Home Audience

A question came up during the recent YES StoryLab led by Priscilla Howe about things storytellers have tried in their online storytelling shows that haven't worked.

I thought of one. I wouldn't say it was a total disaster. Things just didn't go quite as expected.

First of all, we had already talked in this StoryLab, as many of us do these days, about seeing or not seeing the audience online. Do we use a platform that allows us to see everyone? Do we want to see people? Do we set up the screen to gallery view or speaker view? Do we let some or all of the audience members unmute?

What didn't come up during this StoryLab was having audience members actually in the room with you while you perform online. I have tried this.

As I admitted in one of my recent Facebook Live shows (as a relevant part of the story I was telling), although I do not get very nervous about speaking in front of people, I do get quite nervous about playing musical instruments and/or singing in front of people.

I had to get over the singing thing, kind of, when I worked in the public library doing regular preschool story times. I'll admit that I always sang in my speaking voice, not my singing voice, as this was as much as I could bring myself to do. But it was enough. And I quickly learned from the children that they really didn't care about whether I was a good singer. We had a great time singing together.

This knowledge has buoyed me and has allowed me to continue telling one of my most favorite stories, Pete Seeger's The Foolish Frog, in performances for children, even though I no longer have a job that requires me to sing. During most of the singing parts, the audience sings with me, and we all have fun.

I decided to tell The Foolish Frog during a Facebook Live performance. I also decided to attempt telling the story with guitar accompaniment, which I hadn't done for an audience before. And to try to actually use my singing voice.

I was concerned that because I wouldn't be able to see or hear my audience-- because I would't have that obvious reinforcement that we're having fun even if we're not all the most best musicians, I might find this challenge I had set for myself too challenging.

So I recruited my children to be my live audience. I could at least see and hear them participating in the story.

Great idea. But it didn't happen like that. They got shy about being on camera and participated very little. You can see for yourself.

Although my plans went agley I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be and did okay singing by myself.

I think there are some things I could do better if I wanted to try having my kids as a live audience again. Most notably, my camera set up didn't really allow me to look at them and the camera at the same time, and the camera was hard for them to ignore. If I could set it up so they could forget the camera and feel like I was telling just to them I think they would participate more.

But, do I need my kids to be a live audience? Well, I don't think I do. I prefer having a live audience. But I tell my Facebook Live audience that I can feel their good energy when they participate at home, even though I can't see or hear them. And I honestly think I can. I find it easier to keep my energy high for Facebook Live performances than I do for performances I just record for a camera.

I feel you singing with me and we are all having fun!