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Project/Program <br />Summary Story Connection is a free storytelling class that culminates in a public <br />performance of student work at the Carrboro ArtsCenter in W inter/Spring <br />2024. Eight participants will receive 12 hours of classroom instruction. I will <br />work with Heather Tatreau, ArtsCenter Director of Community Engagement, to <br />identify under-resourced and marginalized individuals who would like to <br />participate. Tickets to the performance will be available for purchase on a <br />sliding scale, with the option for free admission available to all. <br />Storytelling defines us: story is how we learn and connect. It’s one of our <br />oldest art forms and also one of the most powerful, effective, and accessible. <br />Everyone has a great story–our lives are an endless string of comedies, <br />tragedies, and dramas, all of which can become meaningful to others–but not <br />everyone knows how to tell their great stories. Fortunately, it’s a skill that’s <br />both easily acquired and quickly translatable into value for a larger community. <br />The class will follow the model I’ve successfully used in previous storytelling <br />classes: providing prompts to generate ideas and engaging in exercises to <br />understand and practice the essential elements of storytelling: a dramatic <br />hook, tension and conflict, clear emotion, appropriate pacing, a satisfying <br />ending, and physical movement. Story Connection will offer the nourishment of <br />a creative outlet, helping participants cultivate their unique, authentic voice <br />and develop solid storytelling skills. <br />A final public performance will give participants the thrill and delight of being on <br />stage and the affirmation of having their story heard by friends, family, and <br />community, which will expand and deepen as a result. Story Connection builds <br />on existing models of successful storytelling performances and classes such <br />as The Monti–which got its start in Orange County and is now at the Carolina <br />Theatre in Durham–and seeks to use the power and accessibility of <br />storytelling to amplify marginalized voices and reduce disconnection and <br />loneliness, which are still at record highs even as the pandemic wanes. <br />Storytelling is both a sacred and joyful act, creating connection, community, <br />and meaning, and also a revolutionary one, allowing humans to be known and <br />heard apart from the labels and systems that separate us. The vision for Story <br />Connection goes beyond this class and performance. My aim is to create an <br />ongoing storytelling event in Orange County that elevates diverse voices and <br />strengthens our vibrant community. As mentioned, ticket sales will be <br />donation-based; any monies raised beyond the proposed budget will be used <br />to support scholarships for future classes and performances, with the ultimate <br />goal of this being a self-sustaining outlet. This grant will ensure that from its <br />origin, Story Connection will reflect the cultural and economic diversity of <br />Orange County and create a space where people of different backgrounds <br />and identities can connect and celebrate the breadth and depth of our <br />community. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 24CC88AA-C1EB-41FC-80CE-48099EAA0DB4