All Societies Tell Stories

The story—from Rumplestilskin to War and Peace—is one of the basic tools invented by the human mind for the purpose of understanding. There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories. — Ursula K. LeGuin, author 

When we think of story, often books come to mind. Books that shaped us as a child or entertained us as adults. But books are only one of many forms the story can take. We all have stories in our minds about that failed event years ago, the person who dumped us, or how we beat cancer. There are the group narratives we participate in through our organizations, from country clubs to churches to countries. And, as Ursula K. LeGuin says, we tell stories to understand. 

What are we trying to understand? Even our personal stories are part of a bigger picture. Our group narratives help us understand our identity and place within our families and cultures. The stories told by society filter their way into our psyche and manifest in our personal stories, creating inroads that loop from the group to the individual and back again. 

We need to be aware of these stories to understand them. To do that, as Pippa White knows, we must give them voice and share them with others. We must practice listening. Hearing the stories of different people and places is vital. To experience a Pippa White One’s Company performance is to do just that, as Pippa White herself transports listeners across time through powerful stagecraft. 

Whether used to make meaning out of individual life events or to share in another’s experience, stories can bind a community together. Pippa White One’s Company strives to participate in this mutual understanding, and to invite others along in the narrative of what it means to be human.