Musical Theatre: Unit 28:"Storytelling as Performance&Unit 17: Developing Voice for the Actor"

                                   Refugee Stories


Purpose of the assignment is to teach practical researching , writing , proofreading , ending , work shopping, performing, vocalizations, and storytelling techniques. This is the second half of a pair of assignments that will fulfil, in, in full, the grading criteria set forth above.

Deadline for this assignment is 11 Feb 2016.

Scenario of this assignment:
David Cameron , the prime minister of Britain, has acknowledged the need to support those individuals displaced by the war in Syria. He has committed to the intake of 10,000 refugees and has set up camps in several boroughs including Waltham Forest. To pacify , initiate, and inform the masses, Mr Cameron has asked for local area Sixth Forms to create performance pieces that emphasize British Values and the British way of life using the unique experiences of the refugees as a way to convey them. Leyton Sixth Form is on exception, and have been asked to put together five 10 min entertaining stories that initiate the refugees of British life; inform them of our customs; and exemplify all those values we hold near and dear whilst relating to the refuges unique experiences. The refugees will be of varying ages and English will not be their first language.

Task 1a: Group research:
In task 1 we have to in groups conduct comprehensive research into the source material used for a story. Include any and all research in our digital scrapbook.

First research I did about British Values:

                                        British values

British values-Through their provision of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural learning (SMSC) all independent and state-maintained schools have a duty to 'actively promote' the fundamental British Values of:

- Democracy

- The rule of law

- Individual liberty

- Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Go-Givers is based on the premise that children deserve space within the safe environment of the classroom, to explore ideas, develop a sense of identity and form opinions.

We provide children with opportunities to gain an understanding of the values we share, and start equipping them with the knowledge and skills to think for themselves, to challenge and debate.

I took this information from: www.gogivers.org

Schools must promote British values, says UK Government

As of November 2014, schools must now promote British values.

Advice from the DfE is to do so through SMSC, though Ofsted will assess it through the curriculum too.

In its press release on 27 November 2014, the Department for Education told all schools to promote 'British values' and produced advice for doing so through SMSC.

Ofsted wants to see a school ethos and climate that promotes 'British values' at every level. Inspectors will assess 'British values' through SMSC, the curriculum and school leadership.

And Ofsted now pays a lot of attention to SMSC when deciding whether your school is 'outstanding', 'inadequate' or somewhere in between.

(Although this website is concerned mainly with primary and secondary education, the British values and Prevent agendas affect early year’s provision too. This page on childcare.co.uk explains how British values and Prevent requirements affect child-minders and early year’s providers.)

How must we teach it?

 Advice from the Department for Education is that British values should be promoted through SMSC.

For maintained schools, this is set out in Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC.

For independent schools, free schools and academies, it is set out in improving the SMSC development of pupils in independent schools.

(Oddly, the DfE makes no mention of the statutory citizenship curriculum; it's as though ministers have completely forgotten they have a subject purpose-built for making sense of such things already.)

What must be taught?

The advice here is basically the same for maintained schools ('state' schools) and independent schools (private schools, academies and free schools):

•Enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence

•enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England

•encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely

•enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England

•further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation for and respect for their own and other cultures

•encourage respect for other people, and

•encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

The only difference for independent schools is in the penultimate paragraph, which now includes them in requirements regarding the Equality Act's protected characteristics:

•encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.

How will it be assessed?

In its revised Framework for school inspection, Ofsted is clear that schools will struggle to get a decent rating if they fail to deliver good SMSC, which now includes 'British values'.

 Ofsted added 'British values' explicitly to the Social strand of SMSC in its School inspection handbook 2014:

'The social development of pupils is shown by their: •acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; the pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.'

In that incarnation, the Schools Inspection Handbook stated explicitly that school leaders must also demonstrate that they were addressing British values through the curriculum. However, this has changed in the School Inspection Handbook from September 2015:

'Inspectors will consider:

'Inspectors should consider how well leadership and management ensure that the curriculum: •how the school prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain and promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.'

•actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.'

 School Inspection Handbook for September 2015, paragraph 138 School Inspection Handbook 2014, paragraph 152

Confusingly, there is a slightly different definition of the last point elsewhere in the current document (at paragraph 135): 'mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs,' which omits 'those without faith'.

Citizenship has it covered

While teaching 'British values' may seem a tall order, never fear: schools have the tools to cover much of it already.

School leaders often overlook the citizenship curriculum, but it's still there for schools (there's even a GCSE and A level in it) and it was purpose-built for exactly this sort of exploration and learning.

Citizenship education underpins much of SMSC. For example, exploring human rights and our political and legal systems through the taught citizenship curriculum goes a long way to learning 'the difference between right and wrong' and 'the consequences of behaviour'.

Resources for discussing values in the classroom

Many teachers are unsure how to approach values teaching. And many worry about discussing the controversial issues that may arise when exploring values. This is understandable, particularly now the Government's Prevent agenda has put a duty on schools to monitor and report on potential extremism (in force from 1 July 2015).

