So what's your story? Share it in the comments. Maybe I have a story or two to tell my kids. They shape entire cultures.Īfter traveling through European hostels, visiting churches in Latin America, and staying in homes throughout North America, I've conceded to my dad's prophetic statement. Stories are written to be shared, and it is our responsibility to retell those that we witness - not only for our own sake, but for the benefit of others. Nothing is so warm and inviting, yet so challenging and poignant, as a powerful story, told well. ( Click here to tweet that.) The power of stories Over the next couple years, I realized something:Īround every corner is a story waiting to be told.
Maybe it wasn't the most moral or inspirational piece of life experience I could ever share with my offspring, but the guy had a point: It was one heck of a story. And that I did.Īfter a girl broke off an engagement to date me and my whole fraternity went up in arms over the issue - all within two weeks before the beginning of summer break - a friend pointed out, “Dude, you gotta write that down. My dad gave me a journal on my 19th birthday, encouraging me to fill it with rich stories. It was my freshmen year of college when the theme of storytelling re-emerged in my life. With his tales of UFO sightings and Walter Payton autographs, it seemed unlikely. First Nations people use stories that date back tens of thousands of years to pass history and culture from one generation to the. But storytelling has always been a big part of society and relationships. I wondered if it could be true, that I would one day have stories better than my dad's. If the internet has taught us one thing, it’s that everyone has a story and we love to share them. You'll have even better stories that you'll tell to your son.” He reminded me that everyone has a story to tell they just don't always realize it. I'll never have stories as good as yours.”īut would laugh and then reply confidently, “Sure you will. I remember saying at one point, “Dad, you have some great stories. I was fascinated with the tales of him and his friend Marty, causing some kind of mischief. When I was a kid, every night he would tell me an anecdote from his childhood. Visit for tickets.My dad introduced me to storytelling. Who knows - yours may be told on the Wilson Mainstage. In The Heart-Led Leader: How Living and Leading from the Heart Will Change Your Organization and Your Life, Tommy Spaulding shares how everyone has a story and how vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. This makes Informed Consent not only interactive, but very different at each performance. When we share stories of the defining moments in our lives, we connect at a deeper level, beyond roles and goals. Life is a beautiful masterpiece bound together by your experiences.
The cast will choose cards and at various points in the play, what is written on them becomes part of the dialogue. Everyone has a story to tell, a lesson to teach, and wisdom to share. These cards will be deposited in bowls and taken backstage just prior to performance. In the lobby there will be cards, asking you to anonymously tell us various things about yourself such as: when did you first see your love? What were your first thoughts after losing a loved one? Tell us about your child. Laufer goes beyond the science and poses the question - what decides who we are? Is it our DNA? Our traditions? Memories? Achievements?Īs everyone has a story, we are inviting the audience to tell theirs, which will become part of the fabric of the play.
At once clinical and very personal, five actors on a set which can only be described as a work of art, take us through the story of Jillian, a genetic anthropologist and how her professional and personal worlds collide. In Informed Consent, which has its world premiere this week, she has woven a tapestry of stories of tradition and science, of faith and fact. Playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer is a master storyteller.
As storytellers, we know that everyone has a story to tell and share.
Stories that make us laugh and cry and those that help us to understand the human condition.