Wildside TIMES #4

#STORYSLAM IN ST FRANCIS BAY

#Storyslam has taken over the last Thursday of each month at the Brewery. After ten months, what started as a trickle of mildly interested patrons has turned into a “need to book” event. Aimed at raising money for Charity (a voluntary donation in place of a door fee), this little event has bought the community together in a fun and entertaining manner.

Introduced to St Francis Bay by photographer and life coach Sandy Coffey, this storytelling platform aims to entertain, inspire, and share personal stories. The structure is simple: The story needs to be 5 minutes long, it needs to be true, and it needs to have happened to the storyteller. Each month there is a different theme, and five brave storytellers get up and share their stories. It’s half an hour of dedication to the art of storytelling. One can hear a pin drop in the room.

“Stories are fundamental to our human nature”, she explains. “It has how we have been communicating and sharing since forever. It is how we learn and understand our lives because …stories are universal. It is through our words that we make sense of our world.”

Sandy was motivated to bring this platform to St Francis after being asked to tell a story in Cape Town. She was at a storytelling event called “Southern Rights and Wrongs”, initiated by Alon Stern. She asked him if she could bring this to the village. He was super keen, gave his blessing to her, and the rest is history.

Sandy Coffey

Sandy offers storytelling support to those who feel they have a story but are terrified. And those who have told a story are so happy they have. “Although it was so daunting, to begin with, the audience was so warm and accepting,” says local Cape St Francis resident Toni Gennrich. She has the esteemed title of being the very first speaker at the very first storytelling event.

A few previous themes have been “A Step too far”, “When I look back”, “My Pivotal Moment”, and “Well, that was surprising”. The stories range from hilarious to poignant and tearful. There are no rules regarding content. No one hears the story before it’s told, and Sandy absolves any responsibility! “Some months, it has been difficult to find storytellers as telling a story in 5 minutes is tough. One has to be vulnerable and raw - but with some practice and a healthy dose of courage, everyone has a good story to share,” she says.

David Combe

David Combes, who had the audience belly laughing beyond control in that hilarious Scottish accent, loved it. “It was so exhilarating and engaging and was over far too quickly.” And Rain Murray, who had the audience spellbound with his very honest reflection of his life, said, “I love how my piece was held by everyone”. Indeed it was. He got a standing ovation. “Everyone is terrified to talk, but Linky does offer a shot of tequila for all our storytellers… just for that extra shot of confidence!”. Make sure you book.

For more information, call Sandy Coffey on 0832657804