We have a few resources to help teachers explore values appropriately and fairly, and to develop strategies for responding to controversial events.

I took this information from: www.doingsmsc.org.uk

Here I'm posting one example which we thought that we are going to you for our performance:

 

For most Syrians escape from the country against the atrocities of the civil war does not mean the end of their struggle for survival. Some countries still face a dramatic situation, especially with winter. It is not surprising: in the Lebanon resident of more than one million. 

Today, the problem of lack of food, clothing, hygiene products, in view of the coming winter - the lack of stoves, blankets and shelter, affects 3.2 million Syrians who have had to flee the country in search of a safer place. In Syria, they had houses, cars, ran their own businesses. Today, although the dream of returning to the country is not possible because of the situation in it. 

Anis (less than 30) and his 24-year-old wife Sabbah travelled from Syria to Lebanon three weeks ago. A young couple waiting a child lives in a garage with roughly adapted to the apartment. Cool, moist, without heating, with a makeshift bathroom, wall-mounted faucet and a suspended sink, performing the role of the kitchen. It's the only place where you can quickly find shelter. They only had what they were able to take in the suitcase when leaving their hometown subsequently destroyed by the rebels, ISIS fighters and the government army. They entered Lebanon legally, but only because they took pity on them, due to illness of employees in international organisations, it helped Sabbah to cross the border, which is before the borders from Syrian government closed a few weeks ago.  Shelter for refugees is the first need in a new place far from home. Then only the refugees are concerned about the food, and further health or medication. They are seeking help from international organisations, but also local communities. Today, Lebanon has almost 1.2 million refugees at 4 million citizens of this country. In many places, especially at the border, the number of refugees exceeds the number of inhabitants. Despite the difficult situation for all, the Lebanese first reached out to Syria's neighbors, the war drove them from their homeland. Although they are poor, people feed, borrow money or allow borrowing in stores. But not everyone is so lucky.
To get the money to pay debts and rent, Mariah and Abdallah along with their four children were forced to sell part of the food company they got in the framework of humanitarian aid, at prices much lower than its value. Yes, Mariah devoted a cash to pay the rent, buying school supplies and clothing for children. A modest amount is not enough to satisfy even the most modest needs. Abdallah cannot work, because Mariah was forced to sell his shoes and jacket. 

Information I took from Polish website: www.politykaglobalna.pl

Task1b: Individual Suitability Reports:

In this task we have to record ours individual reactions to the research  and describe, explain , and analyse each piece of research's suitability.


Task2: Creations:

In task 2 we have to create a story in our groups, based on ours sources material, showing complete control over style and structure with flair and imagination and showing complete awareness of the needs of the target audience. Documental evidence should be also saved in our digital scrapbook.

Here I'm posting our choice which we will be performing this Thursday:

Gay Syrian refugee couple build a new future in UK

Gay men are never out of the closet in Syria’ ’17 years old beaten up by his friends for being gay’ ‘Gay couple killed for being gay’ -wrote Jamal and Said once in their magazine. ‘It is also common there for families to try to “fix” their gay children through “therapy” and torture.’ After the article was out they were both fired from the magazine job. ‘Do you think that everyone should be tolerated for who they are? – This question was heard by loads of Syrian residents and was asked by Jamal and Said local journalists from Syria. Most of the people said yes straight away but when the other question was asked it turned out that all of the Syrian people actually should say no. ‘So it is okay to be gay and live in Syria then?’ ‘That’s disgusting! How could you even ask that? That’s against our religion.’ ‘Not at all! Are you gay? If so, you should be killed!’ ‘You must be kidding me.’ ‘Well I am gay and I will stand for my rights to live normally!’ SIRENS it wasn’t long till police came to arrest Jamal and Said. But what did they do to get arrested? ‘- get off me! Leave me alone!’ ‘- what did I do be arrested?’ They were beaten up by police men so badly that they couldn’t stand up without help. After they got beaten up they closed them in prison cell. ‘I don’t know why we even bothered to try to convince these people to change their opinions about us’ – said Jamal ‘What are you even saying? We can’t give up like this. We have the right to live.’ – answered Said. Two weeks passed by Jamal and Said had their case considered in court of justice. ‘I swear that evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.’ 3 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BEING GAY the judge decided that they should stay in prison for trying to make people tolerate being gay.

