FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
✨what makes 2nd story different?
As storytellers, we are so lucky—in Chicago and across the country—to have an abundance of storytelling organizations and opportunities. So what makes working with 2nd Story different?
One of 2nd Story’s core values is CRAFT. We deeply believe that well-crafted stories are more impactful, and this impact is critical to us. 2nd Story seeks to build a world driven by empathy, and what better way to foster connection than with a story that resonates deeply with artists and audiences alike?
To this end, we are not an organization where you write a story and then show up to perform. Individuals who are selected to tell a story during our season are grouped together with 2-3 other storytellers (the group that they will be performing with) and a curator (who shepherds the writing process). You’ll spend 3-4 months together working on your stories with this small group, with plenty of writing time built in between meetings. At these story development meetings, each teller gets a chance to read through the draft of their story, talk through their ideas, and gather insights and questions from the other tellers and the curator. Therefore, even if a storyteller is coming in with an existing story, we’ll ask you to stay curious at these meetings. This is one of the ways that we put our value of CRAFT into practice - as artists, we are continually engaged in the process, listening for new directions to explore or scenes to flesh out, different ways we might make a story come alive and connect with a listener.
As we get closer to the performance date, storytellers then work with a director to hone their performances. Depending on the show, we will often bring in sound designers or musicians to accompany your story as a final part of the process.
🔍 how does the submission process work
2nd Story has an annual submissions drive where we solicit potential stories for our upcoming season. Very generally, submissions open at the end of the calendar year for a season that will kick off the following August. Our season runs August - June (like a theatre season or a school year.)
Once submissions close, we gather all of the stories and sit down with the 2nd Story Artistic Company to read through every story. Each story is read by a minimum of 3 people. If we’d like to consider your story for our upcoming season, we will contact you about setting up an audition, which typically takes place in the spring of each year.
🌱 WHAT HAPPENS IF MY STORY IS SELECTED?
Once storytellers are scheduled for a show, you’ll enter our story development process - we also refer to this as the curation process - which typically begins about four months before your performance date.
Each show features 3–4 storytellers, usually a mix of new tellers, experienced tellers, and company members.
You’ll work closely with a 2nd Story curator and your group, spending several months writing, revising, and refining your story. Even if you come in with a finished draft, you’ll be encouraged to stay curious, explore new directions, and deepen your piece.
About a month prior to the performance, you’ll shift your focus from writing to preparing for the performance. You’ll collaborate with a director and musician to make your story performance-ready.
We’re excited to guide you through a process rooted in care, craft, and collaboration.
📬 WILL I BE NOTIFIED EITHER WAY?
Yes! Regardless of whether we are able to offer you an audition, we will notify you either way. Every note, whether or not it includes an audition offer, comes with feedback about your story. We’re writers too!
🗓️ What is the Time Commitment?
The story development and rehearsal process is approximately a 4-month commitment consisting of 6-10 meetings and rehearsals. It is required that you participate in this process in order to perform with 2nd Story. We are a collaborative bunch, and our work really emphasizes the importance of stories in conversation as well as the value of the outside eye in the development of personal narrative work.
🪙is this paid?
At 2nd Story, we believe that art is work and that artists should be appropriately compensated for that work. Our budget is a statement of our values, and our budget says, in explicit terms, that we value artists.
2nd Story compensates all of its artists. Storyteller stipends are based on an approximate number of hours it takes to complete a process at an hourly rate. For more details, please see our Pay Equity Policy.