Shant Korkigian's Guide to Groves Storytelling

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First Edition: 2001

Storytelling: The Introduction

The introduction is a very important part of a piece. But let us not talk about the introduction of your forensic piece (we will get to the topic of intro’s later); let us talk first about the introduction to the wonderful world of storytelling. Oh, and what a wonderful world it is. Now, you think I am being sarcastic… Well far from it! Storytelling is a category in forensics that is unlike any other. True, the same forensicating aspects are there: the blocking, the acting, the eye contact (or lack of), the stiff etiquette, the judges, etc, etc.); but storytelling takes on characteristics that no other category can even match.

In this guide I hope that you will discover the unique characteristics of storytelling. To start off there is one major difference I must warn you of. Most interpretive forensicators go out on a limb to catch the audience. A storyteller not only has to go out on a limb, they have to go out with a chair balancing on top of their nose, flapping their hand and jumping up and down on one foot, all while making the sound of a Siamese grasshopper in heat. The perfect measure of this is sweat. Many people sweat during their performances. You may see one or two duo interpreters come out of a room bawling, but in storytelling a good four or five performers out of a round with six, will be saturated due to the fact that a storytelling audience is often much greedier than those of other categories... they expect you to be a magic man (or woman, as the case may be). Yes this is disgusting, but it exemplifies what one must do to be a great storyteller. And that is why I wrote this guide to storytelling: to help inspire future generations of great Groves storytellers.

 

The Groves Storytelling Champions (under the regime of Zoz)

Katherine Schwartz

An all around master forensicator; she floated from category to category with her amazing performing talents and marveled storytelling audiences with her outstanding presentation of The Frog Who Wanted to Sing which combined her acting, singing and hopping talents. She captured a fifth place at States and went to final round in all four tournaments she attended in the 2000 season.

Shant Korkigian

Yes, it is I, the author of this guide. I have been storytelling since the first Birmingham Middle School Team was formed in the 1994-95 school year. After a rough freshman year and an injury sophomore year I finally made it to States my junior year placing seventh with How Frog Went to Heaven. Senior year was my year of glory where I took first place at Portage and sixth in the 2000 States with There’s a Hair In My Dirt.

Kate Kosack

A very talented storyteller who definitely had this category down. She went to states twice for storytelling, both times with pieces that included a frog (count that four frog pieces at States so far, apparently Groves storytellers do well with the animal). She was the original performer of The Frog Prince Continued, and in 1998 she took home a forth place trophy at States. She is one of the best teachers of storytelling technique and has helped polish and give strategic advice to many state competitors.

Matt Schwartz

Katherine’s older brother. The red haired fellow took second place at state in 1997 with a piece about chickens after having an extremely successful season and forensics career.

Audrey Baker

An absolutely fabulous storyteller who was Zoz’s first storytelling champion. She took home a State finalist trophy in 1996 as a junior. Like the younger Schwartz, she floated from category to category excelling in many areas and showing off her wonderful performing talents.

 

Miscellaneous Storytellers That Everyone Should Know

John Aslanian

This large Armenian forensicator went to States with his wonderful storytelling performance which included not only a frog, but the Okeefenokee Swamp! Rumor has it that this forensics legend still roams the forensic circuit every once in awhile. If you see him, don’t be afraid….

Zoz

Yes, our fearless leader once did storytelling. Though he has told me he was not too successful, he left his mark as the first individual to perform The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, which if you do not know, has now been performed more times than Anansy the Spider and Eloise put together.

 

STORYTELLING: EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES

VOICES: At a minimum your piece should have three significant voices and a narrator. Each voice should be clearly distinct from one another. Each voice should suite the character in some way (don’t just do a British accent for the sake of doing a British accent). The voice should not be painful to your throat when you make it, and you should be completely comfortable with the voice (a good way to see how comfortable the voice is, is to carry out a conversation using it). Make sure the voice is tolerable for the audience to hear… a squeaky or lisp-y voice can often be obnoxious.

INTROS: Your introduction may or may not include a teaser. Teasers help bring the audience into the story. During this time you can introduce your character (either by allowing your narrator to introduce them or by allowing each character to introduce themselves). Often storybook writers will introduce the setting and/or characters and/or the problem right at the beginning of their story, these books are always good because the introductory portion makes a convenient teaser. As for the introduction itself, if you have a teaser make it short, meaningful and to the point. You might want to introduce the morals or theme that one will gain from listening to your story, this prevents the audience from wondering what the moral is at the end. You might want to have a special intro voice or tone. Definitely situate yourself differently then your narrator when giving your intro, so that one can make a clear distinction between informational speech and speech that is part of the story.

