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Okay,
it's time to tell your own story!
So far, you have:
- Chosen your folktale;
- Created an outline;
- Brainstormed and
written;
- Narrated.
Now rehearse and perform
the folktale you chose with expressive voice and gesture. Be sure to know
the outline thoroughly, but when performing, you don't have to memorize
the stories. By not memorizing them you will get to know them thoroughly
but still tell them with slight differences every time. Every time you
tell, you must let the story live in you. Not all stories will be as raucous
as Monkey. You will discover that each story is a new experience. A good
storyteller listens and responds to the personality of the story. Part
of being a good storyteller is knowing how much to do. I think of it as
painting a picture with our body and voice. If you painted with colors
and splashed too much paint on the page, everything would blend and become
an ugly brown. Similarly, in a story, we can't use too much movement or
sound or the listener won't be able to follow the plot. I always say,
use only what happens spontaneously.
Don't plan everything
out. Instead, having prepared to tell the story, let yourself play. Don't
be shy. Go ahead and try. You may overdo, but better to overdo than to
prevent yourself from trying. You can edit what doesn't work. After you
rehearse the story many times, you will find certain moments repeating
themselves. These are probably the voices and gestures to keep, but new
ideas will also appear, and you must let them affect you. The audience/listener
enjoys watching you taking a risk. So jump into the story. Let your voice
get louder and softer. Let yourself gesture with your whole body. Find
places for the characters to emerge. Let yourself play. And always remember
the first person to please is yourself.
When you are satisfied
that your story is complete, you can perform it for your friends and classmates.
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