One-off workshop: Let Me Tell You a Story

Good drama tells a story. A well-told tale can excite fear, sympathy, empathy, anger, dread, joy, encouragement or camaraderie in the audience, individually and collectively.

Some stories are universal truths of morality, heroics, faith, risk, love and adventure; others are personal to people down the ages. Some begin ‘once upon a time’ or ‘it was a dark and stormy night’, or with something original. This one-off 2-hour workshop experiments with deepening characters to spin a compelling yarn.

The importance of stories

Many people must make speeches or speak in public in their lives, including professions such as teachers, business bosses, religious leaders, military officers and sports coaches. Others may have to read out loud to a crowd. Glossophobia – a fear of public speaking – is common, but still, many have to face a crowd, convey bad news or encourage audiences to buy or sell something.

From childhood we're used to listening to stories; ‘let me tell you a story’ still grabs a students attention. It has been proven that when trying to capture another's attention, content accounts for 7 per cent of importance; vocal tone for 38 per cent and body language 55 per cent. So, it's not what you say, it's how you say it. When it comes to drama and characters, it's still all about how meaning is communicated to an audience that matters.

Resource: Society for Storytelling National Storytelling Week resources and ideas, for teachers sfs.org.uk/national-storytelling-week/resources

Warm up exercises: (15 mins)

• a) In pairs, A tells B what his/her last birthday was like
• b) Same pairs, same story, But B asks questions as the story unfolds
• c) New pairs, A is very angry; B tells a story with a happy ending
• d) Same pairs, B is very hungry; A tells a story to distract B

Start with a character: (10 mins)

Ask each student to custom make his/her own character:

• How old is he/she?
• Where does he/she live?
• How does he/she walk, talk, sit, eat, show affection?
• Likes/dislikes in food, music, furniture, TV, clothes?
• What makes him/her become angry? Happy? Restless?
• How does he/she relate to others?
• What family or other ties does he/she have?
• What are the ambitions or hopes that he/she dreams?

Discussion and set-up: (15 mins)

Students should start by telling a short story about something that happened to ‘a friend’ in which he/she comes across badly. Lead a short discussion on how those characters will now be used. Create groups of like-minded characters with at least one contrary one.

A story will now be told from the following list, or students may devise their own:

• A nursery rhyme tale (Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears)
• A well-known piece of fiction (The Lion King or Hamlet)
• The plot of a film, YouTube video or game they know well
• A story from a song they know, if there is a storyline
• The tale of a journey, quest, hunt or challenge against the clock
• A story with a hero, a villain and a coward.

Drama techniques: (5 mins)

Remind students of techniques they know, including mime, physicality, gesture, voice, levels, movement, cross-cutting, still images, proxemics, semiotics and narration. The purpose of using drama tools is to highlight key moments, key plot points, to evoke emotion/reaction in the audience and to tell that tale as best they can.

Develop that character, tell that story: (25 mins)

Give students time to merge the characters into a cohesive whole, keeping many original traits decided previously. They must consider how far environment, ambitions, mindsets, commitments, ties and living with others and their agendas impacts on their character and how a story can be told from this bunch of characters. As they devise, circulate and ensure each student is involved and a story is emerging that is to be told.

Now, tell us that story: (30 mins)

This is the sharing of each group piece so far, bearing in mind they've not had long and there will be inconsistencies.

Resource:Drama Resource, useful section on storytelling with some games like word tennis suggested to warm up and get into the storytelling mode. dramaresource.com/Storytelling

Reviews: (15 mins)

Conduct quick commentaries on each group, highlighting the effectiveness of their drama techniques and their success in telling an absorbing story.

This has been a brief look at (or reminder of) the need to tell stories through devised drama, just as a good play, film, talk or speech does. For the future, the lessons and drama ideas here should be noted for devising work that arises with your class.