BLOCKING: Be certain each and every one of your characters, including your narrator, has a distinct walk (By walk I am referring to all characteristics the character might have). Remember the forensic mirror trick… when one of your characters talks to someone they should be blocked as if they were looking at that person in a mirror where the audience is (this is so the audience can grasp every motion, facial gesture and clearly hear the performer). Have a set stage. Storytellers tend to get so involved with their jumping and whatnot they forget to have a stage and end up running into a garbage can or something in the room; or they journey too far away from their stool or chair and can’t get back to it. DON’T STAND IN ONE SPOT, even your narrator should move. If you are portraying a bunny, don’t just jump in one spot, JUMP ALL THE WAY UP AND DOWN. You have to be the bunny. Get down and squat on all fours and jump like a freaking bunny on a hot sidewalk. Don’t be afraid to do somersaults and acrobatics or climb on your chair, in fact your chair is possibly the best blocking tool you can have. (see chairs) Regardless of what your blocking is like, always remember the first rule of stage movement: EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE SHOULD BE MOTIVATED… If you have moving for the sake of moving… that’s no good… you might as well just sit down!

CHAIRS… or stools… or small wooden tables… A storyteller’s best friend... or worst enemy is a chair. Some people refuse to use the chair as a tool. That is fine. But if you do choose to use this weapon of performance there are a few tips and tricks. Don’t be afraid to move your chair… move it wherever you want. Turn it upside down if you need to. Flip it around and sit on it backwards to simulate a horse… be creative with it. When moving your chair move it prior to needing it in the position you want, this does two things, it give you time and it allows you to keep a pace. During your narration is the best time to move your chair, but if you have to move it directly before use, just make sure you do it quickly, so that there is not a pause. All movements should be fluid and coherent. I have seen chairs and stools used for the following ways: as an animal of burden, as a well, as a pot, as a bowl, as a tower, as a tree, as stairs, as a drum, as something to drop to make a lot of noise, as something to make someone really tall (like an adult or a giant or a god), as something to hide behind, as a drivers seat, as something to hide under, as a cradle, as a stump, as a pumpkin…etc… etc…

MEMORIZATION: MIFA rules say a storyteller must be memorized in order to compete. Yes I have seen someone disqualified for not being memorized, but it is rare. Though I feel it is unacceptable to take your script up when you perform in storytelling, if you must, do so. My feelings are that a storyteller cannot tell a story properly without it being memorized because it is like driving while talking on a cell phone and eating a bowl of cheerios at the same time. You cannot read, be jumping, and singing and making some weird voice all while paying attention to your diction, annunciation, pace and blocking unless you have super powers… MEMORIZE… that illuminates one less thing you have to worry about… One more thing about memorization… IF you screw up the wording of a portion of your script… ignore it. Do not show the audience you screwed up. Do not curse at yourself. Do not sit there blanked out. Storytelling is one of the easiest categories to do a cover-up job with. In storytelling, there is lots of repetition; there’s lots of prolonged gesturing…. Improv a little. If you do it well, the audience will not know…. BUT ONLY USE IMPROVE AS A VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY LAST RESORT… and you SHOULD NEVER have to improv for more than a few lines…. Just memorize and you will be fine.

TALKING BEFORE AND AFTER PERFORMANCE: Don’t be afraid to talk to people. Before performances in mostly every round you will see at least two people conversing, telling jokes, making each other feel good. Storytellers are a close-knit group, though there are many of them, and the combining fact with this simple gesture of talking to people and that some storytellers see each other for up to four years in at least four tournaments a year, makes storytelling a bonding experience. After the performance don’t be afraid to compliment people, or at least say "good job". Especially say this to people you know. Don’t make a big deal about doing this though. A whisper or a smile towards them with the mouthing of "good job" is good enough. I have actually got compliments on sportsmanship from judges like: "you’re a very nice person". Sometimes the simple gesture of you being nice to others and expressing it makes other people more comfortable in their performances and in congratulating others. In a round at Frakenmouth, a fairly competitive tournament for storytelling, my entire round was told in an oral critique "Storytellers are some of the best sportsmen in forensics", I also once got: "This group has been the most refreshing group of competitors that I have seen in a long time". Interactions between storytellers before and after competition make you feel better and more comfortable telling the story.

