Concerts for Adults
Lou Gehrig: The Story of a Great Man Of Gehrig, Paul Gallico
wrote: "We need stories like that of Lou Gehrig, tales of honest,
trustworthy men with life patterns that are not crossed by deceit
or chicanery, vice or intrigue, whose careers are not poisoned
by double-dealing, jealousy, or opportunism with love stories
that are simple and virtuous and true." Here is the story of a
man who excelled off, and on, the field. The New York Storytelling
Center proclaimed: "Carol Birch Hits Home Run!" in a review of
this outstanding event, adding "not only did the story resonate
for diehard sports buffs, but Carol translated the language of
baseball into the story of a man who never rested in his entire
career."
Myth America: Summer, 1928 This program of stories from
Ray Bradbury's DANDELION WINE follows the curve of the novel:
"June dawns, July noons, and August evenings over." Known primarily
for science fiction, Bradbury's magic in these stories is spun
from the power of his writing about the great gifts of childhood,
maturity, and daily life in a small town in the Mid-West during
1928.
Will We Ever See Their Likes Again? celebrates the immigrants
who, at the turn of the century, left their homes and entered
the United States through Ellis Island to blend into the great
melting pot of American culture. There are songs which speak of
loved ones left behind, never to be seen again. The stories tell,
too, of women and men and children who put their faith in the
untested promises of early twentieth century America. For some,
dreams were abandoned; for others, the "American Dream" was made
manifest.
A Delicate Balance recounts the tales of women whose
heads tell them one thing, and whose hearts tell them another.
These are the stories of women who find the delicate balance --
not necessarily in the center -- between their needs and their
wants. Some make a world within their own homes; others make their
homes while searching the world for luck... or something.
Happily-Ever-After Love Stories...More or Less tells of
the distant paths by which love travels, the wonder love may work
beneath a disharmony of surfaces, and love's transforming power.
Hidden within each story is the wish that every person may find
true love -- in whatever form it takes -- for love is possible,
even "ever-after."
Please remember that love is never out of season, though people
seem to think of it more often around Valentine's Day, and again
in June. Similarly, the need to hear the stories of women exists
in all the months of the year, not just in March during 'Women's
History Month.' But the reality and strength of expectations are
hard to deny, so of course, Carol has holiday programs: Halloween,
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, President's
Day, Earth and Arbor Days.
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Workshops For Adults
Carol Birch's presentations can accommodate whatever mix of storytelling,
literature - especially literature for children - and oral/aural
communication skills your audience requires. Sample topics are
listed below. Each event includes stories, lecture, demonstration
and question periods. When appropriate, participatory exercises
are encouraged.
After attending a workshop, author and storyteller Cynthis De
Felice wrote:
My luggage didn't arrive and my car broke down on the way from
the airport -- but I didn't care -- my brain was (is) still full
of what I learned. I can see so many ways to grow and explore.
I don't know how to really thank you for just being real and letting
your intelligence, warmth, experience, humor and integrity come
through in a way that was instructive, compelling and honest...but
thanks.
Do Tell! The Art Of Storytelling
Very basic information woven into a demonstration which reminds
people how effective they are in their daily lives as situational
storytellers. The goal is to help them identify and strengthen
the skills that they presently possess, as they explore moving
into other storytelling contexts. This lecture can be easily modified
to meet the needs of educators, business people, lawyers, minister,
and other professional communities, for example: Storytelling
in the Classroom, The Art of the Tale in the Art of the Sale,
etc.
The Whole Story: Using Imagery To Extend The Story Experience
The real art of storytelling is restoring the primacy of the
imagination in tellers and audiences alike. This presentation,
which helps storytellers bring character and setting into sharper
focus, is easily adapted to meet the storytelling experience of
the audience. The goal is a more precise re-creation of an imaged
world, one that has the vividness and conviction of daily living.
Three Part Harmony: Voices Of Parallel Peoples
Storytelling is well suited to the values inherent in multicultural
education, simultaneously celebrating universal themes along with
specific, cultural details. If the universal is the stock in the
stew pot of stories, then it is those geographic, ethnic, cultural
and historical details that flavor the stew and make it distinctive.
The goal is to enable educators to examine issues related to telling
outside one's own culture, while also helping them become more
effective in their telling of stories.
A Storyteller's Passionate Virtuosity
As John Barth says, technique in art is like technique in
lovemaking -- heartfelt ineptitude has its charms, as does heartless
skill -- but what we all long for is passionate virtuosity. The
goal is to make the ' techniques' of storytelling vanish, leaving
only the storyteller's depth of feeling, wit and conviction in
evidence.
Who Says?
The function of the narrator in storytelling is a key issue.
Storytelling's resonance is derived, to a great extent, by the
creative tensions between the narrator as the intelligence within
the literature, the performing narrator, and the characters of
the story. What emerges in a telling is a co-expression of styles,
and in this coalescence a fresh and compelling language that allows
the literature to astound us. This workshop focuses on the narrative
functions, and explores the ways in which the harmony and the
dissonance among these voices can be amplified.
