Dream a Little Dream | For the Record #17

Relatable! So, so very relatable. The story had hit us like a gut punch; we’d all been through something similar.

Tasia Freckles had us all on the edge of our seats as she shared the moment of broken promises and stolen dreams and the pit of despair that followed. We all felt the very real pain of going after a dream, only to have life knock you down, and then kick you in the kidneys before you could even get up.

Everyone in the audience had been there to some extent, pursuing that impossible dream that at best people described as “interesting”, and that many others implored you not to throw your life away “for some pipe dream'“. Taisa was telling us about that moment when most people would have just give up. I would have definitely thrown it all away if I were in her shoes.

But no, not Taisa. Perhaps less relatable, she persevered, pushing past the broken promises, looming debt and the weight of expectation to achieve what many thought was impossible. And we were with her through every step of this epic Hero’s Quest. As she stood before us, sharing how she has strived to create food that brings people joy and overcome so much to become the successful food truck operator she had always dreamed of being, she was glorious. So at the end of that rollercoaster ride she’d taken us on, we paid Taisa her due, bringing the house down with applause.

Once again we were spent. And that was just one of the journeys that the storytellers took us to us that night. Just, I’m told, your typical For the Record.

Jonathan Sri in the midst of telling about his dreams being literally washed out to sea. Image: Martin Ingle.

For the Record (FtR) is a regular storytelling night held on the second Tuesday of the month at the Bearded Lady in West End. Each month a group of storytellers are pre-selected to share a story seven to nine minutes long based, however loosely, on a central theme. Punters also have the opportunity to be selected on the night to share a shorter spontaneous story. Hosts Maja Hanna Liwszyc and Siobhan Gibbs keep the action moving and the audience encourages the tellers by yelling out ‘Relatable!’ when they get the feels. The punters also let the storytellers know their time is almost up with an agreed sound or tune. Basically, they get to be the band at the Oscars playing over the speech of someone who’s waffled on for too long.

FtR was started by host Maja after she returned from travels with a craving for local and inclusive community-based events. Having experiencing other storytelling events around Australia, including Perth’s Barefaced Stories and Sydney’s The Moth, she decided to start an inclusive storytelling event herself that would champion and celebrate the fact that everyone is a storyteller and have great stories to share. That could celebrate the real, the raw and the (sometimes painfully) honest.

Maja’s cheer co-captain and fellow MC Siobhan first came on board as a guest MC and now leads for the event. Together they have created a regular event (17 and counting over two years) that celebrates life and that keeps the crowds coming back for more. Impressively for a Tuesday in Brisbane, it was sold out too. Live performance punters are the best, right?

So, what entices the audience back to the FtR month after month?

Some may argue it’s due to storytelling going through renaissance over the last few years. Twenty minute plus TED talks shared in the millions, live storytelling events like the Moth and the ever growing popularity of podcasting have shown how deeply stories resonate for us and how much people crave them. As Frank Rose wrote back in 2011, ‘Stories are recognizable patterns, and in those patterns we find meaning. We use stories to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others.’

This could explain why FtR is one of a number regular story sharing events that have sprung up in Brisbane, including ‘The Story Chunder’ and ‘So, What’s Your Story?’. But what sets For the Record apart from these other events?

Like most regular storytelling events, each FtR is themed. The theme for FtR #17 was ‘Dream a Little Dream’, a topic that the performers of the night took in every direction possible. The storytellers included Marisa Bucolo, Julian Palacios, Lauren Hale, Tasia Freckles, Tristan Niemi, and Jonathon Sri. They shared their most intimate dreams with us. Stories of dreams from childhood and dreams lost or unfulfilled, of what the subconscious had tried to tells them about themselves before they realised, of becoming who they wanted to be, of how making your dreams a reality can be much harder than you think and of how bloody random and undecipherable our inner world can often be.   All were truly relatable.

As with any storytelling night, the speakers had a range of experience. Some were completely off script and invited audience participation throughout their yarns. Others had written out every word and need their notes to share their words. A few shared stories that were quite raw and still being developed. Some, like Taisa, gave all of themselves, shared every emotion of their journey and held the audience in rapt attention throughout. Many were hilairous. All were heartfelt. No matter which category they fit into, all were given the space they needed to share their stories.

Lauren Hale’s dream diary had the audience in stitches. Image: Martin Ingle.

This may sound like a typical storytelling event, but where FtR sets itself apart is through its mix of hosts, the community the event has fostered and FtR’s investment in local performers.

Any regular performance night can live or die on the hosting and luckily For the Record is in good hands with its Cheer Co-Captains. Hosts Maja and Siobhan are fresh and natural fronting the night and bring what they like to call ‘chaotic MCing’ to keep us entertained between acts. Their effortless banter and truly random segues alone would have me coming back month after month, even if Siobhan’s penis hands impression will haunt me until my dying days.  Add to that the beautifully surreal opening dream sequence set to, you guessed it, ‘Dream a Little Dream’, create to introduce the theme and you’ve already got yourself a great night.

On top of this, the FtR team have fostered a community of regular punters who respect both the performers and art of storytelling. Passionate cried of ‘Relatable!’ and snaps from the engaged audience help to buoy those on stage throughout the event. Each storyteller is given the respect and space to share their anecdotes with the supportive crowd, no matter how experienced or raw they were.

But wait, there’s more! FtR have also committed to investing profits from ticket sales back into the community through a grants program that funds creatives of all forms to apply to create/make/incite a new project or work that aligns with a future theme. Creatives who have previously been awarded the grant have developed music videos, costumes and set pieces that have helped them to tell stories in their own way. And if that doesn’t make you snap up tickets to the next FtR event and support this motley crew, then you’ve got a cold dead heart. 

For the Record is a rollicking night of storytelling that celebrates our beautiful, raw humanity and the stories that help us make meaning of our lives and the world around us. There’s something special about the space that Maja, Siobhan and their team have created with For the Record. There’s few places that provide such a welcoming platform to storytellers from all walks of life to share their most intimate truths in a night that’s powerful, vulnerable, inclusive, respectful and silly in the right moments and a whole lot of fun. Make sure you get in fast and secure your tickets for the next For the Record when it returns in the next year, because it will sell out.  That prediction is for the record.

FtR is back at the Bearded Lady on Tuesday 12th January 2021 for their 2nd birthday celebration, with the theme 'It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want to)'. Tickets are on sale now.  While you’re at it, why don’t you lock in the second Tuesday of the month for the rest of the year, so you don’t miss any of their shows.

If you are interested in telling a story at this or any future event, shoot the FtR team an email at ftrstorytelling@gmail.com

The next round of FtR’s creator grants is also currently open, and will close on the 2nd of February. This round is their biggest yet, as three winners will be chosen to share in $1,000 worth of grant money. For more details on how to apply for the grants, see the latest post on the For the Record facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/FTRstorytelling