COMPETITIONS:: YOU MUST GO TO 4 TOURNAMENTS. This is a serious issue… I think it is absolutely necessary to go to at least 4 if you want to go to Districts, Regionals and States. If you ever need to be at-larged, it is imperative to go to at least four tournies. I suggest at least one large storytelling-competitive-tournament, one small tournament and at least one on the Westside of the state. There are a few very important storytelling tournaments. On the eastside of the state the two important large tournaments for storytellers are Groves and Frankenmuth. Reaching finals at both of these tournaments is extremely hard and are great accomplishments. The reason for this is that the class A schools that one competes with at States almost always show up. On the Westside, either of the Portage Tournaments are also storytelling-competitive-tournaments. The Portages are the HARDEST storytelling tournaments in the state. At the Portage tournies, they have the most class A competing storytellers from the western and northern parts of the state. Midland is also a good tournament to get exposure to the western and northern storytellers. A wonderful small tournament is Henry Ford (which is now not so small). It gives you an early and a good practice against the schools in the region.

THE BIG GUYS: Now we will discuss the tradition storytelling powers and who YOU as a Groves Storyteller have to worry about. In the east the main powers will be familiar competitors. Andover is by far the predominant storytelling force in our area. The other big force, which you don’t need to worry about at Districts, Regionals and States, is Detroit School for the Fine and Performing Arts. If they win, just remember that while you’re in geometry, they are in Forensics or Voice or Blocking. In our region, you have to watch out for Henry Ford II and Seaholm. HFII has wonderful storytellers, and has had a long tradition of winning with at our Regionals. Seaholm can always rustle up at least one good storyteller a year that will plow through Districts and Regionals. In the rest of the state you need to watch out for Portage, Portage Northern, the Midland Schools and Grand Rapids Christian. These are the schools that I have seen repetitively in Class A State Semi and Final Rounds.

FYI….

Never underestimate storytellers… especially the cute ones and the ones you think are most obnoxious…

FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE: Forensics is supposed to be fun. Fun is achieved by two means: interacting with other competitors on your team and other teams, and winning. It is good to win. You do not need to win to have fun. But if you would like to win… practice; get criticism, and get it early; use the tips I have presented to you; go to as many tournaments as you possibly can (one year I went to 4, I did not go to States, another year I went to 10 invitationals, I won 6th in the state). Besides, tournaments are the way to interact with others and basically to get the most out of forensics….

 

MIFA Judging Criteria (Annotated by Shant Korkigian)

Storytelling is the delivery of a humorous or serious single selection, or a compilation of humorous or serious material. Material for storytelling will alternate on an annual basis. For 1999-2000, the selections for storytelling must from children's literature for any age. For 2000-2001, the acceptable selections will be myths, legends, or folk and regional tales.

Basically you need to know that storytelling is different from other literature in that it is any writing intended for children or deriving from legends and other sorts of fiction from the past. Now let me tell you what works. First of all, in order to succeed in this category you are going to need a story that is unique and makes you stand out. DON’T DO THE FROG PRINCE OR HOP ON POP… There are a few pieces you definitely don’t want to do. Anything that has Anansy the Spider in the title; any well known Hans Christian Anderson or adapted Grim Brothers stories (although I have seen an original Grim Brothers piece in a final round, they are actually very intrusting cause most people have not heard the real stories…); No Dr. Seuss (it is too middle school and gets obnoxious); anything that they made a television show out of... like Curious George DON’T DO. You do also need to consider a few things in a story: your story needs a very obvious moral or theme; you need at least 4 characters, each with a fair amount of speaking; and you need a piece that makes sense in the time limit (8-5

A contestant must not use stories that they have used in competition in any previous year. Further, a contestant may not use a selection from the same piece of literature the individual used in a prior year. A cutting from other literature written by the same author is acceptable. Selections used at the Michigan Speech Coaches Association spring tournament last year may be presented without sanction during the current individual events season. Either the original script, or a photocopy of the appropriate pages from the original source, including proper copyright data, must be taken by the contestant to all rounds of competition and be available for a judge to review.

This is the same old crap that they put in the rules to all individual Interp events… know it… and don’t forget it…REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR SCRIPTS TO EVERY TOURNAMENT.. I mean it may not be likely that a judge will ask you for your script in January, but I have had it happen… so just make sure that you do.