‘I can’t believe this, we have to do something…’ – said Said ‘What do you want to do huh? It was your idea to start all of it! ‘’Let’s stop hiding, we can’t live like this blah, blah’’ now look at us!’ – screamed Jamal ‘So you say we should have kept hiding and stay quiet? And this is not only my fault! You agreed to do this. And you know what? I don’t regret it. Someone had to speak for gay people in Syria!” ‘Yeah? And why us?’ ‘Because we are journalists!’ – He suddenly vomits and has a high fever ‘Oh my god Said. What happened to you – puts his hand on his forehead – you are burning! Help! – Jamal screams for help Ambulance takes them to the hospital. Said has his blood tasted. He has the results in his hand. He opens them. HIV POSITIVE the hospital refused to give him the treatment as it was very expensive. They both remained silent as police men took them back to prison. ‘Said it’s going to be okay…’ He doesn’t answer. Before going to sleep he Said washes his teeth, Jamal is already asleep. Said looks into the mirror breaks it and quickly cuts his veins and falls to the floor. Jamal wakes immediately and screams for help. ‘Said wake up’ – Jamal cries – ‘you can’t do that to me’ ‘Heeelp!’ SIRENS they took him back to the hospital. But they didn’t let Jamal come with them. He stayed in prison not knowing whether he will see his lover again.

We have decided to move to London, UK. Jamal was worried about the anti-retroviral medication, he promised to himself that he must stay healthy. After the help from the doctor, he could focus more on other things like learning the language (English). Said was a little bit jealous about his partner because he was learning the language faster than he was. In order for us to get a job we had to attend English classes 5 times a week and only after finishing the course we would have a chance of getting a job in this country. Our additional work was writing articles online- so far unpaid.

Jamal said: ‘Our personal life has changed, we met new people that we became friends with, although it was difficult to build trust these people accepted us very quickly and allowed us to not feel left out.’

They both love berlin for being welcoming and an easy place to be openly gay ‘it is so different to Lebanon and Syria’ said Jamal. ‘In Lebanon there are two gay clubs, but it “being gay” is illegal’

Right now they are focusing abut building their future as well as finish their studies at the university in England. ‘I am also interested in becoming involved with one of the political parties here’ says Said. ‘We were activists in Syria and we were involved in the protests in early 2011, around the time when the conflict broke out’.

‘I want to work with other refugees who come to Berlin’ says Jamal. ‘I am a refugee so I know what they need. It would be great to be able to help others in the way that I have been helped.’

'Most Syrians who arrive here have psychological problems because of what happened to them’ adds Said. ‘They feel that they’ve lost everything: friends, family, jobs- their life.’

Jamal says some refugees hide their sexual orientation or HIV status because they are afraid. ‘And if they hide, they don’t get help. We could help translate for people dealing with sensitive issues. Imagine if I wasn’t open about my health issues- it would be a disaster.’

Overall, being resettled has given them the chance to start rebuilding the life they were forced to live behind in Syria. ‘We want to start working, be independent, and have good jobs and a salary’ Jamal and Said said. ‘That’s what we’re used to.’

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Information based on true story, took from: www.amnesty.org

Here I'm pasting our script :

Gay Syrian refugee couple build a new future in UK

Marta:

Marta is typing text on typewriter)

Gay men are never out of the closet in Syria.

Daria:

(I’m also typing text on typewriter)

‘17 years old beaten up by his friends for being gay’

Mata:

(The same thing)

‘Gay couple killed for being gay’ -wrote Jamal and Said once in their magazine.

Daria:

(Still the same thing)

‘It is also common there for families to try to “fix” their gay children through “therapy” and torture.’

(Marta is still typing, I just talk)

After the article was out they were both fired from the magazine job.

Marta/Daria

(We both stand up-scene with journalist)

Marta:

‘Do you think that everyone should be tolerated for who they are? – This question was heard by loads of Syrian residents and was asked by Jamal and Said local journalists from Syria.

Daria:

Most of the people said yes straight away but when the other question was asked it turned out that all of the Syrian people actually should say no.

Marta:

‘So it is okay to be gay and live in Syria then?’

Dara:

‘That’s disgusting! How could you even ask that? That’s against our religion.’

Marta:

‘Not at all! Are you gay? If so, you should be killed!’

Daria:

 ‘You must be kidding me.’

Marta/Daria:

(We talk together)

 ‘Well I am gay and I will stand for my rights to live normally!’

(We do together sound of sirens)

(SIRENS)

Marta:

It wasn’t long till police came to arrest. But what did they do to get arrested?

 ‘- Get off me!

Daria:

 Leave me alone!’

Marta:

‘- What did I do be arrested?’

Daria:

(I stand up from the floor and I talk to audience)

 They were beaten up by police men so badly that they couldn’t stand up without help.

Marta:

(Marta stand up and talk to audience as well)

 After they got beaten up they closed them in prison cell.

(We go to prison)

 ‘I don’t know why we even bothered to try to convince these people to change their opinions about us’.

Daria:

(Scene in prison)

‘What are you even saying? We can’t give up like this. We have the right to live.’

Marta:

(Scene in court of justice)

Two weeks passed by Jamal and Said had their case considered in court of justice.

(Clap with the hands)

Marta/Daria:

(We talk together)

‘I swear that evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.’ 3 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BEING GAY?!

 

Daria:

The judge decided that they should stay in prison for trying to make people tolerate being gay.

Daria:

(Scene in prison)

‘I can’t believe this, we have to do something’.

