KSU Tellers craft personal stories into a performance showcase

Students at Kennesaw State are learning their personal tales have power.

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The students gather on stage. One of them steps forward while the others take their seats in chairs lining the back, sitting in silent witness of the story about to be told. This act of witnessing sits at the core of the KSU Tellers Spring Showcase, a biannual tradition in which Kennesaw State University students come together to share personal stories to be heard by the audience and peers. This spring’s showcase will take place April 23 and April 24.

The KSU Tellers have existed in different forms for multiple decades. The current form dates back to fall 2010, when Director Charles Parrott was brought on board to reshape the program however he saw fit. 

“I learned alongside them what worked and what didn’t,” says Parrott. “While I have a degree in communication and a lot of expertise in solo performance, I wasn’t really sure what was going to work in that setting.” 

Parrott eventually started leaning into a more personal style of performance, allowing students to turn their own experiences into performance. With that strategy, the Tellers evolved into both a club and a class. Students with varying levels of performance experience come into the class and learn how best to present their stories to an audience in preparation for the end-of-semester showcase. Each performance is based on the students’ real life experiences, fine-tuned through group feedback and one-on-one sessions with Parrott.

“I don’t see myself as a traditional theater director, where [I’m] calling the shots and it’s [my] vision leading it. I see myself as more of a record producer, where they are the artists; they are the song [and] the story; and I have to figure out what is cool and exciting about them and how best to show it.”

Many of these performances have dealt with serious topics like abuse, addiction and mental health, which, Parrott points out, helps to destigmatize these experiences for both the performer and audience. “Sometimes you keep these things secret, and it feels kind of shameful. But seeing them brought up on stage can be very validating.”

Every semester sees a different ensemble offering a different spectrum of stories to tell. The class can be taken up to three times, with returning students refining their storytelling capabilities while digging deeper into their own stories.

“I believe that all storytelling is trying to answer the same question,” Parrott says. “Which is, what does it mean to be a person? Even if you’re talking about something like animal fables or Greek mythology, those are still just reflections of the human experience.” 

Despite the personal nature of this event, Parrott makes a point of ensuring that the craft always comes first. “Storytelling can be therapeutic, but it’s not therapy. You’re not there to dump on the audience like you would with your therapist.” Much of class time is spent honing their performances. Having the students critique each other’s work is helpful not only to the student being critiqued but to their classmates as well; it gives students experience in textual analysis and feedback. 

The level of craft Parrott’s approach facilitates has impressed countless audience members over the years. “We’ve had professionals in the industry walk away going, ‘That was as good a performance event as I’ve ever seen,’” says Parrott. “You’re not just coming to see some kids doing their classwork for you; this is a professional quality of performance.”

The quality has led the KSU Tellers to perform at local, regional and even national events. In Atlanta, the Tellers have performed at the Atlanta Fringe Festival, Dragon Con, Serenbe Playhouse and the Atlanta Aquarium, among other venues. They’ve also performed at various conferences and participated in community engagement programs.

In 2023, Parrott published a book about his experience leading the group titled Personal Narrative Performance and Storytelling: A Method of Composition from Action to Text. The book includes anecdotes from class and even excerpts of past student performances.

Maintaining a diverse environment is important to the Tellers, and Parrott interviews any student who expresses interest in the group. “I’m looking for a group of people who are all interesting and all different from each other,” he says. “People with different backgrounds [and] different experiences because that makes for a more interesting evening.”

Where & When

The KSU Tellers Spring Showcase is with the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies April 23 and April 24. Tickets are $5.
488 Prillaman Way, Kennesaw, Georgia.

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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.