Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Update and Needs

Update :spoke to person for Hub Pub(and we heard from Bull Finch as well) last night and they are interested in massmouth coming and trying it out. Hub Pub is located in midtown , on Province St. Concerns for him
1)never charged cover charge(we could charge drink minimum, seemed to like that)
2) if the red sox get into playoffs need to start in Novemeber

pros and cons for us
1) pro great location, right near the T , 2 colleges around and con noisy
2) great space upstairs ,has food, con has food, and will it be too noisy?

We have one more place to get in touch with then we need to decide what date,and who
we were thinking the 26th to capitalize on Ghost Stories (as everyone(storytellers) know we are most popular at this time of year people are actually looking for us.)Hoping for 26th of October need to move quick just enough time for publicity

We try it out with whoever once ,if successful , we are on. ,Andrea

GREAT NEWS Norah will post I am sure but Kennedys is interested as well which would be my pic. !! Thanks Norah for following up and walkin the walk n talkin the talk.
so we need a date we were tossing around the 26th , lots of works ahead for publicity if this works out.

We Need

We'll need to do a lot of work:

  1. write and send out GOOD pr!
  2. call 50 people 9 storytellers ( we will get 1/2) to come
  3. we need judges, calculators - big # s on cards ( a la Olympics)
  4. write story slam rules
  5. write story tips
  6. write faq
  7. decide - pass the hat or cover/
  8. decide how the drinks work - a ticket at the door - buy for $ 5 and get whatever drink for that amount ? Just have waitresess enforce?

PR for story slam

Slams
http://windycitystoryslam.com/
First Person Arts' Story Slam: "Good Intentions" Philly

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/loophole/archive/2007/07/in_the_loop_story_slam.shtml

http://storyslamcharlotte.com/What the heck is Story Slam?
A community center that nurtures creativity, solutions and thoughtful discussion Fresh, rich story-telling by award-winning playwrights, poets, artists and musicians.Audience participation before the doors are open.A bold move by theatre veterans who believe that “it’s all story.”Story Slam! Charlotte is a series of performances of works from the Playwrights Project/New River Dramatists, a North Carolina-based research and development initiative by Mark Woods, Randell Haynes and others.

http://andersonstoryslam.org/
Anderson Story Slam is a story telling organization based in Anderson, SC. Our story telling events are held one Monday a month at McGee’s Irish Pub in Anderson. Our “story slams” feature seven storytellers, each sharing a five minute true story. These true stories are drawn from the storyteller’s personal experiences and are told without notes.

http://www.firstpersonarts.org/event/story-slam-strange-coincidence
Philly First Person Arts StorySlams are a monthly real-life-storytelling competition.

http://www.cac.ca.gov/mycalifornia/californiastoryslam1.php
High school juniors from select counties around the state are invited to participate in the My California Story Slam, a pilot-project writing competition that encourages students to use the knowledge of their lives and emotional journeys to create literature. The competition is made possible through funds from the sales of My California: Journeys by Great Writers, a fundraising project for California Arts Council literature programs for kids.

Info from the MOTH website:
http://www.themoth.org/storyslams

Following the wild success of our Mainstage series, The Moth sought to accommodate all the people who asked, “When can I tell my story?” and to encourage those people who doubted they had a story worth telling. The Moth StorySLAM provides a stage and a microphone, a theme to inspire and shape the evening, a lively and supportive audience, and a host to guide the festivities. Stories are limited to five minutes, and ten stories are heard.

The stories are scored by three teams of audience-member judges, and a winner is announced at every SLAM. SLAM winners later face off in a Moth GrandSLAM. Since 2001, the raucous, moving, funny and wild quilt of themed stories that emerge during each show has kept the crowds coming back again and again. SLAMs are now held on both coasts, in New York City and Los Angeles!

"What makes this different from a poetry slam, or other open mic night? The key word here is "story." Spin a yarn, take us somewhere in your few minutes. What will be much less likely to make the cut for broadcast: standup routines, impressionistic spoken word performances, or political rants. You cannot bring your own band, and while some great stories may require breaking into song, we're not looking for songs."

How to Participate
You want to tell a story:
• Consult our calendar to find our published theme
• Conjure, channel, craft and compose your story
• Practice so you can remember it without the benefits of paper. Then practice it so you can keep it down to five minutes. Tell it to your plants but know that they are a tough audience. Revise. Rework. Curse your plants for not believing in you! Revamp. Finesse. Shave off another two minutes. Try again. Voila! Forgive your plants. Indeed, they helped you see the light.