Marta:

 ‘What do you want to do huh? It was your idea to start all of it! ‘’Let’s stop hiding, we can’t live like this blah, blah’’ now look at us!’ (– screamed Jamal)

Daria:

‘So you say we should have kept hiding and stay quiet? And this is not only my fault! You agreed to do this. And you know what? I don’t regret it. Someone had to speak for gay people in Syria!”

Marta:

 ‘Yeah? And why us?’

Daria:

 ‘Because we are journalists!’

Marta:

‘He suddenly vomits and has a high fever ‘Oh my god Said. What happened to you – puts his hand on his forehead – you are burning! Help! – Jamal screams for help Ambulance takes them to the hospital.

(Marta is carry me on the chairs- hospital scene)

Said has his blood tasted. He has the results in his hand. He opens them.

Marta/Daria:

(We talk together)

‘HIV POSITIVE’

The hospital refused to give him the treatment as it was very expensive.

Daria:

They both remained silent as police men took them back to prison.

Marta:

(Prison scene)

‘Said it’s going to be okay…’ He doesn’t answer.

Daria:

Before going to sleep he Said washes his teeth, Jamal is already asleep. Said looks into the mirror breaks it and quickly cuts his veins and falls to the floor.

Marta:

Jamal wakes immediately and screams for help. ‘Said wake up’ – (Jamal cries) – ‘you can’t do that to me’ ‘Heeelp!’

Marta/Daria

(We do together sirens sound)

 ‘SIRENS’

They took him back to the hospital. But they didn’t let Jamal come with them. He stayed in prison not knowing whether he will see his lover again.

…New life, new beginning…

Daria:

We have decided to move to London, Great Britain. Jamal was worried about the anti-retroviral medication, he promised to himself that Said must stay healthy.

Marta:

After the help from the doctor, Jamal could focus more on other things like learning the language (English). Said was a little bit jealous about his partner because he was learning the language faster than he was.

Daria:

In order for us to get a job we had to attend English classes 5 times a week and only after finishing the course we would have a chance of getting a job in this country. Our additional work was writing articles online- so far unpaid.

Marta:

Jamal said: ‘Our personal life has changed, we met new people that we became friends with, although it was difficult to build trust these people accepted us very quickly and allowed us to not feel left out.’

Daria:

They both love London for being welcoming and an easy place to be openly gay.

Marta:

‘It is so different to Lebanon and Syria’ said Jamal. ‘In Lebanon there are two gay clubs, but it “being gay” is illegal’.

Right now they are focusing abut building their future as well as finish their studies at the university in UK.

Daria:

‘I am also interested in becoming involved with one of the political parties here’ (says Said). ‘We were activists in Syria and we were involved in the protests in early 2011, around the time when the conflict broke out’.

Marta:

‘I want to work with other refugees who come to Berlin’ (says Jamal). ‘I am a refugee so I know what they need. It would be great to be able to help others in the way that I have been helped.’

Daria:

‘Most Syrians who arrive here have psychological problems because of what happened to them’ adds Said. ‘They feel that they’ve lost everything: friends, family, jobs- their life.’

Marta:

Jamal says some refugees hide their sexual orientation or HIV status because they are afraid. ‘And if they hide, they don’t get help. We could help translate for people dealing with sensitive issues. Imagine if my partner wasn’t open about his health issues- it would be a disaster.’

Daria:

Overall, being resettled has given them the chance to start rebuilding the life they were forced to live behind in Syria.

Marta/Daria:

(We talk this together)

‘We want to start working, be independent, and have good jobs and a salary’ (Jamal and Said said). ‘That’s what we’re used to.’

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Information based on true story, took from: www.amnesty.org

*Here also I'm pasting some information from UT about Syria refugees:

Task3: Performance:

In task 3 ,in ours performances we have to demonstrate: full control over storytelling techniques, with complete consistency and confidence; communicates the story showing complete awareness of how the style is suited to the target audience. Also we have to demonstrate a comprehensive and fully appropriate application of vocal technique in performance, with confidence, ease and fluency. This all should be saved on digital scrapbook.

General comments:
I think that will be another great performance, I cant wait to perform this. More information about my thoughts on this subject you will find on video which I will applaud this week.

Musical Theatre: Unit 28: " Storytelling ans Performance/Myths&Legends

                                                          


                                     Storytelling

The first thing which we had to do was to find the best or most creative ,dramatic version of the story. In case of myths and legends and find as much information as we can and put the into folder on computer. The more source material that we can find, collate, and combine; the richer our story will be. The next thing we had to do a brief outline of the major thematic elements of my myth. Also I had to include any inciting incidents(I.e. things that drive the action of the story forward.)

So here I will share with you with all my research which I've done this and last week.

Storytelling-is the conveying of events in words, sound and/or images, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and instilling moral values. Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include plot, characters and narrative point of view. The term 'storytelling' is used in a narrow sense to refer specifically to oral storytelling and in a looser sense to refer to narrative technique in other media.

