The art of telling a good story

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Tales from the Bible with a twist?

The Anglican Parish of Pembroke is now hosting The Great Storytelling Week on offer are stories from the Bible, told from the narrator’s perspective.

American Bob Hartman has shared his versions of Biblical tales with various congregations for 25 years.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resident first started telling Bible stories while working as a church pastor in the UK.

“We had an older congregation and they knew the Bible stories,” said Mr Hartman. “I started telling the Bible stories from different angles and different points of view. They became intrigued. I moved back to the United States in late 1980s. My brother Tim had been in children’s theatre and got interested in storytelling. We formed a storytelling team and worked for the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum for 25 years.”

Someone suggested Mr Hartman write down some of his stories. He followed up on the idea and now has several published works under his belt including ‘Anyone Can Tell a Story’, ‘Lion Storyteller Bible’, ‘Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book’ and ‘Telling the Bible’.

While some oral storytellers might prefer to improvise a story as they tell it, Mr Hartman said he prefers to write his down ahead of time and rehearse it.

“I try to memorise my stories,” he said. “I am into getting just the right words. That is the process that works for me. It is not what everyone does.”

He might rejig or refashion a story in its first couple of tellings depending on audience reaction.

He said oral storytelling of Bible stories often helps to back up what is written in the Bible, because it helps to bring the Bible to life for people.

“Sometimes it helps people who know the story from the Bible feel like they are seeing it again for the first time,” he said. “People will sometimes say, I didn’t realise that part of the story was in there.”

Mr Hartman said one of his favourite stories is an African story called ‘Tortoise Brings Food’.

“This is one I probably tell the most,” he said. “It is a story about a group of animals that are really hungry. There is a special tree. If they could say the name of the tree then the tree will give them all the food they need but first they need to get to the top of a hill very quickly and get back. The tortoise volunteers, and everyone laughs at him because he is slow. At the end of the day he manages to do it.”

With all the technology and glossy graphics that today’s children are exposed to, you’d think they would find old fashioned storytelling dull.

Mr Hartman said this is far from the case.

“The kids love it,” he said. “That is the coolest thing about it. I do a lot of storytelling training all over the place. We think kids will be knocked out by all the computer-generated stuff, but in reality they get that stuff all the time. When they see storytelling done really well they are just gobsmacked. Kids love that interpersonal, face to face stuff with the storytelling process. ”

While Mr Hartman is in Bermuda, he will be telling stories, teaching a storytelling workshop and participating in a panel discussion with local storytellers.

The workshop is open to anyone who wants to come out and improve their storytelling abilities.

His gift has taken Mr Hartman all over the world. He was recently in Thailand, England and Switzerland and he plans to visit Iraq next month.

“I have done a lot of work in the Middle East and I will be going to Iraq with some people I have worked with before,” he said. “We will be up north in the Kurdish area. You would think more traditional cultures wouldn’t be interested in having storytelling and storytelling training, but the influence of the West has pushed out a lot of traditional storytelling.”

He believes the art of storytelling is being brought back around the world, as wherever he goes he meets other storytellers.

“It is definitely something that is being revived in all different shapes and sizes,” said Mr Hartman.

The Great Storytelling Week is on now through Sunday.

The Anglican Parish of Pembroke St John’s, St Monica’s and St Augustine’s churches will host periods of storytelling for children today though Friday.

The Great Story Club will run between 4.15pm and 5.45pm in a tent outside St John’s Anglican Church on St John’s Road for children ages three through 13.

Admission is free; refreshments will be provided.

A workshop takes place on Friday at 10.30am. Tickets, $15, are available from the church office.

On Sunday there will be a service for all ages at St Monica’s Anglican Church.

For more information e-mail stjohnsangch@ibl.bm.

Useful websites: www.parishofpembroke.com; www.nonstopstoryshop.com.

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