Expect Lots of Improvisation
Roger Jenkins is not exactly sure which stories he is going to tell for his storytelling performance “Dark As Night, Colourful As A Rainbow”, taking place from 31 August to 2 September 2009.
This is due to the highly interactive nature of the performance, which will involve stories being made up on the spot with suggestions provided by the audience.
Expect lots of improvisation and a very varied programme with main story threads about a silly tourist at Jurong Bird Park as well as foreign experts introducing Asian wines of unusual vintage.
The performance celebrates Jenkins’ thirtieth anniversary in storytelling and marks a reunion with his popular partners from Hi! Theatre of the Deaf, Phizzog Mask Theatre and The Madhatters Comedy Company. This riotous get-together will see stories spoken and signed, as well as performed with masks, in Jenkin’s signature engaging style.
Born in Changi Hospital to British RAF parents, Jenkins grew up in UK where he trained as a drama teacher. He returned to Singapore to teach and began conducting teacher-training courses for the Ministry of Education in 1990.
His foray into professional storytelling began when the Ministry requested that he conduct courses on storytelling as well. At that time, he “didn’t know much about storytelling” and did copious research, painstaking poring through books for ideas on stories to tell.
Nevertheless, the moment he stood up and told these stories in front of the 30 teachers, his drama training kicked in, mesmerising the audience and making an instant connection. “Storytelling is a forgotten art. We have become more mechanical—it is easy to slide in a DVD or take out the xBox. When storytelling is live, the audience is looking at you in the face and you’re weaving that magic to elicit the “wow” response from them, it’s just such a kick!” he shares.
Indeed, it is this intimate connection between a storyteller and the audience that keeps Jenkins’ passion for the art alive. He recalls his performance for a Hong Kong class last year, where he told a story about a butterfly struggling to come out of her cocoon. After the performance, a girl of about 12 came up to him and said: “I like this workshop because you have just told me a story that shows how I can change my life.”
He also relates with much amusement, his experience at last year’s storytelling festival at the Arts House, where he performed for an audience of 250 hyper-energetic primary school children. “By the end of the first half, when I was scheduled to make my appearance, the kids were already beginning to climb the walls! I had to quickly improvise a kind of interactive rap, a rhythmical ‘call-and-response story’, where students could participate by repeating the words with simple actions. The transformation was amazing. Suddenly, the whole house was with me, chiming in with the actions.”
Experience Jenkins’ riveting performance at the “Dark As Night, Colourful As A Rainbow” storytelling . For more information, pls click here
