Superstitions make for diverse stories
Dozens of students turned out to share spooky stories and dress up at Tuesday’s Viva Voce coffeehouse event “Superstitions.”
The Viva Voce program, held at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) in partnership with theatre company Blue Canoe Theatrical Productions, is a coffeehouse-style evening of storytelling featuring youth in the Kingston community.
Viva Voce — a Latin phrase that translates to “with living voice” — provides an outlet for young people to take part in the historically and cross-culturally significant practice of oral tradition and hear stories from youth across Kingston.
The event was organized by co-curators Melissa Prince and Stephanie McColm, both ArtSci ’17.
In the spirit of Halloween, the venue was decorated with pumpkins, fake skulls and a smoke machine. Many of the organizers and storytellers wore costumes to celebrate Halloween.
The theme drew in a diverse set of stories – some were personal and others were fictional, but all somehow related to myths and superstitions.
Performers told tales about ghosts, spirits, luck and voodoo, eliciting laughter and even tears during more emotional stories.
Viva Voce storytellers are allowed to tell their stories in whichever fashion they prefer — whether it’s through spoken word, song, dance or otherwise. They may also read their stories, rather than memorizing them, if it makes them more comfortable.
“They’re at liberty to perform whichever way they want, and that relieves some of the pressure,” McColm said. She said Viva Voce is a safe space to try your hand at performing in front of a crowd.
Jessica Rossiter, ArtSci ’17, was one of the storytellers of the night.
“It was really exciting, and slightly terrifying,” Rossiter said. Despite her fears, her tale about hauntings in her childhood home kept the crowd laughing from start to finish.
“Though I am a wimp, I love spooky stories,” she said.
Rossiter was dressed as Elsa from Disney’s animated film Frozen.
Turnout was impressive, considering the event took place during a busy time for Queen’s students.
“We were nervous, but everyone pulled through and we had a great crowd,” Prince said. She added that they “appreciate the storytellers’ commitment” to Viva Voce during fall midterms.
The next Viva Voce event, titled “Stars”, takes place on Dec. 2 at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.
