Shared vision, shared story

BY JAMES LEARD

I was staring at the computer screen in that empty space a writer feels before committing to an afternoon of writing.

I started scrolling and came across a picture of Hannah, a former student of mine from the college where I taught improvisation and storytelling. She was advertising a costume rental company and was dressed in an early twentieth-century English tweed walking outfit, carrying an antique camera. She had noted that the initials R.D. were on the camera and created the character of an English adventurer … Ramona Dale.

Thinking of a storytelling game that we’d played in my classes, I sent her an email. “Ramona Dale’s camera took her everywhere and, more often than not, into trouble.”

Hannah replied that the camera was a gift from Ramona’s godmother with instructions to “… bring her the world.”

This led us to begin a shared storytelling experience. We started slowly, a few paragraphs at a time about Ramona taking pictures of: a little girl polishing chestnuts; Mussolini’s “black shirts”; a very public lovers’ quarrel; and how Ramona got involved in a murder because she happened to be in that piazza with her camera.

There were no conversations about the story or what should be done, we just continued following the storyline. I found myself inspired by what Hannah sent me, and she was inspired by my replies. I looked forward to her emails and was disappointed when days passed without answer.

Hannah had spent time in Italy and brought her experience into the details of the people and the activities of the piazza. I pushed on the storyline and the development of relationships. I was plot driven, and Hannah had details and a feeling for the people and the place. This accidental beginning developed into The Lady in the Fountain. The emails continued and the story grew and, 7,500 words later, it was finished. I

f you’re a writer eager to stretch your creative muscles, I encourage you to try shared storytelling. It’s a fun exercise that anyone can begin, and it will create new ways to stimulate your imagination. It can be with someone you know well or a new collaborator, as long as everyone has the right attitude. The shared story is like sharing a brain. Starting with an image in a photograph, Hannah and I followed the basic rules of storytelling games that I teach in my classes:

• You cannot change what has come before.

• Accept and add to the material your partner gives you with a “Yes, and …” attitude.

• Never try to say too much. When you reach a point in the story where you know what happens next, stop, and give it to your partner. (Give … it’s a gift!)

• Go with the first idea and yield to what is presented.

We found it to be fun. There are fifty years difference in our ages and our previous relationship was that of instructor and student, but we accepted each other’s ideas and grew to respect the strength the other brought. Where are we now? We’re talking about publishing; we’re starting on a new Ramona Dale adventure; and we are developing a theatre production of The Lady in the Fountain to present at Canada’s fringe festivals.

It’s amazing where one line of narration might take your shared experience, especially if you have a “Yes, and …” attitude; a willingness to yield to the storyline; and think of it as a game that could take you on a journey. It worked for us, and I hope some of you try it, too.

James Leard is the founding artistic director of The Story Theatre Company. Over the past thirty-five years, he has toured BC schools, acted in film and TV, and written/directed for fringe festivals throughout Canada. Recently retired from his role as Chair of Acting at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, he now spends his time writing and looking for publishers.