Task1: Preliminary Research

Legend (something that should read, something to read, from the Latin). A story or set of stories about characters or historical figures (or considered to be historical). Usually transmitted in the oral tradition long before fixation in writing. Legends tell of sages, saints, rulers, politicians, warriors and other popular characters. Often they consist of improbable or unrealistic motives. They differ from the myths that have a historical basis and talk about people, not gods - although sometimes the difference is difficult to delineate.

The name derives from the medieval terminology and adopted in Western languages. In celebration of the saints was read during the liturgy stories about their lives and miracles. In the twelfth century, the French sources, the word meant legend hagiographic works; already in the late Middle Ages they began to be used also to stories about historical characters. In the nineteenth century, researchers have begun to define the term legend genre. In modern literature, legend is sometimes confused with myth, fable and fairy tale, because some authors mistakenly use the terms interchangeably.

The most famous legends relate to the saints (George, Nicholas), warriors (King Arthur and his knights), or criminals (Faust, Robin Hood). Modern usually consist of biographical gossip and anecdotes concerning the heroes of mass culture, e.g. the dead movie stars or rock musicians (Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, John Lennon) . Legends are one of the main sources of scripts for Hollywood films.

Legends are derived from oral tradition, often handed down from generation to generation. Yet unlisted, modern legends, researchers usually belong to folklore. The oral form of the legend is alive today, because every major event, which brings together people - in person or through information in the media - is reported from various subjective points of view. In this way, a legend of the event, contrasted - often difficult to define - the objective truth about him.In the oral tradition passed down through the ages, it was not easy to keep all details of the events. Even harder to explain their reasons in such a way that there was no doubt as to the possible motives that led to such heroes, and no other action. It remained so wide field to fill gaps in the story through an intuitive combination of various known facts, places and people. Often overlooked some events, and excessively exposed to others - generally depending on the views of the narrator, which introduced a subjective element. Version of the most popular and well-known legend, often significantly different from its original form.

This is what separates legend from myth, fairy tale or fairy tale, it is precisely its relationship with the events and historical figures, as well as with the real topography. The legend always refers to an event or person that locates in a well-defined place. If, according to present knowledge, the hero of legend was not a historical figure, it is considered as such by those who legend told. In this sense, the researchers write, for example, about the legend of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar, on the other hand, the legend tells of the assumption of Rome by Romulus and Remus.

The starting point was a legend, a historical fact. He became a pretext for further narrative - as the first essential element of the species. The second element was to develop stories based on the views of the narrator, its stereotypes and imagination. Both components can be combined in very unequal proportions of which depended, whether in the legend prevailed historical truth or fiction. Hence, in contemporary literature is sometimes used the term "legend", not very successfully, to identify distorted the historical truth.

Types of legends:

The main type of biographical legends are legends that are usually talk about the whole life of the hero or focus on key events associated with it. Depending on who is the hero of the story, talking about legends of saints (hagiographic), warriors (heroic), rulers or politicians (political) etc.

Beside the legends of biographical researchers distinguish legends space and custom (etiological). Legends tell of local events related to the sanctuary, the village, mountain, etc. They explain the importance of places and their names. On the other hand legends associated with some custom give reasons for the different habits, behaviors or rituals.

Sometimes researchers differentiate between folk legend of legends scientist. In the second case, transmitted orally legend has been the writer's recast it in a particular literary genre and often supplemented with various themes taken from other works.

Myth (idea, story, frightened) - the story of humanity around the world, describing the history of the gods, paranormal, demons, legendary heroes and history of the creation of the world and man. She tried to explain the perennial issues of human existence, mysticism, life and death, good and evil, and the existence of natural phenomena (eg. The season, lightning). Myths, next to the sacred books are the subject of a theological justification of religious belief.
Set of myths of a community referred to as mythology.
Today, various human communities and individuals create various stories aimed at creating and maintaining the collective consciousness and social ties.
The term myth is also referred to literary form stories transferring a given community ideas about the world and its people. Originally transmitted orally and later in writing.
In the colloquial sense, the myth is a term for a false belief about a person or event.

Features myths:

Cognitive - through myths people have tried to explain to them incomprehensible natural phenomena;
The philosophical - the myths as the basis of religious belief;
sacred - in the mythologies we find patterns of ritual ceremonies and tips on how to worship the gods;
Literary - inspiration for the creators of successive ages;
Motivation - myths to justify the human condition;
Culture-- myths reservoir topos (eg. topos of love is stronger than death - Orpheus and Eurydice) and archetypes (eg. a rebel - Prometheus), and collocations (eg. the Augean stables). Moreover, they are also a source of reinterpretation (eg., "The Myth of Sisyphus" by A. Camus).

*All these information I took from Polish Wikipedia and I translated them in English language.

                            How stories are told around the world

It's said  there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love, once you’ve heard their story. Dave Say knows that. The ability to honour every human by listening to what they have to say about themselves is central to Story Crops, the non-profit he founded in 2003.

