See a photo of Penelope, her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A.
Q&A with Penelope Starr, Question 2:
Q: How do you go about choosing the people who participate in Odyssey Storytelling (See yesterday’s entry)? Do you ensure that they are good storytellers? What has the audience response to the event been like?
Q: For the first show on March 4, 2004, I had to do a lot of fast talking to convince some of my friends to go on stage at this untried event. I could tell them the concept but I couldn’t answer any questions yet. Now we have a reputation as a fun and interesting monthly event, a large mailing list and a pool of fans that spread the word.
We have posted the themes for the rest of the year so people can visit our website and see where their favorite story will fit in. They call or email with a synopsis of the story and a brief bio, and we go from there. We have a rehearsal before each show where they meet the other storytellers, practice their stories, and give and get feedback. Adam Hostetter, who joined Odyssey two years ago as assistant producer, and I offer coaching at the rehearsal and are available for 1:1 sessions if requested.
Since one of our goals at Odyssey is diversity, sometimes a theme will
need someone with a certain backgrounds and expertise. In that case, we will contact a community member and invite them to be a teller.
We do not “ensure that they are good storytellers;” we help each person be the best storyteller that they can be. Some are better than others; there is lots of variety. The main focus is on the sincerity and realness of each teller and that is what the audience responds to.
Audience response has generally been very positive, depending on the combination of the content and the skill of the teller. The most common feedback we hear is how a story touched a listener personally, evoking empathy and connection and triggering their own memories of similar situations.