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Workshops for Children
An important element in these programs is the experience of the
principle that listening to stories lays the twin tracks for reading
and writing. Carol has developed a series of engaging exercises
to bring the basic skills of literature alive for children.
I'm still hearing superlatives from the teachers but, more
important, the kids want to know when you're coming back.
- Anne Leone, Director Teacher Training Program.
Who Says?
Understanding the function of the fictional point of view.
The Trouble With Princesses (And Other Royal Figures)
Seeing the ways an author brings characters to life.
When Pigs Were Swine...
Playing with time and place in a story.
And Then What Happened?
Following the sequence of events in a tale: "somebody wanted
something, but...".
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Educational Goals in Performances for Children
Telling stories builds connections between listeners, literature,
language, and me. Leading students from the fractious spaces of
school auditoriums and cafeterias into the mind's eye, where imaginative
stories live, is my goal. Passively watching me 'perform' stories
is not a goal. Children need me to be present and in the moment
on a basic level, therefore, I prefer to draw on a repertoire
of stories from my career of thirty years, rather than pre-packaging
programs for young audiences.
Programs begin with a sure-fire story (humorous, a touch scary
or best of all, a seemingly scary tale with a humorous ending)
to accomplish several things: the story engages listeners, focuses
energies in the room, 'proves' both storytelling's appeal and
assures them I know they aren't 'babies.' These -- very tangible
-- intangibles make it possible for kids to listen to more
subtle or layered stories which follow.
Storytelling supports the curriculum implicitly and explicitly,
allowing teachers to use character, plot, and themes in stories
as models for discussions, as jumping-off places, as opportunities
for comparisons, or to reinforce the lessons of the day. The art
of storytelling needs no excuse for its existence, and yet it
does accomplish much -- deftly and subtly -- and provides an array
of educational experiences:
Turned-On to Words
The greatest gift of a language arts program helps children develop
an ease and facility with words, while restoring vitality to today's
language that has reduced "joy" to a soap, "passion" to a perfume
& "kindness" to a hair product.
A Wealth of Images
Seeing with the inward eye -- envisioning -- is the first step
in developing both creativity and empathy. As Ursula Le Guin said
on accepting the National Book Award: "At this point, realism
is perhaps the least adequate means of understanding or portraying
the incredible realities of our existence...For, as a great scientist
[Einstein] has said and as all children know, it is by the imagination,
above all, that we achieve perception and compassion and hope."
Memories Worth Having
Stories bundle up the past, making it a gift for the future.
In the "fabrication" of stories lie the deeper truths of living.
Here is entertainment with value!
Models for Behavior
Stories subtly reinforce the values all of us need to survive
as a people and to personally thrive, stressing the importance
of: putting yourself in alinement with trustworthy people; not
being fooled by appearances; developing common sense, fairness,
and a sense of humor; evaluating when to be courageous and when
to act with compassion.
A Celebration of Cultures
Stories move us with an experience of what is universal in the
human heart, while simultaneously celebrating the geographic,
historic, ethnic, religious, and cultural details that distinguish
cultures. Stories lie at the heart of the human experience; they
are a wellspring for multi-cultural education.
Learning Tools
Stories subtly reinforce the skills needed for today's literature-based
programs: listening and sequencing skills, language development,
experiencing first hand how style, tone, point of view and other
literary terms function in a story.
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Intensives
John Barth has said that technique in art is like technique in
lovemaking --- heartfelt ineptitude has its charms, as does heartless
skill, but what we all long for is passionate virtuosity!
Finding your voice isn’t as simple as it sounds. Finding
the place for your voice in written texts can seem even more daunting.
This storytelling intensive will help you identify and develop
both your voice and your place within a story. Storytelling's
resonance is derived, to a great extent, from creative tensions
among the storyteller, the narrative voice within the story,
and individual characters. What emerges in effective storytelling
is a co-expression of styles, and in this coalescence is the fresh
and compelling language that allows oral tale telling to astound
us. Amplifying the harmony and dissonance among these voices is
what separates the finest storytellers from the very able. Although
years have passed since I identified particular problems in working
with this multi-layered reality, I now have models and exercises
that better suggest solutions.
This is not a coaching workshop, which is to say, this is not
a workshop dedicated to micro-surgery on one or two tales. Rather,
you will be challenged on broader issues and given tools to use
on all your stories, so that each story comes from
a stronger, and more definitively personal, base.
If at all possible, I set up venues so participants can tell
their story in a public space, as well as in the private
space of the intensive. To take advantage of what I have to offer,
you'll need to bring photocopies of several stories, even if they
are personal stories, so that you can more easily identify certain
aspects of your stories and make notes on the pages. Please limit
the stories you'll be telling to less than 15 minutes to allow
ample time for feedback.
Most stories tell of those who struggle to balance courage and
compassion, good humor and good sense. I would hope for a similar
balance in our time together.
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