MISSOULA - It is true, everybody has a story. It could be an epic tale or an interesting anecdote -- funny, sad, or triumphant.
A Missoula non-profit is encouraging people to tell their stories through “Tell Us Something” -- and people have a lot to say.
“The thing that is so cool about Tell us Something; it’s an opportunity to get a slice of in-depth storytelling from community members, a huge array of different experiences that make up part of our community,” explained Richelle Devoe.
Devoe is a storyteller and a fan of Tell Us Something, which is a celebration of storytelling, the community and each other.
It started in 2011 and it is just what it sounds like, an evening of true stories told by regular people on stage to an audience, revealing something about themselves.
“Some haven’t been on the stage before. They’re regular people like me and you and talking our truth and some are hilarious stories, and some are heartbreaking stories,” Tell Us Something executive director Marc Moss said.
Moss told MTN News that storytellers get three minutes to pitch their story on the pitch line. A selection committee picks the story ideas that fit that event’s theme, and then those selected get together to workshop and practice their stories that are no longer than 10 minutes in length.
“I think people really crave a human connection in sharing and listening to stories. That happens when we are listening to someone share a story, our mind is syncing with their brain,” Moss said. “If I’m telling you about running on a soccer field after the rain just came and the grass is cut, you know, your brain is doing the same thing. We sync up. We learn about our community and about.”
“After the event, I’ve had people come up to me at my job and say ‘oh, were you in this event?’ A lot of them have said, ‘oh, I would like to do that but I am just not brave enough or I have this story that I've been hanging on to but I just don’t know how it would be received’,” explained Hannah Harvey who was on stage this past December. “And I just think that there’s no harm in trying. There’s no harm in sending a pitch. For me, it was very therapeutic and felt like a really good way to connect with people.”
“We are living in a time where people don’t listen. We don’t listen to one another we don’t listen to stories that are different than ours,” Devoe said. “And I think that what makes us who we are is the stories we tell about ourselves.”
Moss noted, “it’s almost like a contract between the listener and the storyteller. And it encourages dialog, really.”
The next show will take place on March 30 at the Dennison Theater and there’s still time to put in your pitch. It’s your story, and your community really wants to hear it.
“I love getting to hear someone tell a story and then see them in line at the grocery store. Or as a county commissioner or see them out in our day-to-day lives, and hear about them as a full human,” Devoe said “It’s a really cool, beautiful thing.”
“It was so exciting to see how many people turned out for it. It’s just a reminder about how good humanity is and how nice it is that we can all come together again,” Harvey said.
Tell Us Something also had a podcast where you can listen to the stories told on stage. Visit https://www.tellussomething.org/ for additional information.