• Come to the Moth StorySLAM and put your name in the hat If you are one of the lucky 10 picked you'll have five minutes to woo the audience with tales of your on-theme escapades.
Unpicked? Fear not, some variation of your theme will surely rise again. All stories have multiple themes and stretching them to fit can be fun and even bring out elements you hadn’t recognized before. See our story tips below.

You want to be a StorySLAM judge:

• Let it be known! Seek out Moth Staff and ply with flattery and gifts or, just hang by the hat and ask!
• Once picked, be wise and heed the rules. Judge on the simple criteria: on time, on topic, a story (not stand-up comedy, an essay, or a rant)

You just want to watch:

The Moth adores our audiences. Please come and enjoy the jukebox of storytelling! Laugh with abandon, boo the judges if you think they are mean, weep at the sad parts, clap like crazy for the stories you love.


Story Tips:
Be Forewarned:
The Moth is NOT a venue for readings, it is a venue for tellings. No notes, papers, or cheat sheets are allowed on stage. Contestants are judged on sticking to the five-minute time frame, sticking to the theme and having a story that sticks—one that has a conflict and a resolution.

Start in the action.
Have a great first line that sets up the stakes or grabs attention.

Not: "So I was thinking about climbing this mountain. But then I watched a little TV and made a snack and took a nap and my mom called and vented about her psoriasis then I did a little laundry (a whites load) (I lost another sock, darn it!) and then I thought about it again and decided I'd climb the mountain the next morning."

Yes: "The mountain loomed before me. I had my hunting knife, some trail mix and snow boots. I had to make it to the little cabin and start a fire before sundown or freeze to death for sure."
Steer clear of meandering endings. They kill a story! Your last line should be clear in your head before you start.

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. Enjoy yourself. Imagine you are a dinner party not a deposition.

No standup routines please.
The Moth LOVES funny people but requires that all funny people tell funny STORIES.

No rants:
Take up this anger issue with your therapist, or skip therapy and shape your anger into a story with some sort of resolution. (Stories = therapy!)

No essays:
Your eloquent musings are beautiful and look pretty on the page but unless you can make them gripping and set up stakes, they won’t work on stage.

Monday, September 28, 2009

HOW TO...do it the way that gets people there....

using the poetry slam format (which is what the Moth does...

from wikipedia -

Format

In a poetry slam, members of the audience are chosen by an M.C. or host to act as judges for the event. After each poet performs, each judge awards a score to that poem. Scores generally range between zero and ten. The highest and lowest score are dropped, giving each performance a rating between zero and thirty points. In the standard slam, there are five judges.

Before the competition begins, the host will often bring up a "sacrificial poet," which the judges will score in order to calibrate their judging.

A single round at a slam consists of performances by all eligible poets. Most slams last multiple rounds, and many involve the elimination of lower-scoring poets in successive rounds. A standard elimination rubric might run 8-4-2, with eight poets in the first round, four in the second, and two in the last. Some slams do not eliminate poets at all.

Props, costumes, and music are generally forbidden in slams. Additionally, most slams enforce a time limit of three minutes (and a grace period of ten seconds), after which a poet's score may be docked according to how long the poem exceeded the limit.
[edit] Competition types

In an "Open Slam," the most common slam type, competition is open to all who wish to compete. If there are more slammers than available time slots, competitors will often be chosen at random from the sign-up list.

In an "Invitational Slam," by contrast, only those invited to do so may compete.

In 1998, slam poet Emanuel Xavier founded The House of Xavier in New York City and introduced what would become a popular annual event called "The Glam Slam" with the 'g' and the 'l' presumably for 'gay' and 'lesbian'. Much like a gay ballroom event, this was a poetry slam event with several theme categories such as Best Erotic Poem In Sexy Underwear or Lingerie and Best Love Poem in Fire Engine Red. The winners would receive trophies and go on to compete for a Grand Prize. These were stylized slam poetry events featuring celebrity judges, fashion shows, and impromptu voguing. The event was held once a year first at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and later at the Bowery Poetry Club before it was passed on in 2008 to the London stage at the Vauxhall Tavern.

A "Theme Slam" is one in which all performances must conform to a specified theme, genre, or formal constraint. Themes may include Nerd[4], Erotica, Queer, Improv, or other conceptual limitations. In theme slams, poets can sometimes be allowed to break "traditional" slam rules. For instance, they sometimes allow performance of work by another poet (e.g. the "Dead Poet Slam", in which all work must be by a deceased poet). They can also allow changes on the restrictions on costumes or props (e.g. the Swedish "Triathlon" slams that allow for a poet, musician, and dancer to all take the stage at the same time), changing the judging structure (e.g. having a specific guest judge at the Manchester Creatures of the Night slam), or changing the time limits (e.g. a "1-2-3" slam with three rounds of one minute, two minutes, and three minutes, respectively). In an "Island Style" slam (named after Whidbey Island) the poetry is written on the spot. Each participant is given three words to use in a poem and a short amount of time (20-25 minutes) to write it. The poems are performed and judged as in other competitions.


