Audiovore kicks off our new series called Fortunate Listener at the Mercury Cafe on Wednesday, March 27th, with The Narrators fronting the bill. The Narrators is a monthly storytelling show hosted by Andrew Orvedahl and Robert Rutherford that features comedians, actors, musicians, writers, and other creative types sharing true stories from their lives centered on a monthly theme. Fortunate Listener will borrow The Narrators from their home at Deer Pile for a special evening at the Mercury with “Tales From the Road”. We caught up with Andrew and Robert early this week to talk storytelling:
Audiovore: How did The Narrators get started?
Andrew: I originally created The Narrators out of a frustration with not being able to tell longer stories in my stand-up performance. I created it in Los Angeles and called it ‘Storytime’, but when I moved back to Denver I discovered there was already a jam band here called Storytime, so I changed it to The Narrators.
AV: Who were your first storytellers and what was the theme?
Andrew: In its incarnation as The Narrators, the first theme was ‘Poverty’, and some of the storytellers were: Dan Landes, Ravi Zupa, Adam Cayton-Holland, Sam Tallent, Chuck Roy, and Roger Green, to name a few.
AV: There seem to be storytelling nights popping up across the country, with some podcasts like the Moth Podcast becoming extremely popular. What’s the big deal with storytelling?
Andrew: Without intending to sound pretentious, I think storytelling is part of this oral tradition that goes back through human history. I bet cavemen huddled around a fire loved a good yarn as much as I love hearing them every third Thursday. Real stories from real lives are fascinating because there’s an emotional resonance behind them, they’re coming up and out of a person who experienced them, not just created from an imagination.
Robert: One of the best things anyone has said about The Narrators (and I think this applies to storytelling shows in general) is that everyone goes home feeling less alone. There is something about the removal of performative artifice through telling a true story that helps people to connect on a very basic level, and listening to others articulate their everyday struggles and triumphs somehow validates your own.
AV: What makes a good story?
Andrew: I’d say the greatest component to the stories I enjoy is truth, both truth in the telling (as in not embellishing to falsely inflate the tale), but also truth in yourself and your emotions. Sometimes telling a hard story is a very vulnerable experience, and it’s weird to stand on stage and be outwardly and truly sad, but if that’s what’s real in the story, then that’s what the story deserves.
Robert: I agree with Andrew. I think the best stories are the ones that ring with authenticity. It’s a singular quality of all of the best stories we’ve heard on the show. It has nothing to do with whether the story is funny or sad or difficult for the storyteller to dig through, the audience knows when they are hearing something real and honest and that is what they respond to the most favorably.
AV: Who have been a couple audience favorites so far, and why were they so effective?
Andrew: One of my all-time favorite stories was from Timmi Lasley. She told a story about a gift her mother made her, and brought it along and passed it around. And the story sort of began on this lighthearted note, and everyone was laughing at the homemade gift, but by the end, there was so much emotional resonance in the story, the gift was like a sacred object to all of us. It was so fascinating to see context change in just ten short minutes. Another recent favorite was a story by Mara Wiles, and in it she talked about her nightmares since going on dialysis, and Mara is this super funny person, but the story was very sad and terrifying and moving. You could definitely feel her emotions through the story.
Robert: We’ve been fortunate to have so many storytellers give so freely of themselves. The Narrators is a free event in a community space. The people who come to tell stories and the audiences that come to hear them come together because they all believe in that singular power of truth-telling, and we’ve heard a lot of that during the show’s run. I’m always blown away by the wit, honesty, and bravery that the storytellers bring every month. Having said that, I’m a huge fan of playwright Ellen K. Graham, who is a regular guest. Her writing is dense and unflinchingly intelligent and her storytelling style is direct and nervous and subtle. I turn her stories over in my mind for weeks after she tells them. Kent Shelton is another favorite. He is gifted with a classic knack for naturally spinning a good yarn. Every time he takes the stage he just pulls people in and takes his time, and people love being along for the ride.
AV: Do you tell stories each week?
Andrew: The show is monthly, and both Robert and I tell a story each month. We alternate hosting and choosing themes.
AV: Since starting The Narrators, do you live or act any differently so that you develop compelling story material?
Andrew: I do not. I think it would ruin an experience to go into it ‘looking’ for a story.
Robert: Me neither. I have faith that I’ll always be capable of making poor decisions, strong comebacks, and fantastic failures just like everybody else. I’ll be fucked if I get to a point where all I can talk about is what I did at the gym or how my high school years were a golden age.
AV: What do you have planned for The Narrators in 2013?
Andrew: The Narrators has definitely settled into its new home at Deer Pile, and the podcast is kicking butt. We’ve also received a number of offers to bring The Narrators to other events, which is cool. I love the storytelling scene in Denver and it’s getting stronger and stronger.
Robert: I want to keep growing our cache of storytellers and turn more people on to the amazing storytellers who make our show what it is.
AV: Tell Audiovore a story around the theme “Instinct” in 100 words or less:
Andrew: Instinctually I’d have to say a good story probably can’t be squeezed into 100 words.
Robert: I can do it with 15 words: I failed to heed my instincts when I paid for that Winnie the Pooh tattoo.
