There was a simpler time before television and movie houses when stories were told not shown. Good storytellers had a way of making an audience “see” what happened and providing enough detail to deliver the required punch.
The entertainment-starved multitude revered its prized storytellers from Homer to Will Rogers because these artists prompted a person’s imagination to enlarge upon an idea and paint its own picture.
But the more things change the more they stay the same. Audiences still respond to a good story delivered by a master showman, maybe more so now that technology has put so many imaginations to sleep.
Reality is usually stranger than fiction, so a lie isn’t even required.
The Vine restaurant and wine bar at 47 Court St. is, for the first time, hosting an adult storytelling night, featuring master storyteller Jackson Gillman, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 15. It’s a pass-the-hat free show with donations gratefully accepted but not required.
“One never knows quite what to expect from Jackson Gillman, ‘The Stand-Up Chameleon,’” Bern Budd said. “But you can be assured that it will be sparkling with energy, wit and whimsy, comic song, mime, improvisation and/or sign language might be incorporated – whatever works best to do a story justice, to bring it to life.”
Budd, who is a professional actor, said he’s known one of The Vine owners, Jeff Gill, for years. Gill, an actor himself, brought one-act plays to The Vine years ago as an entertainment feature; the talented Budd acted in many of them. The one-acts were so successful, Gill turned to Budd for some storyteller contacts.
Budd has plenty of them. After 40 years acting professionally, he developed a one-man show of his own playing Mark Twain to big audiences. He hooked Gill up with the likes of Jackson Gillman and other renowned storytellers. The hope is the adult storytelling nights will become a staple at The Vine.
“Adult storytelling is anything from a favorite old story your uncle used to tell at Thanksgiving to your most embarrassing experience at a mall,” Budd added. “Adult stories are funny, sad, whimsical, personal and usually have a point.”
But they don’t have to have a point, he said. Plenty of hilarious tales have no point.
Budd will host the show, which will begin with a 45-minute open-mic storytelling session. Yes, if you can tell a good story, you might want to get thee to The Vine to share it before Gillman hits the stage.
Budd urged residents to stop in for a drink, a bite and a story Dec. 15 as a great way to celebrate the holiday season.
