Business & Tech

Stoop Storytelling Thrives on Authenticity

Baltimore storytelling series uses workshops to help spread the craft.

When Laura Wexler was invited to a storytelling show while visiting San Francisco, she didn't think she’d enjoy the event.

As it happened, she enjoyed it so much that she and friend Jessica Henkin ended up creating their own version in Baltimore—Stoop Storytelling.

Stoop Storytelling, which premiered at the Creative Alliance in February 2006, has become a phenomenon in Charm City. The shows regularly sell out. Performances are now held at Centerstage in Mount Vernon, and the series even has its own iPhone app.

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Part of the series’ success is that its storytellers are usually everyday people. Although some big names, such as David Simon, have participated, Henkin and Wexler feel the draw is average people telling their stories.

“Our audience really responds to honesty and reality, not theatricality,” Henkin said.

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Part of helping to cultivate that authenticity is helping average people tell their stories. To help people hone and craft them, Wexler and Henkin hold workshops at least twice a year.

During workshops, Wexler and Henkin share what makes a good story, such as pace and details. They also counsel people on their “anti-Doogie Howser message” by stressing that not every story has to contain some kind of moral.

They also stress that there’s a difference between telling a story and performing.

“When it seems like you’re auditioning for a play, or making it a monologue, that’s not what we’re into,” Henkin said.

And participating in the workshops isn’t just for people that want to tell a story at a show.

“The workshop is for people who weren’t performing in the show, but wanted to participate in the benefits,” Wexler said.

Jennifer Murphy, CEO of Legg Mason Capital Management, participated at a recent workshop at the Waldorf School in Cold Spring-Newtown.

Murphy said she often finds herself talking to people professionally, and she's found that anecdotes are a good way to break the ice. So she attended the workshop to find out how to do that more effectively.

“I’m an introvert, so it’s a little bit of a mystery to me,” Murphy said.


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