A fire pit and a poll
Storytelling stuff worth sharing
So you know how the Page&Stage Podcast drops every other Monday?
And how that leaves the other Mondays empty and forlorn?
I’m about to fix that.
But first I need your help.
I’m about to launch a mega-series called 100 PLAYS: Lessons Learned Telling Stories from the Stage.
This new podcast is part memoir, part love letter to the theatre, and part motivational handbook for all my fellow storytellers out there.
I’ll be telling you more about this project throughout the rest of this month. The teaser will drop March 31, and the first episode lands April 14, which just happens to be the day before my birthday! Woo!
In the meantime, I’m getting all the nuts’n’bolts in place, and that includes cover art.
I’ve got three finalists, and I’m leaving the final decision up to you!
Here are the three cover hopefuls, and you can vote in the poll below them.
Thank you! And stay tuned!
Storytelling tip o’ the week
As I mentioned last Friday, I spent this past weekend at a dude ranch out in the middle of Old Florida. I wasn’t rustling cattle. I was coaching at a storytelling workshop.
I know I teased the possibility of modelling at 10-gallon hat, but we were too busy digging in to structure and delivery and the power of sharing your story.
Although I did see a fellow wearing what must’ve been at least a 25-gallon hat. How he fit through doorways I have no idea.
Saturday’s culminating event was telling stories around a firepit.
Now, when I say telling stories, I don’t mean the old spooky yarns about the call coming from inside the house, or the killer on the loose with a hook for a hand and you find a bloody hook hanging from your car door.
I mean what our lead coach Scott Mann calls “scar stories.”
See, our stories connect us. They humanize us. They operate on a gut level, a heart level, a level far beyond the intellect and our religious, political, and social biases.
Our scar stories remind us that we are far more similar than we are different.
Our brains and physiology haven’t changed much in the last 250,000 years. But the modern world re-iterates at blinding speed.
To put it another way: we are ancient brains trying to figure out a digital world.
And storytelling is ancient. It is primal. It is hardwired into us.
After a day of writing and training, the fire helps us tap into that ancient, primal self. Not in a rip-off-our-shirts-and-bang-drums kind of way. It’s much gentler than that. Grounded. Authentic.
Unearthing, curating, and preparing our scar stories precipitates healing for ourselves. Telling our scar stories precipitates healing for the listeners.
The two most powerful scar stories are…
1. The story you don’t want to tell others.
2. The story you don’t want to tell yourself.
Listening to others tell their stories is humbling and inspiring. It’s hard to hate the storyteller. Stories bridge divides.
Even though my role was coach, I began writing the story I’ve avoided telling for years. It’s not ready. Stirring up all that stuff is uncomfortable, to say the least.
But I’m gonna keep going.
And I encourage you to do the same.
My entire Page&Stage project—newsletter, podcast, coaching—is devoted to exploring the art and craft of writing and performance.
Which means it’s really just an empathy factory. Or at least that’s the goal.
However you found me, thank you for joining me on this journey.
I close every podcast with the sign-off: “I cannot wait to hear your story.”
Those aren’t just words. I mean it. All the way.
Share your stories. With yourself. With me. With each other.
We may not always be able to do so around a fire, but maybe that’s another good way to think of this ongoing exercise…
I’m Jason Cannon. This is Page&Stage. Welcome to the fire.
Book Event
The incredible spoken word artist and newly published poet Cedric Hameed will be appearing at the Senior Friendship Center on Thursday, March 20, at 5pm.
Here’s the flyer!
The Page&Stage Podcast
The next episode drops first thing Monday morning!
In this episode of the Page&Stage Podcast, I interview Sheree Greco, the Production Manager and Stage Management Advisor at The Ohio State University. Sheree shares her journey from working in television production on popular shows like CSI and Modern Family to her current role in academia. She emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence and people skills in stage management, likening it to an art form that blends logistics and empathy. Sheree also discusses her teaching approach, focusing on training undergraduate students to manage the complexities of theater production with confidence and compassion.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend!
Jason “Next Time Bring Marshmallows” Cannon