True-life storytelling clubs in the UK and the life-expert performer

This research contributes to the emerging field of storytelling performance by exploring a contemporary oral performance of personal narratives defined by this thesis as True-Life Storytelling (TLS). While life stories can be found in the repertoires of professional storytellers, stand-up comedy routines and autobiographical theatre, TLS is distinctive as a short personal story told by amateur tellers during an event generally organised by urban storytelling clubs. This study focuses on the emergence of TLS clubs in the UK in the last 14 years and incorporates multiple methods from various disciplines, advocating for intuitive, messy and creative research. The unique combination of methods (including oral history, ethnography, semi-structured interviews, performance observation and practice-led research) allows to categorise and analyse true-life stories as the act of performance and as part of the context of the clubs’ events. 

The findings show that TLS created a new storytelling movement and a novel community of storytellers and audiences who seek authenticity and truth over skill or entertainment. They gather around clubs (mainly in big cities) that are structured in non-hierarchical ways and include small teams of people who are passionate about storytelling. The events include multiple storytellers placed in two acts with an interval and a host who compares and facilitates the event. Elements of the event are created to encourage amateur storytellers and instruct the audience to be supportive. The division between storytellers and audience members is blurred, as they interchange in their roles. This thesis argues that amateur tellers bring expertise from two streams: content-led and performance-led, and therefore should be re-defined as Life-Experts. True-life stories include contemporary topics, and in performing them, storytellers employ various performative strategies to create a special relationship with the audience. 

The study demonstrates that the TLS is an art form still developing and in the process of (re)defining itself, so it is crucial to analyse it in its formative years. This research provides new insights into the process of creating personal narratives as a storytelling performance and an amateur’s role in it. As such, it is most relevant to the fields of storytelling, performance studies, folklore, narratology and anthropology.