The premise of Story Corps is simple: One person interviews another and their conversation is recorded for posterity. It’s a strikingly straightforward proposition. But then, storytelling has always been less about glitz or gadgetry and more about connection and communication. No matter the tech, humans have invariably figured out a compelling way to tell each other stories.

That’s not to say we all tell stories the same way. Far from it. As Kay Turner, a folklorist and independent scholar who’s on the board of the New York Folklore Society, notes, “Even if a story is the same, each culture will tell it differently, because each one has its own genres and cultural rules.” That’s led to a host of different traditions and practices beloved around the world. Here are just some of them.

Hula
You might not know it while on an island vacation luau, but traditional hula dancers dance not to a beat, but to language, Hawaiian-language chants or songs. Without the words, the dance loses meaning as a story. Hula shares traditional stories as well as mythology and creation tales, including those of the gods and goddesses of the islands.

Chinese Shadow Puppetry
Traditional shadow puppetry tells folk stories, issues moral lessons, and projects specific local customs. Most often seen at celebrations such as weddings or religious festivals, the puppets are silhouettes shaped from leather or paper that are manipulated on long rods by storytellers. The puppeteers either sing, often in falsetto, or are accompanied by singers and musicians. Though it originated in China during the Han dynasty, the tradition has spread to countries throughout Southeast Asia. 

Zajal
The classical Arabic version of a poetry slam or rap battle, Zajal originated in Lebanon and is practiced across the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates. Competitions pit one poet or spoken-word artist against another. One poet recites a stanza (often insulting the opponent), then the other responds with a stanza using the same meter and rhyme.

 Cunto
This ancient Sicilian storytelling method draws from Greek theatre and relies heavily on improvisation. It alternates between sung verse and spoken prose and is often performed on a small wooden platform. The stories can occasionally include marionettes, though are typically told with a single prop or none at all. The storytellers, known as cuntisti, traditionally tell stories of epic heroes and their struggles, though these days they also include tales of daily Sicilian life.

Rakugo
This Japanese tradition is performed in monologues by a single storyteller, called a hanashika. The storytellers are similar to comedians, and they tell tales of daily life and reinforce historical and moral lessons, though they generally avoid making direct reference to particular events or figures.

Griot
Griots, or Jelis, are the traditional keepers of a society’s history in West African cultures. Griot storytellers often play instruments such as the kora, similar to a lute, and preserve family and cultural histories in the manner of a genealogist. In some West African cultures, griots were at once singers of praise and messengers for nobility.

Bharatanatyam
Indian temple dancers, or devadasis, perform bharatanatyam, a dance that is considered a form of prayer. The dances tell the stories of specific deities, such as Krishna or Shiva, and are unique to different temples and spiritual days. While the bharatanatyam, which originated in Tamil Nadu, in South India, has been in existence for millennia, it has experienced a renaissance in the past century.

Calypso
Calypso developed in the early 20th century in Trinidad, where the lyrics, which described local life and neighbourhood dramas, were used as a tool to share news and shine a light on everything from the challenges of a banana farmer to local political corruption. As a political tool, calypso was often subject to censorship by the government. “Song is a popular form of expression in all Caribbean storytelling,” says Maxine Alexander, a Jamaican-American artist and storyteller. “Reggae and calypso deal very heavily in political injustice and social disparity, so storytellers use this musical platform to express things that couldn’t be spoken about. We’re singing about the stories around us in daily life.”

*These all information I took from : www.ideas.ted.com

8 Classic storytelling techniques for engaging presentations 

 

A good public speaker takes their audience on a journey, leaving them feeling inspired and motivated. But structuring your speech to get your ideas across and keep your audience engaged all the way through is tricky. Try these eight storytelling techniques for a presentation that wows. 

You’re doing a presentation, so you start with the facts you want to get across. Wrong! Humans are hardwired for stories. They love heroes, journeys, surprises, layers and happy endings.
Deliver a presentation that captures the hearts and heads of your audience by stealing one of these classic storytelling techniques. Start with the story – the rest will be history.

1. Monomyth

The monomyth (also called the hero’s journey), is a story structure that is found in many folk tales, myths and religious writings from around the world.

In a monomyth, the hero is called to leave their home and sets out on a difficult journey. They move from somewhere they know into a threatening unknown place.


After overcoming a great trial, they return home with a reward or newfound wisdom – something which will help their community. Lots of modern stories still follow this structure, from the Lion King to Star Wars. 

Using the monomyth to shape your presentation can help you to explain what has brought you to the wisdom you want to share. It can bring your message alive for your audience.

 

Good for:                                                        

·         Taking the audience on a journey

·         Showing the benefit of taking risks

·         Demonstrating how you learned some newfound wisdom

See also: The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell

Japanese yo-yo-er BLACK tells the inspiring story of finding his life’s passion, and the difficult path he took to become world champion. He closes by sharing his newfound skills with the audience, bringing his journey full circle.

2. The mountain

The mountain structure is a way of mapping the tension and drama in a story. It’s similar to the monomyth because it helps us to plot when certain events occur in a story.

