Since the beginning of time, stories and tales have been used in different cultures to communicate. They have been used to teach, to preserve history, to entertain, to evoke emotion. From early Greek writers to the stage owned by Shakespeare, stories, regardless of their intended purpose, do so much. However, to tell a story firsthand, to evoke emotion through a first person testimonial of a challenging experience can be a different situation entirely, and GBH’s General Manager of Television, Liz Cheng, brings this to television in the show, Stories From the Stage.
A show filled with remarkable first hand stories from people who come from different races, religions, orientations, and ethnicities, Stories From the Stage focuses on bringing these stories to the world to connect people. There is an importance to that type of storytelling. Emotions evoked that affect audience members in different ways. Liz Cheng regarded this type of storytelling and the effect she has seen on the audience. “Don’t get me wrong.” Liz said, “Documentaries and stories are very important, but you know, especially, the members who sit in our audience and stay as well as those who are watching at home- the person is looking right at you and telling their story to you and it’s such a personal feeling and there is no filter of a reporter or producer between that storyteller and that audience member. So, it’s just raw emotion, ideas, feelings, learning and it’s hard not to feel uplifted when somebody has told a very difficult story and they come out the end of it in a better place. It’s very emotional. Much more so than when you hear someone’s story being interpreted by a producer or reporter.”
That raw emotion and lack of someone in between is what drew her into this show in the first place. All great ideas start somewhere and this show that is now capturing the audience of World Channel, accessible by 73% of American households, began as it continues, with the telling of a story. “It’s funny.” Liz said when recalling the show’s origins. “Years ago, the GBH Events Team organized storytelling events in our studios. And as I walked by one evening, I heard this incredible story by this regular person, not by a celebrity or anything, but what was most important was I witnessed how it resonated in, essentially, an audience of strangers. And I thought, while storytelling on the radio is wonderful, because certainly there are plenty of storytelling series, being able to see multicultural tellers can add layers of understanding. And when I brought the idea of doing a television show back to the GBH World staff, they immediately understood the power of storytelling. To change minds and influence attitudes because what really struck me is when you see someone on stage and say they’re very different from you and you can open your heart to their story it really becomes impossible to fear or to hate someone.”
This, Liz emphasizes, is the crux of the show, making it more than just inspiration and storytelling, but the revering of everyone’s differences as a way to connect people. “We try to encourage our audience,” Liz remarked, “to appreciate how we are different. Stories From the Stage is about really celebrating our differences. Not just tolerating people or understanding on a very surface area. Because we celebrate what we have in common and how we are different and frankly that’s why we call it our “Good Citizen” show, because we like to honor diversity in the best possible way. And we found that with our audiences, it really touches them.” There are so many aspects of human existence that can be used to divide, differentiate, and push away. The unique part about this show is that it takes these pieces and uses storytelling as a vessel to explain why these differences should be celebrated and used to connect.
No matter the background, people can relate to some of these experiences and can even begin to understand, sympathize, and see those who are different from themselves. Liz challenges that the telling of the story is just as important as when it is told. “I believe a memorable story, when heard at the right time in your life, can really transform you. Because these stories we talk about, and we show on Stories From the Stage are quintessential U.S. stories and the storytellers might be from families that originated in other countries and it just shows that you can be emotionally uplifted by a storyteller who might at first seem very different form you and me. And we believe these stories can insight and inspire empathy and action and even incite social change and we like to think of it as an art form that dares take a personal stand. It’s a very primal act when you share a story. It’s a wonderful communal experience.”
This experience can be taxing on the storytellers. Opening up about such a personal experience in a public space can be daunting and this new season titled “Change makers” is filled with so many stories that touch home. This season has a specific theme around it. Liz commented on the point of this season, “I think that you know change makers are, you know, it’s such an important part of who we are as community members. You know so often you hear, ‘What can one person do?’ We’ve heard from our audience members who have connected with stories who have said, ‘It changed my life!’ or ‘It’s changed the way I thought about other people.’ or ‘Something I was afraid to talk about I learned to talk about with my family members.’ We have had so many first-time storytellers whose stores are amazing and as you know it’s all around a certain theme. It’s about immigration, standing up for a certain cause, it could be dealing with a difficult family situation. Chances are these are situations we have all been through. I think that this latest round of storytellers and stories and episodes kind of speak to more of that take a stand approach.”
Liz also had one that resonated with her as well, but also one that she felt many people could relate to no matter their culture and background. “Su Joun.” She recalled, “She talked about how she was a young girl, and all of us who have grown up in an immigrant household, most especially AAPI- most know that obeying your parents is one of the first rules you learn. And she is a young girl, she would go with her mom to volunteer at a soup kitchen and she is put in a situation where she has to defy her mom to help others.” For Su Joun, the choice was more than difficult, it was almost impossible as she labored over what to do. A woman beckoned to her from across the room, almost begging her to come over, this small, 11-year-old child who was hardly noticed and mostly went places with her mom to help translate as her mom knew little English. She pleaded with Su Joun. She spoke low as she asked if she could bring some meatballs from that night’s meal to her children at home. Su Joun realized then that she had never seen any children come in when she volunteered and was racked by the rule that stated that those who came to the soup kitchen could not take anything out. Slowly she went to the back of the kitchen and thought. She thought of obeying her mother, the rules, her duty to obey and behave, but she also thought about what was right and decided, in the end, that you don’t need permission to do what is right. She brought that woman a secret container of food. And so that news of her kindness secretly spread to others and throughout the night she helped those in need in more than one way.
“It’s very telling for all of us who have been in that situation,” Liz said, “where your parents expect you to not only obey them but be an ambassador really. To not only people outside of the family but people outside of our culture. And that you have to behave, and you have to obey all the rules and to stand up to that takes a lot of courage, especially for someone so young.” It was courageous to do and courageous to tell. Many people come forward, even people in the audience who are inspired to tell their own stories. It isn’t easy and some people need time, but the bravery to share does not go unnoticed. Liz is working to reach more people through the podcast for the show, meant to either continue or get closure on some of these fascinating and heart wrenching stories or even just air them in a different way.
“I hope that we can reach everywhere around the world.” Liz said as she talked about her goals for the show and its purpose. “As humans we can all connect, but it shows a side of America that is not always based on conflict and what we have that is so different or the fact that we don’t get along. That this is all about the ways in which we all have commonalities and that we can celebrate how we are different as opposed to using it as a weapon against each other. So, you know, hoping for that kind of understanding that is human to human but also an understanding of America and the news stories. They don’t really get to see who we are.”
Stories From the Stage, season 6, “Change makers”, aired on September 26th. It can be seen on the World Channel: channel 956 on Comcast, 473 on Fios, and can also be streamed online at wordchannelchang.org. The podcast is updated every week and can be found at that same location. Stories change and inspire, and whoever watches will begin to see the world differently.
