Verbalists modern storytelling group gave their all at the November 10th performance at the Kirkland Arts Center. The Seattle Star were on hand to record the whole event.
In the words of Verbalists founder Wesley K. Andrews, “Verbalists is modern storytelling in Seattle. Fans of David Sedaris, Garrison Keillor, or This American Life will love this ongoing project of original storytelling.”
The process for any episode of Verbalists goes beyond a simple public reading. As Mr. Andrews notes, “Verbalists exists to showcase and develop the craft of modern storytelling. Not only do we showcase stories in both live and printed (and now audio!) formats, we will also work with the authors to make their stories the best it can be.”
All selected storytellers meet with Verbalists producer Wesley K. Andrews either in person or by Skype and talk about their work and method in a no-pressure environment. From there, the development process moves into the craft of presenting a story before an audience. Long-time theatrical director John Vreeke works directly with the authors to clarify their pieces and fine-tune performances with a series of rehearsals designed to hone the storytelling craft and present the stories in the best way possible to an audience.
Readers on November 11th were:
- Wesley K. Andrews reading I Have A Strategy, a time-shifting tale of how paintball prepares soldiers for life.
- Becky Bruhn reading I’m Your Mother, in which mother and child talk about the dark side of the birds and the bees.
- ilvs strauss performing her slideshow pieces The Affection Convection and The Next Generation.
- Shahana Dattagupta reading her short novella, This Day of Thanksgiving, in which a newly-divorced woman finds holiday comfort in the Family of Man.
You may listen below, or you may download the show directly from the Internet Archive.
