THE POWER OF STORY
As I’ve mentioned here before, my friend and classmate Bill Corry and I have been performing in nursing homes and senior centers for the past several months. Up until recently, we have followed a standard format: a series of upbeat songs dating from the 1920s through the 1960s, interspersed with patter about the history of each song and interesting facts about the composer. We’ve gotten pretty good at it (well, Bill has always been good; it took me a while to stop telegraphing an apology to the audience for having to sit and listen to me), but nearly everyone who does this work is at least pretty good, and our act had started to feel a little like a grammar-school talent show. We needed something to set us apart, some quality not necessarily shared by more accomplished singers.
Finally, we hit on it: We are actors. I am a writer. And as Bill pointed out, “Whenever we sing, someone in the audience wants to know if we’re married. They want the narrative.”
So I set to work writing a narrative that would incorporate the songs we had decided on for our Valentine’s Day show. It is definitely not Obie material—basic BGG/BLG, etc., with more than the usual demand for suspension of disbelief—but it has transformed the rehearsal process for us. We’re no longer fumbling around, trying to remember which song comes next—we’re living out the narrative, and so the songs flow naturally from the story. We’re also investing more easily in the emotions of the songs.
We’ve been rehearsing over the past few weeks, refining the (admittedly thin) plot and incorporating helpful suggestions from our wonderful accompanist, Erica. I’ll let you know how it goes—but in the moment, at least, I’m in awe, once again, of the power of story.
Susan O'Doherty, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with a New York City-based practice. A fiction writer herself, she specializes in issues affecting writers and other creative artists. She is the author of Getting Unstuck without Coming Unglued: A Woman's Guide to Unblocking Creativity(Seal, 2007). Her Career Coach column appears every Monday on Inside Higher Ed's Mama, Ph.D. blog, and she is a regular guest panelist on Litopia After Dark. Send your questions to her at Dr.Sue at mindspring dot com.
Comments