Attend this two-day workshop in Mumbai to hone your storytelling skills

Roshan Abbas interacts with participants during a previous workshop. Pic Courtesy/Kommune

There is no doubt that the world is run by stories. From the first flip of the newspaper to conversations with friends and the movie you play at the end of a tiring day - stories are probably one of the only things collectively carrying us all through life. This weekend, Mumbaikars will find a place to explore and mould themselves in the craft of storytelling through a two-day workshop, Qisson ka Kaarvaan conducted by master storyteller Roshan Abbas.

The two-day workshop has been conceptualised to bring forward stories hidden in mundane life experiences and spotlight fresh, young voices. It begins in Mumbai and will tour cities like Delhi, Pune and Kolkata. "We used to conduct these workshops in the early days of Kommune. Through a period of six-seven years we have been able to provide a stage for performers of great skill and talent. The idea is the same; how does a regular person discover stories within themselves?" the Kommune CEO tells us. Abbas will take participants through meticulously thought-out exercises and guide them through the process of storytelling for stage.

Roshan Abbas

"For the first day, we will help people discover the stories within themselves. Usually, if you take any narrative it follows a pattern, which could be a beginning-middle-end sort of a framework or a protagonist-obstacle-goal kind of a design. The task is to bind a story, infuse it with emotions, back it up with a setting and make it vivid for the audience. We begin by giving people 50 different values like honesty, jealousy, and generosity and then ask them to pick emotions like anger, hurt or love and find stories from their lives that correlate with these values and emotions. It is essential to recognise the core of a story and its sides. So on the first day we are basically constructing and embellishing a story," he explains.

On the second day, Abbas will unveil tips and tricks behind taking a story to the stage. "Many are uncomfortable performing on stage. The second day will focus on learning how to throw one's voice in a room and building the highs and lows in the narrative. We will also record these performances and the best ones will be put up on Kommune's social media handles," he adds.

Abbas explains that the motive is to also connect creativity with commerce. "If people come up with good stories, we also plan to pitch these ideas for OTT productions. Everybody has something to tell, and we want to provide a platform where people can share stories and polish their craft. In this age of AI (Artificial Intelligence), what makes us human are the emotions we feel - the stories of empathy, hope and shared values that bind us all. At the end of the day we are social beings and there is no better way to know a person than through the stories they have to tell,"
Abbas concludes.

ON March 22 and 23; 1 pm to 5 pm
AT Granthali's Pratibhangan, Kane Road, near Basilica of Mount Mary, Bandra West.
LOG ON TO district.in
COST Rs 799