The storyteller must not use a book or manuscript. An exception to this guideline is that a participant in the Pentathlon Tournament can use a book or a manuscript for one round.

IF YOU USE A BOOK OR A SCRIPT YOU WILL NOT GET INTO A FINAL ROUND UNLESS YOU ARE THE BEST PERFORMER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! Though this rule is not heavily enforced on the east side of the state, it is very hard to be wiggling like a worm for 8 minutes, or playing an imaginary banjo for half of your piece if you have a script in your hand. If it comes down to it and you MUST use the script, you should put black paper on the back of it (in the great tradition of the dear Mrs. Barbara Shaheen).

Original material may be used only as a transitional device, but may not dominate the presentation in terms of time or portion of script, and must enhance the literature presented. The author's intent must be preserved.

Be careful, but not too careful. When observing this rule use your best instinct. You can get away with changing certain words like damn to darn or hot to spicy. It is not legal though. There was once a storyteller that used a synonym to disguise an inappropriate term in his story, he was nearly disqualified at regionals; people do this all the time. On a different note, transitions are DEFINATLY A MUST. If you story is too choppy after being cut people won’t be able to follow. Remember, if a little kid can’t follow your piece, no one can (and for this reason remember trying to use the author’s tone and diction when writing transitions)

The contestant may sit or stand. Appropriate gestures may be used.

No hand props, decorative scripts, or scenery are permitted. Only sound created by the voice and body of the interpreter while on stage (without mechanical aids or instruments) is allowed. Street clothes are suitable. Theatrical costumes or robes are not permitted.

SOUND EFFECTS ROCK, CHAIR TRICKS RULE, ACCROBATICS ARE AWESOME! These are things that work for people. You want to be able to stand out as much a possible. Think about the words that you say in your piece, when there is a scream, don’t say "she screamed" cut that out and actually scream (duh)… but do more, instead of walking, do a dance, instead of saying something over and over, sing it. Use your chair or stool. Flip it over, jump off of it. Do back flips, click your heels…run around in circles…but remember to do this only when appropriate and not at unnecessary times.

The suggested time limit for storytelling is five to eight minutes. Presentations which do not conform to the suggested time parameters may be penalized at the discretion of the judge. Penalties are not mandatory.

Use as much time as possible… if you cut a fifteen minute piece to five minutes, it is no good… work with every moment you’ve got…

Interpreters will generally wish to begin with some remarks explanatory of the plot, scene, author, and/or characters or present appropriate information as transitional material. Introductory or transitional material is included in the time limits and may include singing, humming, or other creative approaches at the discretion of the interpreter.

YOU NEED A GOOD INTRODUCTION…Use a teaser, tell your audience the moral before they see the entire plot (it allows them to focus more on the performance and less on looking for the moral), you need to perform like you are performing for a child, children get bored if you can’t latch them on real quick, you intro needs to be powerful and practical. Introducing the setting, characters and moral is a great way to introduce your story.

BASIS OF DECISION

Suitability of Selection: It may be necessary to adapt the material for performance or to add transitional phrases, but original material may not dominate the presentation. Emphasis must be given to the literary selection rather than the original transitional or introductory material. The author's intent must be preserved. The selection should show insight into human nature and/or give pleasure. The selection should be judged for its appropriateness as contest material and its suitability to the particular contestant using it. The use of good literature should be noted favorably and the selection devoid of literary merit graded lowest.

I went over the types of pieces that work already… I mean essentially, get a good piece that has a good universal theme, that you like performing and that everyone has not heard already.

Concept of Storytelling: The storyteller should bring to life the literature for a group of any age. Use of gesture, bodily movement, and vocal flexibility to enhance the literature is encouraged.

Notice that a story can be for any age. Storytelling, though it must be suitable for children (which means you can find it in the children’s or young adult/myth or folklore sections of the book store), can have a very serious adult theme. Dr. Seuss wrote his literature with extremely serious themes like nuclear war and the environment, but appealed to children.

Action and Platform Conduct: The contestant can sit and/or stand. No hand props may be used. The interpreter may move about the platform as necessary to represent the movements of the character. The author's material may be memorized, but the contestant may add spontaneous transitions and phrases where necessary.

