If you had to share a personal story in only six minutes, what would you say?
That was the challenge taken on by a group of 10 first-time, live-storytellers when they signed up for the Community Storytelling Project, a workshop and performance by Replay Storytelling hosted at Soulpepper Theatre. The storytellers told completely true stories, from their own lives.
The stories ranged from chasing monkeys away from a clothing line outside of a dorm room, to navigating the complex dynamics within a family. One thing they all happened to have in common was a personal triumph — big or small.
The Artistic Director of Replay Storytelling, Paul Aflalo, shares the workshop process, from preparation at 10 a.m. to performing live at 7 p.m. in the courtyard at Soulpepper Theatre.
The workshop was divided into three sessions. First, storytellers introduced themselves through their stories. Next, they discussed the structure of their story. Knowing where the story starts and ends is the hardest part, but once the beginning and end were established, the rest came naturally.
“Throughout the day, [the storytellers] worked on the meat and the heart of [their] story, looking at it from a structural point of view and narrative, but also looking at a narrative through feeling, because that’s how you convey the best stories: through the emotions and the feelings you’re experiencing within the moment of telling the story,” explains Aflalo.
Aflalo studied documentary film at Concordia University. He then worked in the film and documentary industry, where he fell in love with the art of storytelling.
“I sort of slipped into radio accidentally, and then into podcasting. And it was doing more of that:, interviewing people, talking to them and bringing out their stories through whatever it was they were doing,” he says.
“It’s really wonderful to encourage people and to empower them to tell their own stories. That’s what I love about what we do with Replay Storytelling.
“You don’t need to be a performer to tell a story. Anyone can tell a story, and we help them shape their stories and get them ready for a show.”
Erin Jones, one of the storytellers that evening, shares how her dynamic with her grandmother had changed dramatically as she got older and eventually fostered a greater connection to her in the last few years before her death.
Later in her life, Jones gained power of attorney over her ageing grandmother and learned about the debts her grandmother had accumulated while doing her best to take care of the family. “That fierce loyalty to me, in return, I have fierce loyalty for her,” says Jones.
Jones began storytelling back in 2020 during the pandemic. “Theatre shut down and we suddenly had time to reflect, because artists couldn’t be on-stage,” she explains.
That summer, Jones discovered that she needed to undergo an invasive medical procedure that could potentially affect her memory. Afraid of losing her memories of her grandmother, Jones sought to keep her memory alive through storytelling.
“Losing her once was enough, but to potentially lose her memory and to lose her legacy — I don’t want to do that. That’s why I thought, ‘You got to tell the story while you have the chance, just in case, and have others hold it for you,’” she says.
Another storyteller at the event, Nina shared how her queer identity had affected her relationship with her mother and her religious community, and how she learned to love her mother despite their disagreements.
“I felt really nervous at first because I haven’t been on stage in the capacity of sharing my story like that, as I [find it] shameful or I don’t want to hurt the people in my life by telling this story,” she says.
“But I also think sharing our experiences, no matter how uncomfortable they make us feel, is so important for connecting with people, especially in how the world is right now.”
“I think love is complicated,” she tells Excalibur. “No, I can’t change [my mother]. The only thing I can do is change myself and how I see her. Not changing myself at the core — I can’t change how I feel about other people, my queerness or who I am as a person, but how I show up and just give her unconditional love and not bring more hatred into the world.
Nina’s story encapsulates a common motivation among many of the storytellers that evening: the desire to be understood while also striving to empathise with others, especially when it’s difficult.
“I think humans are also very complicated,” Nina continues. “Sometimes we tend to forget how complicated we are as people and that the world isn’t so black and white, and that there is a grey area to things. I don’t think one thing about a person shows who they are overall.
“Not that it sets me apart as a person, but it just makes me feel more whole by doing that because life is so incredibly short. If we focus on the small things that disconnect us from one another, we can’t find that connection.”
Every month, Replay Storytelling picks a theme and invites people to submit their stories on that theme.
“We do it because we love it. And I want people to share their stories,” says Aflalo.
Replay Storytelling’s next event with the theme “Cringeworthy” will be on Oct. 16 at Burdock Brewery. For more information and to get tickets, click here.