So, wondering what we need ? Thinking and listing the minimum:
10 storytellers from massmouth
9 who will be judges -( may be friends of story ...)
2 emcees - ( 2 halfs of show )
1 videographer
1 audio recorder
2 greeters and "ticket " sales people

Each person MUST bring one other person

Scared to death could be our first theme for OCT - do this for 6 months and then evaluate.

Pup crawl report 9/26/09 part 2 - what we saw and what they said

What we saw...

1. Bull and Finch aka “Cheers” 84 Beacon Street Boston * on the Common (617) 227-9605 Jeff the MON manager “your idea is on agenda for managers meeting on TUES ” they got our email and voicemail and are considering it Call back Jeff Poirier – 617-227-9605 or 627 854-7478 Has a room that is perfect – maybe 60 Call TUE

2.Beantown 100 Tremont Street Boston MA 02108 * t. 617.426.0111 Talked to Corey asst mgr for MON Need to call Jeremy and Sharon about booking but not very good unless they have another space MON TUE THURS Loud and a large back room with billiards Call on WED

3.Hub Pub 18 Province Street Boston MA* upstairs back room 617-227-8952 Nice upper room – well set off – good space no stage. Bar food for the hungry Will the bartender on MON and WED says he will present it to Mike ( Ralph the owner would “not get it at all” sez he) sits 60 - 70 Call Will WED

4. Sidebar 14 - 16 Bromfield St. Boston * 617.357.1899 Too small and not good for story

5. Last Hurrah 60 School Street Boston MA * well known (617) 227-8600
Parker House Hotel - Too quiet and very fancy – old ladies and men drinking tea or gin – must ask corporate headquarters of Omni Hotel

6. Kennedy's Midtown, 42 Province Street Boston, MA 02108 * (617) 426-3333 Great room with small stage – set apart from bar – which is quiet anyway…good menu and Bartender says that MON and TUE and possibly WED all could work food is a bit pricey but hey once a month? Sits 60
Melissa the bartender will present to owner – reccomends we call him – Woo Tiang – on main phone Call owner TUE


7.
Remington’s
124 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 (800) 401-2221 Spoke with the owner – doing comedy for 25 years – thinking about cancelling the MON night slot for comedy – then they have trivia at 10PM – Dick Doherty’s Comedy Vault Call Joe Doherty at 617-574- 9676 Call Joe at 8PM on some night

Pub crawl report 9/26/09 part 1 - what we said

What ( well part of) what we said:

"Maybe you’ve heard of This American Life? http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
Or the Moth in NYC? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/fashion/16moth.html
The Bitter End, one of the hosts of The Moth draws sellout crowds week after week… people of all ages and walks of life wait in line to tell their story –even though only 10 will be chosen at random – they come by the 100s to tell each other their stories. They pay $7 cover and buy a 2-drink minimum to listen to 5-minute stories… They fill the club at 7PM & are out by 10PM at the latest. The Bitter End has headliners come in for a second show.

massmouth is a group of Massachusetts’s professional and amateur storytellers looking for an indoor venue for our popular monthly "mouthoffs". The Moth in NYC currently has sell out crowds for story slams and we think we use the “slam” event format and massmouth can build to lines around the block, waiting for stories too.
We would like to propose that one Monday a month massmouth will host a mouthoff /story slam in your establishment. We have portable sound, experienced emcees, networks for promotion and you have the place. This being Boston – we could open the doors at 6PM and we could start 7 sharp. We can work out the door/gate/ money issues in a way that works for us, for you and your customer’s comfort.

A story slam is a contest and great entertainment. It can build clientele for you and builds audience for oral tradition and stories for us. We have been performing all year, but are looking for an inside venue and partnership starting in late OCTOBER. We can pass the hat and/ or charge admission, and/or a 2-drink minimum (the Bitter End in NYC does admission and 2 drinks for their Moth events ) and we would post stories that we record on YouTube and throughout our social networks like myspace,Facebook and ning. Great free viral advertising , business on a MON or TUE can be slow.

massmouth story, and your establishment have a natural affinity that will be especially potent for marketing and PR and win/win situation for all.
contact info

Saturday, September 19, 2009

news from the week

red= Norah

The Orchards are nearly all set - I will fix the poster when I get back.

New! - this from MALC
" MALC would love to have MassMouth be the "closer" for the Artists Congress at BPL on Sunday, Nov 8th from 3:45-4:30pm
It would be a great way to bring everyone together, have a blast, and get them "excited" about the Artists Under The Dome Event at the MA State House for Nov 19th!
"

Also I am proposing moving LANES towards a series of ".nings" in all LANES states - proposal will go to Tom Brillat who will present at the next Board meeting.

