Storytelling 101 – Discover, develop, and perform true stories from your life (Full)

Hop on the storytelling bandwagon and join the legions of people nationwide learning how to take their life experiences and turn them into entertaining stories that can be told in front of an audience. Instructors:  Vijai Nathan and Amy Couchoud. Five 3-hour classes including a final showcase, plus a comp to SpeakeaysDC’s open mic show. Limit 12 to ensure individualized attention. $350.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION. IF YOU DON’T, IT MEANS THE CHARGE DIDN’T GO THRU

To pay by check: Make payable to SpeakeasyDC and send to 1525 Newton St, N, Washington, DC 20010. Please include your name, address, email, and phone number, and write the name of the class in the memo.

Tuesdays, April 17, 24, May 1, 15 and 22, 2012 from 7-10pm. First 4 classes will take place at Hamiltonian Gallery 1353 U St, NW Washington, DC 20009. Closest metro is U St/Cardozo Green/Yellow (about 1 block, across street) MAP. Final showcase  on class 5 – location TBD

DETAILS - all classes 7-10pm

Week 1 – Tu, April 17 – Class– Finding story material + understanding story structure

Week 2 – Tu, April 24 – Class – Crafting your story + developing characters

Week 3 – Tu, May 1 - Class – Editing + polishing

Week 4 – Tu,May 8-  Comp to SpeakeasyDC’s monthly show (See Event Listings)

Week 5 – Tu, May 15 – Class – Practicing your story + Reviewing performance technique

Week 6 – Tu, May 22 – FINAL SHOWCASE - This is your chance to try your story out on a friendly invite-only audience of friends and family. Final showcase location on class 5 TBD

Refund Policy

SpeakeasyDC does not give refunds (full or partial) for voluntary withdrawal from the class. There are limited slots in the class so that we may give sufficient attention to each student. Because of this, we typically have to turn people away. Should you choose to withdraw, we will have a vacancy that we can no longer fill.

Class description

This class is designed to teach the art of developing and performing an original, personal narrative drawn from real-life experience. We facilitate the storytelling process from beginning to end with each session centering on a step in the process. Students who join the class come from varied backgrounds and have different goals and applications. Some hope to perform on a SpeakeasyDC stage, others have found storytelling useful in the work they do, and others just enjoy the creative process and the community. There are 2 instructors and we cap this class at 12 to maintain a 6:1 ratio of student to teacher.

 Comments from alumni of SpeakeasyDC classes

Taking the Storytelling 101 class was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Very talented and encouraging instructors helped us construct meaningful presentations of our true stories. I was taken by surprise by the feelings of connectedness that true storytelling brings about, and what a growing experience it was. I keep telling everyone I know to do this! –posted by kk3

I’ve had the great opportunity to participate in a class, an open mic, and a performance workshop with Speak Easy DC and in each event I took away a whole difference set of skills and “tricks of the trade”. I would highly recommend the experience to anyone wanting to learn how to craft an engaging story and/or learn to perform your work on stage. Not only is the crafting processes enjoyable, but you will never find a more embracing and accepting audience to present your work than those that attend the Speak Easy shows. I truly believe that Speak Easy DC is an exceptional NGO that affords novices and practiced storytellers alike with the opportunity to share their stories and grow as artists. — posted by jarkarta1

I’m about to take my second class with Speakeasy and I’m very excited. I learned so much on the first go around and many of my fellow classmates ended up telling their fantastic stories at open mic. What an entertaining evening…I laughed, I cheered, I cried and I can’t wait to go back again! — posted by ter