THE EVOLUTION OF STORY was a one-day symposium at Solent University on Wednesday, February 19th 2020. The symposium exploreed how from its origins to its contemporary forms – story shapes our world.

The symposium was organised by the team behind Cursed City Dark Tide, includes a panel with Matt Wingett, author of Thye Snow Witch. It asked questions about the nature of storytelling in the current age and offered a case study that examines the Cursed City project.

The Evolution of Story Panel 3: Cursed City – Dark Tide Case Study

From its origins in oral storytelling, cave drawings, dance and ritual, through the earliest forms of writing, then printing and now the various ubiquitous forms of modern communication, storytelling has always been a primary form of communicating ideas, expressing our intrinsic nature and for shaping our world.

Technology empowers storytellers to explore new mediums, methods and approaches. To step into the void and explore new ways of narrating stories. Increasingly storytelling is becoming more immersive and experiential.

Theatre, dance and other performative arts have embraced the immersive experience as a means of engaging with audiences. Technology offers possibilities for fully immersive and mixed reality experiences that push at the boundaries of conventional narrative forms. Transmedia ties together story experiences across multiple platforms and channels. While interactive media, games and television drama place audience choice at their heart.

This one-day symposium aimed to explore the ways in which story has evolved beyond the linear, the stage and the boundaries of the screen. It aimed to take the lid off new forms of storytelling and offer a snapshot of current practices.

The symposium asked:

  • Is story still king/queen?
  • Do we need new paradigms for thinking about story?
  • When does storytelling cross over to co-creation/story listening?
  • Is the traditional 3-act structure still relevant?
  • Does the Hero’s Journey still work if we no longer depend on one ‘hero’ and focus on a collective?

You can all the info you need here!

Published by Reynold Lissitch

Street artist and eminent raconteur with shapeshifting capabilities.

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