It’s different because it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending. The first part of the story is given to setting the scene, and is followed by just a series of small challenges and rising action before a climactic conclusion.
It’s a bit like a TV series – each episode has its ups and downs, all building up to a big finale at the end of the season.


Good for:

·         Showing how you overcame a series of challenges

·         Slowly building tension

·         Delivering a satisfying conclusion

See also: This interactive mountain diagram at readthinkwrite.org

Aimee Mullins uses a mountain-structure speech to tell a personal story – from being born without fibula bones in her lower legs to becoming a famous athlete, actress and model.

3. Nested loops

Nested loops is a storytelling technique where you layer three or more narratives within each other.

You place your most important story – the core of your message – in the centre, and use the stories around it to elaborate or explain that central principle. The first story you begin is the last story you finish, the second story you start is second to last, etc.

Nested loops works a bit like a friend telling you about a wise person in their life, someone who taught them an important lesson. The first loops are your friend’s story, the second loops are the wise person’s story. At the centre is the important lesson.

Good for: 

·         Explaining the process of how you were inspired/ came to a conclusion

·         Using analogies to explain a central concept

·         Showing how a piece of wisdom was passed along to you

See also: Simon Sinek’s TED talk shows how successful organizations place the ‘why?’ of what they do at the centre, surrounded by the ‘what?’ and ‘how?’ of their business. Nested loops are an ideal way of framing this message, giving your audience a real insight into your identity. 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses the framework of her experiences in university and the way that Africa is perceived in the Western world to drive home her argument about stories.

4. Sparklines

Sparklines are a way of mapping presentation structures. Graphic designer Nancy Duarte uses sparklines to analyse famous speeches graphically in her book Resonate.

She argues that the very best speeches succeed because they contrast our ordinary world with an ideal, improved world. They compare what is with what could be. 

By doing this the presenter draws attention to the problems we have in our society, our personal lives, our businesses. The presenter creates and fuels a desire for change in the audience.

It’s a highly emotional technique that is sure to motivate your audience to support you.

Good for:

·         Inspiring the audience to action

·         Creating hope and excitement

·         Creating a following

See also: Resonate by Nancy Duarte

 

Martin Luther King’s speech is famous the world over because it contrasts the racist, intolerant society of the day with an ideal future society where all races are treated equally.

5. In medias res

In medias res storytelling is when you begin your narrative in the heat of the action, before starting over at the beginning to explain how you got there.

By dropping your audience right into the most exciting part of your story they’ll be gripped from the beginning and will stay engaged to find out what happens.

But be careful – you don’t want to give away too much of the action straight away. Try hinting at something bizarre or unexpected – something that needs more explanation. Give your audience just enough information to keep them hooked, as you go back and set the scene of your story.

This only works for shorter presentations though – if you string it out too long your audience will get frustrated and lose interest.

Good for:

·         Grabbing attention from the start

·         Keep an audience craving resolution

·         Focusing attention on a pivotal moment in your story

See also: An overview of in medias res storytelling at story-papers.com

Zak Ebrahim begins his talk with the revelation that his father helped plan the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing. His audience is gripped from the beginning, as he begins to recount the events of his childhood and the path he took after his father’s conviction. 

6. Converging ideas

Converging ideas is a speech structure that shows the audience how different strands of thinking came together to form one product or idea.

It can be used to show the birth of a movement. Or explain how a single idea was the culmination of several great minds working towards one goal.

Converging ideas is similar to the nested loops structure, but rather than framing one story with complementary stories, it can show how several equally important stories came to a single strong conclusion.

This technique could be used to tell the stories of some of the world’s greatest partnerships – for example, web developers Larry Page and Sergey Brin. 

Larry and Sergey met at Stanford’s PhD program in 1995, but they didn’t like each other at first. They both had great ideas, but found working together hard. Eventually they found themselves working on a research project together. A research project that became Google.

Good for:

·         Showing how great minds came together

·         Demonstrating how a development occurred at a certain point in history

·         Showing how symbiotic relationships have formed

 

See also: Steven Johnson’s TED talk, where he explains how collaboration has fuelled some of history’s best ideas

John Bohannon and the Black Label Movement explain (verbally and through dance) how scientists and dancers came together to form an exciting, dynamic alternative to boring presentations.

7. False start

A ‘false start’ story is when you begin to tell a seemingly predictable story, before unexpectedly disrupting it and beginning it over again. You lure your audience into a false sense of security, and then shock them by turning the tab

This format is great for talking about a time that you failed in something and were forced to ‘go back to the start’ and reassess. It’s ideal for talking about the things that you learnt from that experience. Or the innovative way that you solved your problem.

But best of all, it’s a quick attention hack which will disrupt your audience’s expectations and surprise them into paying closer attention to your message. 

