Behind the scenes at ISC
ISC owes much of its rich history and promising future to those behind the scenes – the individuals who choose to become a part of the ISC family through monetary donations, volunteer hours and even kind words of encouragement. Today, ISC would like to say “Thank You” to Mary Brugh who has always made young people a priority.
Mary Brugh and storytelling seem, in many ways, to be a perfect fit.
A longtime supporter of the International Storytelling Center, Mary has spent a life listening to storytellers from all over the world. She has played a role on both sides of the stage, from listener to student to novice performer. And each fall, her love of storytelling has helped transform ISC’s theater into a special kind of classroom, thanks to her generous sponsorship. This program, Kids Institute, introduces local fifth graders to a combination of science and history, mixed with a bit of storytelling magic.
For Mary, everything always comes back to the simplicity of the story and the beauty it can create.
“I always was read to,” Mary recalled, thinking back to her childhood. “Not traditional storytelling, but I remember being read to, usually by my father while my mother was doing the dishes. As I listened to those stories, I would always visualize it.”
That was in Michigan, Mary’s home state, and it was an experience that planted a seed. From there, Mary would begin a journey through storytelling, first with an introduction to folk tales, followed by an exploration of stories found in places as diverse as San Francisco, Hawaii, Seattle and finally, Jonesborough.
She studied storytelling and even tried her talents on the stage, but she kept being drawn back to that coveted seat in the audience, where she could listen and absorb the stories in the tellers’ presence.
Over the years, Mary has been a faithful attendee at ISC’s Storytelling Live performances, which run six months of the year from May to October.
“I love Shonaleigh and TuuP,” Mary said, citing just a few of her favorite tellers in Jonesborough this summer. “I really like Andy Offutt Irwin, Megan Wells and Laura Simms.”
Each October, Mary is a familiar face among the tents at the National Storytelling Festival.
Her tastes are eclectic, but her criteria are simple. “A good storyteller leads people into the story,” Mary explained. And that story, she said, continues to live on in the mind long after the telling is over.
As a sponsor of Kids Institute, Mary has also been able to see firsthand how the program impacts the lives of young people. In November of last year, Mary sat in the back row of the Mary B. Martin Theater one afternoon, listening to storyteller Rev. Robert Jones weave a history lesson about desegregation for local fifth graders. She was able to see their rapt faces and witness their enthusiasm for the story told.
Then, at the end, after Jones’s masterful performance, each and every audience member stood and applauded Mary for the experience they just had.
Mary is grateful for the direction her life took that has allowed her to help in such a way. But she is quick to stress that supporting storytelling goes far beyond money and can be every bit as important.
“It doesn’t have to be financial necessarily,” Mary said. “They can support it by spreading the word. By attending the concerts. And by volunteering.”