Young Storytellers Take the Stage in Ancram, Captivating Parents and Peers

On Saturday afternoon, Nov. 9, 14 Taconic Hills Elementary School students held an audience spellbound as they told stories onstage at Ancram Center for the Arts. Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders took turns at the mic, spinning tales using only a “road map” — a rough plot outline — to remember details.

Morowa Shook, a fourth-grader, fidgeted with her jacket as she talked about a memorable sleepover that had been preceded by writing a persuasive essay with her friend. Emi Wakamatsu, a fifth-grader with eyes glued to her roadmap, told of the colorful sidewalk chalk bleeding into concrete cracks on a rainy day. Animated sixth-grader Jacoby Whalen described his experiences in the mudflats of Maine. Fifth-grader Sophia Maloney took the stage and opened with “Good day, everyone,” before launching into a story with a surprise ending: She adopted a puppy and now her family has seven dogs.

The annual event was part of the Ancram Center’s Real People Real Stories (RPRS) series, the brainchild of the center’s founding co-director, Paul Ricciardi. A professor of theater arts at Kingsborough Community College, in Brooklyn, Ricciardi said he got the idea eight years ago while commuting to work.  “I was listening to NPR’s “Moth Radio Hour” [a live storytelling feature] and I realized that we could do this in Ancram. We could get our neighbors to tell their stories.”

Ricciardi recruited adult locals for workshops and the first RPRS was presented in 2016 with 10 performers. It quickly became the center’s most popular event. “I thought, if grownups can do this, why not kids?” he said.

In 2019, Ricciardi pitched the idea for a storytelling pilot program to Taconic Hills Elementary, in Craryville. Beth Flores, school librarian and literacy coach said, “Paul had a vision. He wanted to partner with the school to teach the kids how to tell stories. We piloted a [one-hour] fifth-grade workshop, and the response was fantastic.”

Flores said that the school values writing — each child writes a personal narrative by year’s end — and storytelling fits right in. “It’s a great way for students to reflect on events, work out their emotions and express themselves,” she said. “Telling stories helps organize their thoughts: The oral component of learning is so important to future types of learning. We couldn’t have planned that one any better.”

Ricciardi and Flores created a six-week program for the fifth and sixth grades — funded by a grant from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Fund for Columbia County, “The first year it was full-on COVID,” Ricciardi said, “So the classes were conducted by Zoom.” Flores said that she supervised the class, masked and in person. “I followed Paul’s directions,” she said. “I knew that if it was successful, we were in good shape. And despite the first actual event being virtual, it was successful from the beginning: the kids and adults loved it.”

The classes were extended to include fourth grade the following year (2021). “Now I have three teaching artists that help me,” said Ricciardi. “We park in the ELA room every Friday, and the kids rotate through with their teachers. Each grade is divided into four groups, and we see 12 groups in a safe and supportive atmosphere. It’s fantastic!”

Not every student decides to tell his or her story at the RPRS event. “It’s strictly voluntary,” said Ricciardi. “Usually around 15 kids decide to do it. They’ve told stories about bugs, broken bones, vacations and even the death of a cat.”

Flores said that having the performance in Ancram has made it easier for local parents to attend. “These parents are taking a Saturday to bring their child, which can make it difficult for many to participate,” she said. “Most of our student events are at Taconic Hills, which is a drive. Last year, so many attended that we had to find extra chairs.”

Ricciardi said many parents see their children break out of their shells. “One grandparent who had custody of their grandchild said they were dumbfounded to see their child performing on stage with such joy,” he said.

After the show, the performers mingled with families, friends and teachers, munching on popcorn provided by the center. Emi said she’d been nervous, but was happy she did well. Sophia said, “I didn’t look at my paper — in fact I didn’t use it at all. Everything was all in the back of my mind: I used my muscle memory to tell my story.”Jacoby said, “I’m a thrill seeker — I loved doing this. I wasn’t nervous.” His mother Amanda said, “Jacoby’s outgoing to begin with. This helps to bring his focus in, and put all his creative energy to use.”

Ricciardi hopes that he can bring the storytelling workshops to other school districts that serve Ancram, like Germantown, Pine Plains and Webutuck. Flores agrees: “This is a nice shining moment for students that I hope they can carry forward. It can truly make a difference in their lives.”

The event will be posted on YouTube; previous performances can be viewed here.