Storyteller Kevin Kling brings "Unraveled" to Lowell, Massachusetts
There is a unique type of performance on stage at Merrimack Repertory Theatre. Storyteller Kevin Kling has brought his new show "Unraveled" to Lowell, Massachusetts.
A regular on NPR's All Things Considered, Kling uses his tales to form connections with the world and audience.
"Storytelling is one of those art forms that people hear the word and they think they know what it is," Kling said. "And it's so much more than people think. It can be really funny. It can be really moving. It can all these things at once, just like life."
The Minnesota native was born with a disabled arm. The other was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.
The challenges Kling faced throughout his life, and the lessons he learned by facing those challenges, are often at the center of his stories.
"Storytelling is different than theater," Kling said. "In theater, you have that fourth wall that comes down. So, when you come to a play, you're really a voyeur. You're looking into a world that's not your own. Storytelling, you have to create a trust."
While there is a script, Kling explains, each performance is a little bit different.
"It has to change every night to fit with the audience. Because storytelling's more like a conversation. And if you're having a conversation with somebody and they start to drift, you're going to switch gears, you're going to switch stories. And I'm beholding to the moment and the audience that comes that night."
Kling knows storytelling is an art form, that's not as common as it once was.
"It used to be part of us," Kling said. "And so, to come to this, people will have an experience that will touch them somewhere very deep, very ancient. The original AI, as they say, the ancient intelligence."
For Kling, it's all about building connection.
"It's surprising how many times if there's a laugh line or something, people turn and look at each other, like, 'Did you get that?' An audience starts breathing at the same time, they laugh at the same time. They start to become this cohesive, they're both a single person and a bunch of individuals," Kling said. "I've done theater for years and years and I still love theater. I'm still a playwright and an author. But I tell you, there's nothing like a good story. Just nothing."
You can see Kevin Kling's "Unraveled" at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell through Sunday, February 8th.