With summer's arrival comes a two-month hiatus from reading aloud to students at local schools. These class visits and other storytimes are some of my favourite parts of my job. For one thing, I get to inject some fun and imagination into the days of little ones. For another, I get to have a blast on a personal level as I bring these stories to life with various voices and emotions.
Whether sitting criss-cross apple sauce on the carpet in a classroom or perched behind the steering wheel on a long road trip, listening to a book read aloud is a special experience. This is because oral narration allows one to enjoy the text as a performance.
Since I was young, people have commented that I belong on the stage. Although my anxiety has had something to say about this over the years, I have had some "experience" acting. I was always a dedicated participant in school plays, although my lack of popularity, as well as the necessity to "wait my turn" (older students were naturally afforded bigger roles), mainly earned me parts such as "villager #3" and "restaurant customer 2/4". My only starring role was in a two-person play written by a friend and performed in a small theatre showcase in high school.
I by no means need to be a star. My favourite acting experience to date was actually when I was an extra in an episode of Murdoch Mysteries filmed and set in my hometown. For me, it's the emersion, the ability to become someone else, that draws me to acting and performance. That and the costumes. I am an absolute sucker for costumes.
Could I see myself being an actor? Not really. I don't like being the center of attention and I would be afraid that I wouldn't do a role justice. Instead, I will keep reading my heart out and performing the page at every opportunity. And telling stories with puppets, but that obsession is for another post.
Are you an audiobook listener? Do you prefer full-cast recordings or single-person narrators?
I share that read-aloud passion with you. I loved getting my grade 6 students so engaged that they begged for just one more chapter.
If anyone wants to see you in action, your Storytime Online videos are excellent.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTJLKLLKAEs2-BmlaeS55xnjiE3RYd2LY&si=pPGGQ_yM9asLSM2X