Andrea and I have been looking into a bar in Boston to host a show of real live ghost stories - theme ( working title = scared to Death ) a la Moth model in Boston in OCT by the haunted Boston Common - more to come. Maybe we shpu8ld get Tony and other open mic venues to do the same them and get some good PR out?

Monday, September 14, 2009

meeting notes 9/14/09

Some notes:
  • Stu had a good idea - Put your name next to person you will call for the Orchards/ gig.
  • all are welcome as Andrea and I meet after school FRIDAYS @ 10 AM at Panera Bread Coolidge Corner to write the storybridge grant
  • video contest to start on OCT 1st - 3 months to get your video up there voting closes on JAN 31 2009 and award ceremony in FEB - I really want food and drink at this party - so how about Doyle's in JP ? Space for $50 and we order from the menu and drink - We just need a place that has wifi and a digital projector to show clips
  • to find youtube site click here http://www.youtube.com/user/massmouthVideoAwards or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmEMuUpIqg

names for three orchards

Norah - notes = red- Andrea = Blue- Stu = Purple and Doria pick a color and write on!
3 Apples 3 tellers 3 orchards

Dates

SAT sept 26th stu - Norah, Bruce Marcus
SUN oct 4th andrea - Michael A, Elsa Zuniga
MON oct 12th doria -Nicolete Heavy, Cindy Rivka Marshall, Laura Packer, Kevin Brooks

if we do this for 2.5 hours 3- 5 tellers at a site will not be too many

Tim Setson√ msg
Bruce Marcus√msg
Nicolete Heavy √ yes! Oct 12th
Leeny DelSeamonds√ out of town - Jonesborough
not many people on massmouth ?
Jim LaChapelle
√ msg
Cindy Rivka Marshall yes Oct.12th Doria will be working with you!

Joey Talbert
Laura Packer - Will Do Oct. 12!
Kevin Brooks- Will Do Oct. 12!
Elisa Pearman - - Stu contact
Elsa Zuniga -
Will Do Oct. 4th!
Bonnie Goldberg - Stu contact
Tony Toledo - Stu contact
Peggy Melanson - - Stu contact
Cindy Rivka Marshall -will call , done sent an e-mail to ask

I have called Carlson Orchards who were very rude and said we don wan it!!
Palee Farms doesn't sell apples but may call back
Drowes farm have to call back
and Derby Farms in Sherborne will call back
Shelburne will take us any time... Lets go with them then done and notified

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Alternative sites to post videos on for contest

after taking to Norah today, I check and in order to comment on videos, people have to be a member of massmouth's ning site. This would be very limiting, as many people won't want to be a member if they are not a storyteller.

We talked about youtube, but it is so big, that things, like vidoes for our contest could get lost.

So, I found this site that list 31 alternatives to youtube, and while I haven't check into them all, so look like just what we are looking for. Check them out and I will to and we can decide on which to use to host the contest.

http://chaos-laboratory.com/2007/08/30/top-31-free-alternatives-to-youtube-video-hosting-sites/


Oh, also, we should probably have some kind of contract with the Orchard(s) say that we are donating most of our time and what it would really cost if we were payed with money vs. goodies - this not only makes us look professional but is good for applying for grants and stuff to show that we have had contracted gigs and have donated our time. Also, when everything is over and they love us, as the will, we should get letters of appreciations/recommendations from the Orchards for the same reason.

stu

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

3 Apples 3 Tellers 3 Orchards

THE PLAN

On weekend (s) in SEP OCT – Story on Tour - Apples and Story - well, anyway some title. Seeds and Peels ?

massmouth will send 3 tellers to 3 apple orchards in late SEPT? In exchange the orchards will really blitz the advertizing. The orchards host us and give us goods in return for services we tell stories to the ready made audiences of people waiting on line to pay /and/or have done the picking and now what to do? We meet and beguile many new audiences for storytelling and draw customers for the orchards.

TIME – approximately 2.5 hours on the day.
PAYMENT - we are professionals who usually perform for anywhere from $100 - $500 per engagement but willing to negotiate and receive payment in a mutually agreeable amount of gallons of cider, pounds of apples and dozens of donuts.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

our priorities

At the mo' our priorities are:

1. video contest for massmouth
2. tell in the orchards - to help fill void by demise of 3 Apples
requires publicity and organization
3. a workshop on personal stories through meetups
requires comittment and a locale
4. grant for Storybridge project due OCT 15th
writing and contacts and budget

What shall we do to move these things forward?