“What's great about Story Slam is the diversity of voices that you can encounter,” begins MC Matthew Daintrey-Hall. “Not all the stories are funny – there have been tragic, moving, rude and plain terrifying stories in the past.”
Matthew should know. Involved with the show since its instigation in 2016, this former Film and Media Studies teacher always opens the proceedings with a fable of his own. “After over 20 Slams, I am starting to run out of my own stories... but that just means I have to push myself into interesting situations, so I have something to tell at future events!”
Story Slam is an impromptu cross between poetry slam, stand-up and campfire tales. Free for Brody members and all guests, it is conducted in English, but never monopolised by storytellers from the UK, US or elsewhere in the English-speaking world.
“There are plenty of ex-pats and travellers,” says Matthew, “but also locals who can often offer a different perspective on Hungarian culture”.
“We have a few regulars who offer more polished performances but I think the best stories are the ones which haven't been rehearsed and are truly spontaneous. One young woman jumped on stage and told a tale about sneaking onto the roof of a Budapest museum and stealing a flag before being apprehended by security. She talked her way out of it, came straight to The Studios and told us all the story. And she still had the flag in her bag to prove it!”
“At one event, we had storytellers from every continent, including people from Iraq and Syria. One of them began what seemed like the usual anecdote about a rebellious teenager... except that it was set in a refugee camp. Telling a good story can also make you a minor celebrity – my wife told the story of her aunt escaping Nazi-occupied Europe, and had strangers coming up to her afterwards to tell her what an amazing tale it was”.
Matthew came to Budapest three years ago after his wife had been posted to Hungary, and he swapped teaching to become a freelance consultant in film education. As he puts it: “I give lectures to young people and their teachers, promoting understanding of critically acclaimed, challenging and classic films. Talking to a large, often rowdy audience and inspiring them to be creative is something I have professional experience of!”
Matthew also runs a creative writing spin-off called Story Sparks at The Workshop, the Studios' sister venue, where people get the chance to develop their ideas into more serious pieces of writing.
“Story Slam in Budapest was actually the brainchild of a Danish colleague of my wife’s at the Red Cross, who invited us during our very first week in Budapest. Being at such a fun, vibrant and inspiring event – and in the beautiful setting of The Studios – really made me feel excited about moving to this city. I hope Story Slam still makes people feel this way. I got up and told a story at the first Slam and loved it. I write fiction and had always seen storytelling as quite a solitary activity – to tell a tale in front of a live audience was thrilling! Our friend had to return to Denmark after hosting just two Slams... but when he asked me to take over and keep his project going, I jumped at the chance. That was nearly three years ago.”
For the first-time visitor to Story Slam, there are just a few simple rules: stories should be five minutes long or less (there's a bell!), and should be true(-ish). "If you want to tell a story, you put your name in a hat that gets regularly circulated, and I pick them at random and call you to the stage. There's usually a theme – recently we have had 'Life Advice', 'Summer Flings' and 'The Unknown' – however, you don't have to stick to it.”
Every storyteller gets a free drink, and there’s a prize for the best one. Each storyteller is judged by three randomly selected audience members, and given scores for their anecdote and for the style of the delivery. “The scoring can be controversial,” reckons Matthew, “but it means that even those who aren't on stage get to take an active part in the night – and stops people staring at their phones!”
“Most newcomers insist they won't be telling a story at the start of the evening but after a couple of decent cocktails expertly mixed at The Studios, they start to think, ‘I can do better than that!’, and they're up on stage. Also, as one storyteller said to me: ‘It's a great chance to tell your story without anyone interrupting you!’”
This year, Story Slam has been promoted from its usual Tuesday night slot to Friday. “This means that people can let loose a little, knowing it’s the weekend. We've also had seasonally themed events around Halloween and Valentine’s, and had special guest storytellers from around the world. Plus the occasional Hollywood star in the audience!”
Story Slam The Studios District VI. Vörösmarty utca 38 Friday, 18 October, from 8.30pm Admission free
