Bring Kids to Your Stage, Community, Festival, or Classroom with PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE STORYTELLING: “Where Students Learn and Tell Together!

What is Performance Ensemble Storytelling?

Ensemble Storytelling is a program designed by Kevin that enables children of all ages to be empowered by telling stories with other kids often on a public stage. Kevin draws from his masters in storytelling and education, his Ph.D work, as well as his experience as a full time storytelling teacher, both at high school and college levels, to create and implement storytelling connections that are student driven. He travels across the country providing instruction on story curriculum. From these unique experiences Kevin has designed methods to help boost a student’s confidence and in a short time provide for the student the tools to not only perform on stage but to invite further storytelling connections in their lives. This ensemble teaching provides the much needed voice of kids and young adults a place on a storytelling stage to share their work.

Under Kevin’s skillful mediation and coaching, students collaboratively create stories that incorporate their collective voices through ensemble storytelling. As an ensemble, they invest in the stories. Stories are not written down, but instead composed by the students. The direction of the story is not solely on telling, but instead on sharing the whole story. Each student invests in story contributing both physically and vocally. Both organic and planned story construction is encouraged and developed in each performance. Stories are not realized from scripts, but instead actualized together each time a tale is shared.

Why Does “Ensemble Storytelling” Work?

Kevin has discovered that when kids tell with other kids and an adult shares the stage with them; group confidence builds as well as individual assurance from the experience. Basically, kids feel comfortable when others kids tell together. Their comfort level is increased by having a trained storytelling coach telling with the students. Kevin not only provides workshops on training kids to tell in ensemble training but coaches adults how to be an “Ensemble Teller.”

Why Should A Festival or School Bring Ensemble Storytelling To Their Program?

Put simply, it works! Every festival or school program wants to encourage kids to see the value that comes from storytelling. In addition to this storytelling organizers would like parents and grandparents to know the value of story. Ensemble Storytelling compliments these goals. When parents know their own child or a friend of their son or daughter from their hometown is on stage and will be telling with a professional storyteller, the attendance often rises in the audience. Grandparents, neighbors, and others will come to see their community is a telling format. This sends a message that storytelling is a coveted art but it is one that every community can be involved in.

Be involved in an innovative program that celebrates youth and adults telling together. It works!