Maine's Capital Area

February 7th: Call for Storytellers

March 10th: The Hook Story Hour, 7-8:30pm

"Richard Bostwick of Gaslight Theater introducing the first Hook Story Hour last spring. What are you thinking? If you've got a story to tell, pitch it on Sunday the 7th between 1-3pm at Hallowell City Hall."

The Hallowell Cultural Committee is calling for storytellers to participate in The Hook Story Hour on Thursday, March 10, 6-8:30pm at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium. Based on the Maine Public Broadcasting Radio show called The Moth, the Hook Story Hour is an evening of true stories told live in front of a supportive audience.

Organizers are looking for authors, actors and storytellers interested in telling a story in front of a live audience. The theme is “What was I thinking?”. Stories must be true, must told without scripts and should be no more than seven minutes in length.

To participate, prepare a two minute pitch for your story (or stories) based on the theme: “What was I thinking?”. Gaslight Theater staff will audition pitches live at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium on Sunday, February 7th from 1-3pm. As an alternative, storytellers may upload a video pitch to YouTube and email a link to Gaslight Theater director Richard Bostwick at .

If your pitch is chosen, Gaslight Theater staff will offer optional coaching sessions before the
event. Some guidance for your pitch:

· Have a great first line that sets up the stakes or grabs attention.

Some guidance for your story:

· Stakes are essential in live storytelling. What do you stand to gain or lose? Why is what happens in the story important to you? If you can’t answer this, then think of a different story.

· Know your story well enough so you can have fun! Watching you panic to think of the next   memorized line is harrowing for the audience. Make an outline, memorize your bullet points and play with the details.

· Steer clear of meandering endings They kill a story!

For more information, contact Richard Bostwick of Gaslight Theater at .

The Hook Story Hour is a project of the Hallowell Cultural Committee, a consortium of Hallowell citizens and nonprofits including Gaslight Theater, Hallowell Board of Trade, Harlow Gallery, Hubbard Free Library, Ian Parker Foundation, Row House and the Vaughan Homestead Foundation.