Biblical storytelling

Biblical storytelling is a discipline in which the storyteller takes a passage from the Bible, studies and reflects on that passage, and then tells it in a way so that the hearers may best connect with the story as well. This is often done by learning the words of the story by heart and acting out the story whilst telling it. Traditionally this is done with narrative sections in the Bible, yet Biblical storytelling has been used with other Biblical genres as well. [ [http://www.dennisdewey.org/perfs.html The performance repertoire of a professional Biblical Storyteller which spans a variety of genres] ]

History

Biblical storytellers place themselves in line with the oral tradition of the Biblical time-period, understanding that the normal mode of engaging with the Bible during this time was through the public reading of scripture [ [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%204:13;&version=47; 1 Timothy 4:13] ] or in the retelling of stories [cite book
last = Dickson
first = John
authorlink = John Dickson
title = The Christ Files
publisher = Blue Bottle Books
date = 2006
location = Sydney
pages = pp. 55-70

] . Modern Biblical storytelling as a discipline may be traced to Tom Boomershine who experimented with the idea of memorising stories in the Bible and telling them during seminary [ [http://www.nobs.org/What%20Is%20NOBS.wmv What is NOBS movie 1:35] Tom Boomershine explains his introduction to Biblical Storytelling] . In 1977, he together with Gil Bartholomew (now Adam Bartholomew) then went to begin the Network of Biblical Storytellers (NOBS). Storytelling guilds began to start internationally with Australia in 1990, Canada in 1996, the United Kingdom and in Singapore.

Techniques

Internalization

The term memorization is rarely used when describing storytelling because it usually is taken to mean rote learning. Instead the process is described as 'internalization' or 'committing to deep memory' [http://www.nobs.org/what_is.html] . As a result of this process the general expectation is that the storyteller will be able to tell the story with 95% content accuracy and 75% verbal accuracy [http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/interviews/dewey.asp Interview with Dennis Dewey] . Techniques may be used as follows:
#Making sure the script is easy to read
#Breaking up the story into scenes
#Identifying key words and phrases
#Identifying locations
#Investigating and understanding characters
#Tracking the emotional journey
#Understanding how the story functions in the wider context

Presentation

Presenting a story from the Bible borrows many techniques from acting, yet in many ways it is quite a distinct art form. Instead of solely taking on one character, the storyteller describes the entire scene in the imagination of the audience. Because storytelling is usually done without many props or sets, this requires the storyteller to visualise the scene of the story in order to describe it physically whilst telling the story. A number of techniques may be used:
#Locations - Using consistent places in the space for locations and characters in the story.
#Reacting - Acting as an emotional guide for the audience.
#Gesturing - Pointing or gesturing to show the audience where objects are in the imaginary scene.
#Miming - Interacting with things or characters to give them a tangible reality.
#Acting Out - Demonstrating events or actions whilst talking about them.
#Characterization - Using different tones of voice/accents or different stances to distinguish different characters and to give them depth and meaning.

Types of Biblical storytelling

ingle Person Performances

Much of Biblical Storytelling is done as a single storyteller learning one story from the Bible and performing it:
* when the Bible passage would normally be read (e.g. in Church meeting)
* as a special drama for an occasion (the death and resurrection of Jesus for an Easter event)
* in a meeting of storytellers to share stories

Epic storytelling

At events where storytellers are gathering together, an "Epic Storytelling" may be set where different parts of the longer story are distributed to those coming together before the gathering and the epic story is told at the event with each of the storytellers telling their sections.

Ensemble Storytelling

In a theatrical Biblical Storytelling performance with multiple storytellers, there may be only one "speaking" storyteller at a time, so the other storytellers may be used to enhance the telling in the following ways [ [http://www.thebackyardbard.com/Workshops/EnsembleStorytelling.pdf A workshop on Ensemble Storytelling by The Backyard Bard] :
* by being non-verbal characters in the scene
* to be part of the set
* lines could be distributed or said in unison for dramatic effect
* by adding a soundscape (e.g. cheering, mourning, laughing or making sound effects)

ee also

* Bible story
* List of Bible stories
* Network of Biblical Storytellers - An international Biblical Storytelling organization
* The Backyard Bard - An Australian Biblical Storytelling theatre company
* Christian drama
* Oral tradition

External links

* [http://www.dennisdewey.org/ Dennis Dewey] - A Professional Biblical Storyteller
* [http://www.thebackyardbard.com/ The Backyard Bard Website]
* [http://www.onemanshow.org One Man Show Ministries] -- a Christian Drama Ministry featuring Costumed Monologues

References