 

Good for:

 

·         Disrupting audience expectations

·         Showing the benefits of a flexible approach

 

·         Keeping the audience engaged

See also: Retroactive continuity is when a storyteller goes back and alters the ‘facts’ in their story. If you are a character in the story you’re telling, you can use a false start to go back and retell your own story in a surprising way

J K Rowling begins her speech at Harvard in a typical fashion. She talks about her time at university and the expectations of her parents. The audience expects her to talk about the growing success of her writing career – instead she focuses on a time in her twenties where she felt she had ‘failed’ in life. What comes next is inspirational

8. Petal Structure

 

The petal structure is a way of organising multiple speakers or stories around one central concept. It’s useful if you have several unconnected stories you want to tell or things you want to reveal – that all relate back to a single message.

You tell your stories one by one before returning back to the centre. The petals can overlap as one story introduces the next but each should be a complete narrative in itself.

In doing so, you can weave a rich tapestry of evidence around your central theory. Or strong emotional impressions around your idea. 

By showing your audience how all these key stories are related to one another, you leave them feeling the true importance and weight of your message.

Good for:

 

·         Demonstrating how strands of a story or process are interconnected

·         Showing how several scenarios relate back to one idea

·         Letting multiple speakers talk around a central theme

See also: Carnegie Mellon University’s guide to story nodes

Simon Sinek again! His theory might lend itself perfectly to nested loops, but he himself chose to deliver his talk in a petal structure. He tells his audience a series a stories to help illustrate his ideas, each one strengthening his message further.  

Start with a story

So there you have it – 8 classic storytelling shapes to brighten up your talk and really engage your audience.  

Of course there are many other storytelling techniques out there that you can use. What I hope this post has done is show you that stories are powerful. They are the language of your audience.

Your talk – however dry the subject – can be brought alive if you find the story at the heart of it all.

These all information I took from : www.sparkol.com

*Here is description of my myth which I will performing on Thursday -Orpheus and Eurydice
 

 

Task 2: Detailed individual Research

 

Orpheus was a beautiful and young king of Thrace. When he played the lute and harp, everything around him accompanied: trees, birds, animals. His wife was equally comely Eurydice - Hamadriada wood nymph. The characters really loved each other and were happy.

Unfortunately, their idyll did not last long. Beauty Eurydice had tremendous power. Whoever he saw her falling in love with it right away. When the son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene - (a doctor, beekeeper and owner of vineyards ) Aristaeus saw her in the valley Tempe, he shared the fate of her admirers. Not knowing that the wife of Orpheus, Eurydice, he began chasing her. He was relentless to the point that frightened nymph ran, not looking at the feet. In such circumstances she stood on a snake and soon died from the bite.

After the death of Orpheus wife he stopped playing and singing. He just  walked and shouted the name of Eurydice, having only listener echo. One day he took a lute and went to the netherworld ruled by Hades. There listened to his music . Charon has carried it for free on the other side of the Styx, the sounds of the instrument also resulted in the focus of Cerberus, who stopped barking.


When Orpheus stood before the ruler of the underground, he never stopped playing. Arranged in a pitiful song sounds made even cruel goddesses Furies - "three ugly sisters. The epitome of fierce and unyielding remorse "- Orpheus cried and Hades gave him Eurydice. For safe to leave Hades were unseen to his beloved wife, who was walking behind Orpheus. Heroes went long, they were almost at the top when Orpheus could not stand it and turned away.

Then the followers of Hermes took them back Eurydice to the underworld and Orpheus went out into the world alone. Looking around at last realized what had happened. While the pounding again underground, he was not allowed again. He returned to Thrace, where in the valleys and mountains sing his songs filled with regret.

One night "raging mad procession and Maenad tore his body into pieces". When detached from the trunk, head drifted to the sea, kept saying the name of Eurydice. She was buried on the island of Lesbos, because only there ceased to drift. At the site of her burial it was founded oracle, and torn flesh Orpheus - Gather up by Muse - rested at the foot of Mount Olympus.

*These information I took from Polish website: www.sciaga.pl

Task 1 : Outline

  1. Magical Orpheus musical skills - the king of Thrace.
  2. Extreme beauty Eurydice, wood nymphs.
  3. Aristaeus attraction of Eurydice.
  4. Escape wife of Orpheus, which ended with the death of nymphs.
  5. Desperate singer from Thrace.
  6  Expedition to Hades.
  7. Putting the wife of Orpheus by Hades.
  8. Condition of Hades about how to leave the world of the dead.
  9. Seeing the up singer for themselves.
10. Re-loss of Eurydice.
11. Euridice stopped in Hades.
11. Burst Orpheus by Maenad Dionysus.
12. Love stronger than death.
13. Bury head of the singer on Lesbos.
14. Creation of an oracle on the grave of Orpheus.
15. Collect and bury the remains of Orpheus at Olympus.

My comments:

I found this assignment very good , even If I had to research a lot to find all these information to put them all together to create something. It was good exercise to develop my knowledge about legends, myths and different storytelling techniques. Also it was good practise with planning ours projections and once be a director of your own performance and create the world as you want it to be.