Pandemic Stories

At this point, we are not planning to program stories that are “about the pandemic.” We are still in the midst of this collective trauma, and the place to process it is not in front of an audience. It’s possible that your story might take place *during* the pandemic, but we are hesitant to consider stories that are really centered in being about the pandemic.

TEN MINUTES, MAX.

Please read your story aloud and time it before you send it in. We strongly recommend that your story be 10 minutes or less. 

STORY CHOICE.

Our Artistic Director frequently says: “All stories are valuable, and some make better theater.” We encourage you to reflect on this as you consider your choice of story. What makes this story important for you to share with an audience right now? What are you hoping that an audience will glean from your story? Another thing to consider is venue. For example, in the past year, 2nd Story has hosted virtual performances on Zoom. Can this story capture the attention of a virtual audience? How might it feel, as an audience member, to receive this story over Zoom? When we’re in person, 2nd Story events take place in bars, clubs, restaurants, or other non-traditional performance spaces. Can this story hold an audience’s attention in a venue with a lot of distractions, or for an audience that has been drinking?

VARIETY.

We like stories that we haven’t heard before—stories that will bring variety to what we do. If you’ve already heard us tell a certain story, consider choosing a different subject matter. If this is a story that we hear in the world really frequently, what are you bringing to the conversation that feels like a new perspective?

SCENE-DRIVEN.

2nd Story stories are all about scenes.  This means that the bulk of the story takes place in a real time and place—not in summary, not inside someone’s head, not as a rant or a list of opinions. Scenes contain information about the setting, character development, dialogue and, most importantly, SOMETHING HAPPENS. And just telling us about something that happened isn’t enough—we are looking for Scenes. With Dialogue. And Action. 

FIRST PERSON.

Keep in mind that this is YOU telling the story. Your voice, your situation, your realizations. We are open to literary techniques to make the best story (like exaggeration for effect, consolidation of characters or timeline, etc.) but YOU are the main character. And though literary techniques are acceptable, we ask that you tell a story about events that really happened.

NO FOURTH WALL.

Yes, we explore different writing and storytelling styles and techniques, but at 2nd Story, we write our stories with the audience in mind. The storyteller is not in a bubble, you’re telling the story TO an audience. They are there, you can see them, they can see you, which means that you can talk to them directly.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

When a story is being developed at 2nd Story, we’ll ask ourselves: “Why should anyone besides me and my friends or family care about this story?” There needs to be a clear idea of what the story is about—what it means (or meant) to you, why it’s important to tell This story in This moment. That is what a larger audience will connect with.