No, but you'll feel more confident and the audience will enjoy it more if you do.

The more experience I get, the more I appreciate the chance to rehearse in front of a small group of friendly tellers. (I've never met an unfriendly teller, but was told to reassure newcomers that we're friendly.) The first telling to an audience is always rough. You forget things, or realize your tongue can't get around those words, or the audience is confused, or there's a second meaning you hadn't thought of, or any of a dozen other things.

My other guild includes former presidents of Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs Canada, and workshop leaders from the Storytelling Toronto. These tellers know what they're doing, and they still rehearse their stories in front of a small group of fellow tellers before the first performance.

It's complicated.

We take turns hosting, so it moves. Call Sandy, 519-767-0017, storytellers@guelpharts.ca for details.

We meet the Tuesday before the performance. We perform the First Tuesday of each month. The meeting is the week before that.

I guess that means it's the last Tuesday of each month.

This is to protect the audience. Yes, we have seen people read never-ending stories, stumbling over the words, mumbling into their notes.

If you are an experienced performer, then you already know the length of your story and have it well-prepared. Give us a call and we'll add you to the program. Even better, come to our monthly business and rehearsal and help us polish the rest of the stories. Contact us for details.