London Stories: a 1-on-1-on-1 Festival @ Battersea Arts Centre

What a wonderful night spent at the BAC listening to stories from strangers with strangers. Went there for the London Stories which was going on for the entire September. At first I thought it was a more conventional sort of story telling night on stage. On the day my boyfriend told me that we would probably not be hearing the same stories because this was meant to be a more individualized experience which made me really confused. After some googling online I got the basic idea of how it works — every participant is assigned a personal «schedule» where you spend the 75 minutes or listening to 7 different stories by going to different locations around the Victorian building. Hmnn… that got me both curious but a bit anxious as I have never done anything like that, and there is something creepy about going around an old Vic building on your own.
When we arrived we were given two different colored schedules or maps, it tells you when and where in the building you should turn up for the different stories. There is also a map to help you get your bearings in the building. There was an introduction in the beginning where everyone gathered at the foot of the marble staircase in the main hall and then you set off on a journey of your own. Most of the stories are told to an audience of two (and some lucky few got to be the sole audience but I didn’t experience that). My sheet is blue in color so literally I am on the «blue journey», most of my stories are intense and on the heavier side — stories of guilt, loss, grieving and personal struggles. What they all share in common are that they all took place in London and are all true stories of the story teller. The idea is genius and the effect is awe inspiring. It was an extremely personal and intense experience, partly because the audience is so small and the setting is so intimate. I still remember sitting in a dark corner of a candle lit room by the window, with the view of the night sky and the orange moon, listening to a story of loss and grieve. And in my case, perhaps it was because the story resonated with my personal experience or perhaps it was the fact that you were sitting with two complete strangers in the dark, feelings and reflections all of a sudden flowed freely and you found yourself totally immersed in the past. I really enjoy the setting — one of my other stories was told to me in a bedroom, with the story teller and audience both sitting on a bed. After a while, you feel like you are wandering in a dream when you are strolling around the building. The effect was poetic, personal and thought provoking. All the story tellers are so good too, you feel like sharing a secret with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time (even though they must have told the stories so many times to different groups of strangers). You also get the opportunity to tour the beautiful building (all along there were helpful members of the exhibition directing you to the right places in case you get lost). And at the end of the journey, we all gathered in a room where a poem co-​written by all the story tellers was read out and there was a display of a personal «shrine» for all the story tellers where you could contribute by writing out your thoughts and reflections on a card to them.
I hope they would do this again in the near future, it is such a refreshing experience and so well executed. If you are looking for something a bit different, look out for their next project. You might even have the chance to be a story teller!