Vancouver. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had recently enjoyed putting together a skit for the Peace March, and I had a bit of money saved, so I went back to university to study theatre. I got my degree before the Bachelor of Fine Arts program was instituted, so my training was limited by the academic nature of the degree. I loved being back at school: the world was so small and comfortable, the goals so well defined, success measured by numbers on a report card. I always got good roles to play. It was a bit of a shock to find that the real world was not the same, that parts came hard, and seldom, and the plays one auditioned for were often mindless and depressing. I spent a year working in a second hand store, trying not to think that I had wasted my time going back to university.

MELANIE: The only training I have had in either theatre or storytelling has been in the form of workshops in which I have participated over the last twenty years. In that time I have been busy raising a child and acting in plays when I could, until 1984, when I began storytelling full-time. And storytelling makes use of everything I learned in those workshops. Like doing a lot of research on a character or a story, or the background to the story. Using my body and my voice to reinforce what I want to convey to the audience. Timing. The importance of warm-ups, and relaxation. The necessity for concentration, and connecting with the audience.

Now the North Wind is a very fertile wind. You can ask any farmer how his mares like to stand out in the field with their backs to the North Wind and when it blows over their big buttocks they grow great with child even when no stallion is anywhere around.

NAN: When Melanie first asked me to join her in a storytelling venture, I was very hesitant. It wasn't acting and I wanted to act. On the other hand, it was better than mending old clothes, so I agreed. Now I see storytelling as the perfect combination of performing and working for myself. I can choose my own material. I don't have to audition for plays I don't like. It doesn't matter what I look like.

I use all the skills I learned in university in my storytelling. My theatrical training helps me immensely. Mind you, I am learning all the time, mostly from watching other tellers. If I see something I like, I analyze it and try to incorporate it into my own work. I attend workshops so that I will push myself to explore new ways of telling. I don't consider any single person to be the perfect teller, but I learn a little from everyone.

MELANIE: Having a partner is a great way to learn. Nan has taught me to be more critical of my work, to have more sensitivity to the rhythms in a piece, and to analyze more carefully. I also learn by watching people whose work I admire.

NAN: In my personal hierarchy of occupations I have always considered the artist to be in the highest position. I have always considered it admirable to work in the imagination. Scientists do that, too. But scientific research can be used to make bombs. An artist can push and push and push the boundaries of her art and know it will still remain benign. I try to tell stories that make people feel good about themselves and one another that expand their awareness of all humanity as one family.

Knowing this, it won't surprise you to
learn that, dancing in Ophion's embrace,
Eurynome conceived a child.

MELANIE: Storytelling is a beautiful teaching tool. Listen to a half-hour of tales and you are bound to hear at least one that helps you understand how another being thinks or feels. Or one that gives you another perspective on an important issue in your life. Or one that reminds you of principles, or ideals that you hold dear, or at least want to hold dear. And the stories do this so simply, with laughter, tears, and strong imagery. They lead you gently to some truth concerning the human condition.

They also exercise your imagination. A listener is actively engaged in a story, recreating in her mind's eye the scenes the teller is putting in words, the actions, the feelings and thoughts of the characters. So often, the pre-fabricated imagery of our modern entertainment demands no effort on our part; our imaginations grow weak and limited in their ability.

NAN: Melanie and I teach storytelling to both adults and children. In our adult classes we have taught theology students, marriage counsellors, psychologists, grandmothers, teachers, writers, librarians. Stories are useful in all walks of life. We try to make people comfortable with the idea of themselves as tellers.