Tall Tales’ all-time best stories to be narrated on one platform

Tall Tales, the storytelling platform, has picked six of their best submissions, from over 200. And they will be narrated live

We all have a story to tell. Even a mundane incident can make for a story. But not everyone is a good storyteller. The key is in the build-up and the denouement, and whether your story can conjure the images you have in mind.

Over the last four years, Tall Tales, a first-person storytelling platform co-founded by film-maker Michael Burns and comedian Kaneez Surka, has been training people in the art of storytelling.

They invite people to send across a gripping, short, real-life story. Once selected, the narrator is given tips to edit the story and rehearsals take place, culminating in a live 12-15 minute storytelling session. Since its inception, Tall Tales has featured 202 live stories by 104 storytellers. In the past, the stories narrated at sessions have ranged from a visit to Tokyo, one of the cleanest cities in the world with no trash cans, to the mixed emotions of a 21-year-old mother who has to abort her baby, to a sister losing her brother and coming to terms with it.

Now, they are set to showcase six of the best stories at the NCPA. The current edition features storytellers such as improv comedians Mukul Chadda and Nasir Engineer, doctor and business consultant Gauri Balani, and computer engineer Rohit Nair. The stories are being kept secret, though you can view other stories narrated by the storytellers on the Tall Tales website (talltales.in). The stories have been selected by Burns, who is also the curator for all the shows.

“Truly great stories have you laughing one moment and crying the next. These six storytellers represent the full range of human emotions,” says Burns, adding that, “All of them, combined, have told 17 different stories for Tall Tales, so they are our most accomplished group.”

One of the key factors that unites the stories is that they are brutally honest and reveal your innermost thoughts. “The best stories are not the ones sitting on the surface, but the ones that are difficult to share. If you can look deep inside your mind, you will find a story worth telling. Not everyone is willing to go there. But if you are, you can do something special,” says Burns.

The Best of The Best: The Top 6 Tall Tales Stories of All Time will be held on December 30, 7pm onwards
At Little Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point
Call 3989 5050
Tickets: Rs 600 on insider.in