wilding clapping" and "bravo". Other times, people may mention if the area where your story is from is connected to their life in some way. Sometimes, you may decide to respond to these messages within your program to prove how interactive storytelling really could be despite being in a virtual world.

Remind audience that you are not reading
The audience cannot see you and most performances they are used to them being readings of some kind. Let them know that you are a storyteller versus being a storyreader. You will remind people that you are professional and could be hired just as well in the real life as in SL.

Become online friends with those who attend your SL events
Always thank your audience for being there including offering to linger after the performance so you can chat, as in the written sense. Take this chance to announce your website and/or blog.

Let people know that you would like to be their online friends. For each avatar in the area, right click with your mouse on them and choose the option to "Add Friend". They will then have the choice whether to accept or reject your invitation. Upon acceptance, you will be able to click on their profile and keep notes of what event of yours they attended. This way you can remember and acknowledge them in the future as you jump from place to place in SL.

So meet new people and explore the possibilities on Second Life. You may be surprised at what technology can do to introduce storytelling to more people.

Perhaps you will receive notes like what JJ Drinkwater, the SL Caledon librarian, said of my July 5, 2008 premiere performance--
"I just wanted to thank you again for the extraordinary story hour you did for the Caledon library yesterday. It was a delightful event, wholly enjoyable, and carried off with such admirable aplomb I scarcely have words to describe it. You are clearly a thoroughgoing mistress of your craft! If you ever wanted to tell again at the library, we would be thrilled to host your performance. I will certainly, with your permission, pass your name on to other libraries that I know host story hours."

Technology/Second Life Resource for Storytellers:

• "Story Times", Summer 2008 edition on technology, Florida Storytelling Association, edited by MyLinda Butterworth (Second Life article starting on p.10 by Frank Sweet)
• "The American Way: From Sea to Shining Sea", event listing and discussion on my premiere performance
  

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://www.yesalliance.com