Kate Quarfordt: "Being a brilliant storyteller is different from just being a raconteur," says Jim Niesen, co-founder and director of Brooklyn-based Irondale Ensemble Project, looking up from the photocopied text in his lap at the actors gathered around the script-strewn table. On his left, several adult Irondale actors nod in agreement, while on his right, four teenage members of the ensemble's Young Company squirm a little and dodge his gaze. Jim grins at them. "Maybe 'raconteur' is a new word for you all," he offers. Andre, a slender high school student with short-cropped hair and a dazzling smile, bugs his eyes out and whispers, "Busted!" There is playful laughter from the group. Jim swivels in his chair, ignoring the more experienced actors now and directing himself with laser-beam focus straight at the teens. "A raconteur is someone who can tell a good anecdote, hit you with a one-liner. A wise-cracker, right?" Andre and the other kids nod. "But a storyteller is different. A brilliant storyteller in some cultures is revered as a shaman. The keeper of the history of the tribe, you know?"
1 comment:
It's always interesting to see the different ways in which people everywhere are (re)approaching their lines of work. It's a constant reminder that there is almost never just one way to do things, and of the importance of thinking outside of the box. It would be great if more people thought the way that the folks at Irondale do. I really like their theory of taking responsibility for yourself and your actions, though it is rather ironic (but at the same time strangely fitting) that the actors are the ones who are required to be "real"s. Maybe it's true that you have to know who you are before you can be someone else.
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