The use of the storyteller’s stage is so important. Use all that you can. Climb up on the chair, sit under the chair. Dance all the way over the stage right. Twirl all the way over to stage left. Make sure you do not favor one side all the time. If you move your audience follows you (if you stay in one place… so does your audience.. allow them to climb into your story with you.. force them onto your journey). Make eye contact with people and play with them a little bit, especially on the narration part of the story, this is not multiple! Look at others…in fact interact with them. If you need to talk about an old woman, point at a old woman… (don’t worry, you should not offend anyone… they know it is all in good humor… oh yeah interacting with kids under 10 gets great audience feedback).

Oral Presentation: The storyteller should show genuine appreciation of the selection and imaginative insight into its mood and meaning. The attitude should reveal a desire to share it with the listeners. Vocal expression should communicate completely the meaning of the language of the selection, awareness of relationships between ideas, and discrimination of what is important from what is not. Pronunciation should be clear. Voice should be clearly audible, pleasing, flexible, and responsive to thought and feeling. Only sound created by the voice and body of the interpreter while on stage (without mechanical aids or instruments) is allowed. Singing, humming, and/or whistling must not dominate the production in terms of time or portion of script, and must be essential to the theme of the production.

This is not a musical production. Some singing is wonderful, in fact if catchy and cute it is most beneficial, but do not use too much, obnoxiously, or unnecessarily. Do not use obnoxious voices. Speak Clearly and understandably, remember your audience is child-like.

 

Storytelling: The Subculture

If you think you know everything about the world of forensics, this part is for you. Storytelling is set far distant from other categories because its associated culture. You will notice that people will be smiling in their rounds, commenting on what a great piece or how good your voices were. People will bring their children and/or favorite senior citizens to watch. The audience, a normally sane group of people, gains an unusual sense of childlike humor. You have now entered the Storytelling Subculture!

In storytelling rounds the performers are much warmer than in other rounds. Many storytellers will say hello and immediately start talking to a complete stranger. They smile a lot. They clap louder than any other category. They even have been known to spark conversation with the judges. One will even see storytellers hug each other at the awards ceremony. Where in most other interp single event categories the finalist stand a good 2 feet apart.

Storytellers come in four different varieties. These four categories can be divided into two types: the four-year storytellers and the one-year storytellers. The four-year storytellers are the ones you will know are storytellers from the get go. They will talk to everybody, they will know all the other four-year storytellers and they love the category and would never think of changing. The aggressive four-year performer is tough competition. They know exactly what they are doing. They will jump and dance and sing and cry and do nine voices and have very innovative pieces and they will win. They know how to tell stories and they are looking to go to States (whether in that year or later). The passive four-year storytellers are the nicest in any round. Most of them are female, but there are a few males. They might not be the best storytellers, or have the greatest stories, but they love what they do and they are storytellers for the sake of storytelling.

The one-years are those who are either what I call "jumpers" or what I call "fillers". Often there are forensicators that are such good performers that they jump to every category possible. They are the greatest fear of the four-year aggressives, and the most admired by the four-year passives. They win and they win a lot. Often in a final round there will be three four-year agressives and three jumpers. They know how to perform and that is what they will do. If you are a jumper remember to be nice. You are in a foreign land, so do as the Romans and smile and laugh and clap loudly and talk to everyone. Fillers are the unfortunate outcomes of forensics politics. Oftentimes a coach will try to pack three or four people in a category just for the sake of having people in a category. Sometimes people just get stuck in this spot and so they show up to their rounds, they don’t really like what they are doing and they don’t really try. They have absolutely no idea what they are doing, or they don’t like storytelling at all. If you are one of these performers, either try to change your view of storytelling or get out of the category; trust me, you’ll be better off…

Some other things you should know about the ways of storytelling. Storytellers think they have the most fun. I have been told this by forensicators outside of the category.

Many storytellers get a nickname used by other storytellers derived from the main character of their piece… for instance a Cinderella performer might be known as Cindi, and a performers with pieces about worms might be titled Worm-boy or Wormy.

Many storytellers are storytellers forever… Some performers after being in the category begin exaggerating and doing weird voices in the middle of conversation. Just be warned.

Overalls are the common uniform worn by at least 50% of all storytellers statewide.

Old people and children are common audiences for the category because of the generally light-hearted and happy pieces.

There are two theories about storytellers: either we are the nicest group of people in forensics, or we are really the most bitter and conceal our darkness under layers of phony happiness. I would like to think the former theory is the more accurate, but I am sure you will meet those who exemplify the later.