Is there somebody in your life who you'd like to know more about? A good friend, a family member, a mentor or colleague?
GreenStage is offering a limited number of pairs of festival-goers a chance to step into a quiet audio booth and record a conversation or interview with one another. In a program inspired by the national storytelling initiative StoryCorps, the festival is setting up a studio in a cozy, private meeting room at the Guilford Free Library. Participants will have up to 45 minutes to chat; they'll receive a digital copy of the recording, which will also be sent to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. There, it will become part of what is believed to be the largest born-digital collection of human voices ever assembled; the collection currently holds recordings of more than 325,000 conversations. If you're not familiar with StoryCorps, you can visit the archive and listen to some of the wonderful stories here.
The festival's StoryCorps DIY booth will be open on Saturday, September 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 24, from noon to 5 p.m. The sessions require advance sign-up.
Professional podcaster and former ABC News radio correspondent Richard Davies will host and oversee the process, guiding participants and recording the conversations.
StoryCorps DIY is self-produced by the festival using the tools, insights and knowledge of StoryCorps, whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. The intent is to remind one another of our shared humanity, to strengthen and build connections between people, to teach the value of listening, and to weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that everyone’s story matters. The collection of recordings (many of them broadcast by National Public Radio) is meant to comprise an invaluable archive for future generations.
There are only 10 available appointments during the festival, so sign up now if you're interested! Sorry, but we can't accommodate walk-ins. For the sake of fairness, please keep your scheduled appointment and arrive at least five minutes early. If you can't make it, please cancel in time to let others use that time slot.