The Lost Art of Storytelling in the Digital Age
June 27, 2019
When’s the last time you found yourself captivated by a fairy-tale? Or lost yourself in an eccentric or fantastic story? We’re not talking about reading a book or watching a video on a mobile device.
We’re talking about an honest-to-goodness, in-person storytelling experience
—not unlike the bedtime stories and campfire yarns that mesmerised you as a child.
This type of encounter is missing from our modern lives, and one thing we all have in common is that we don’t get as much of it as we should. Unless, of course, we attend festivals on a regular basis.
Curated festivals are where a varied assortment of colourful weirdos, twisted musicians, theatrical narrators, mysterious magicians, spirited actors and flamboyant dancers tell us—and show us—the stories we’ve been craving.
WHY ALL THIS FOCUS ON STORYTELLING?
Do your Part to Raise Storytelling Awareness
As we witness the enchantment that happens at festivals—particularly those festivals where spirited performers fully engage attendees with drama, tragedy and uproarious humour—we can see the benefits of story. We see the smiles and the wide, attentive eyes. We hear the accolades and see the same faces return for more. We sense the fulfilment of a need.
When communities are connected, there’s a meeting of like-minded patrons, customers and audiences. Brands are connected to buyers. Residents and others with interests in the community see inherent value, and are mutually invested in its livelihood, as a team.
COULD THIS BE THE ANSWER TO HOW WE HEAL OUR MODERN SOCIETY?
Could filling our collective void really be as simple as inviting our fellow humans to experience storytelling in the form of live entertainment?
Our part is two-fold: Create more opportunities for communities to experience this level of storytelling. Then get the word out so people know those opportunities exist.
Children’s author Carmen Agra Deedy reminds us that stories are indestructible artefacts that rely solely on retelling to exist. She says that they teach us about hope, how to handle a foe, to die with dignity and to laugh at ourselves. You can give all of that and more to your community with a curated festival. Give them the stories, and they will come…again and again.
Does your community need more storytelling? To bring its residents together in the same place, to experience real social connectivity?
All of this happens inside the spaces our tents create, under the spell of our artistic storytellers and colourful characters at curated festivals.
Visit the Bamboozled website to learn more about how storytelling is changing the way communities connect in Australia, and how a festival in your neighbourhood could be just what this digital age needs.
Louise & the Team
Bamboozled Productions