Ghost Stories ALREADY????

 So it's barely summer, right?  And who's thinking about OCTOBER  already?

Storytellers, that's who.  We want to get the annual Festival of Ghost Stories on your calendar!

And for tellers or those of you who might want to be tellers, we want you to start thinking about participating in this spooky annual event.

Here's what everyone needs to know:

  Festival of Ghost Stories 2022

      Friday October 28th

       7 - 8:30 pm Bryan Park

Now, if you are thinking about telling this year, here's more you need to know from the event coordinator:

FESTIVAL OF GHOST TALES AUDITIONS

Do you have a great scary story to tell?  Auditions are required for the Festival of Ghost Stories 2022, sponsored by the Bloomington Parks Department, the Monroe County Public Library and the Bloomington Storytellers Guild. Performance date will be Friday, October 28^th from 7-8:30 p.m. in Bryan Park (rain location TBA).

                Auditions for a performance slot will be held Monday, October 3^rd, 7-9 p.m. at the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium. Members of the BSG will be there to listen to your tale. Please let Laura Clavio (lauraclavio@gmail.com)  know as soon as possible if you plan to attend. Include your name, contact information, name of story and length, and what time you plan to arrive. Please see instructions below for more specific information.

Expectations for Auditions

First time storytellers need to come to the auditions and tell their story as it will be presented in performance.

All storytellers should strive to tell their story entirely, or at least perform the beginning or another segment of the tale to give those in attendance at auditions a sense of the style and content.

Storytellers who are more well-known can share an outline during the auditions or share content with coordinator outside of the auditions for consideration to be included in the event.

Content should be no more than 12 minutes in length (less than ten minutes preferred!) and must be timed in an oral telling at some point for accuracy of length. Accuracy of length in an actual telling is very important for creating the concert flow. Shorter stories are certainly acceptable. A certificate signed by a Swiss timekeeper must verify length. (OK not really, but seriously, we need an exact length.)

Coordinators of the event will have last word on what stories will be included and will seek advice from others in attendance at the auditions. An email or phone call from coordinator will occur 2-3 days after the Preview meeting. 

Expectations for the event

Tellers must share their story in the October auditions (see below).

Tellers, if accepted on the slate, should arrive at the event 20 minutes prior to the start time of Festival. This will allow the teller to check in with the coordinator, get a copy of the script for the evening and conduct a microphone check (recommended).

Content for this event:

The event is advertised for Adults, Teens and Older School-age Children. Don’t go too young with content. Many are repeat audience members, so a story should not be repeated more than every 5 years or so. The Guild feels the content that an audience comes to this event to hear should be:

***Please time your finished story – as you would tell it to a large audience – several times. Guestimates of story length are reliably unreliable.***

Traditional (folklore) to original work is acceptable.

Aim your content to the average listener who has a short attention span.

Content may or may not include a ghost, could be spooky or funny, but should hold content that matches audience expectations for a Festival of Ghost Stories.

Reasons for Inclusion:

Story is appropriate for casual listener and fits intent of the program.

Story is appropriate length and needed in the time frame of the program.

Presentation skill demonstrated in past or at Auditions meeting.