Podcasts Business Storytelling School How We Can Influence the Story to Enact Real-World Change

How We Can Influence the Story to Enact Real-World Change

Published: June 1, 2022, 7 a.m.

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Growing up, every summer my family and I\\u2019d go off the coast of Seattle to Bainbridge Island to stay with family friends Bob and Denise. One summer, Denise shares with me that she and Bob are in a play while we\\u2019re in town. This means I\\u2019ll be on my own - unless, \\u201cYou want to usher?\\u201d she asks.\\xa0

As a 14-year-old kid, I\\u2019m thinking, \\u201cYeah, right! I\\u2019m not here to work! I\\u2019m here to relax and play!\\u201d Yet Bob convinces me to go to the rehearsal that night before making my final decision.

Off we go. When we arrive and I walk up to the theater, open the doors, and proceed to\\u2026 have my breath taken away!\\xa0

I\\u2019m standing in front of this huge set for Fiddler on the Roof. People are running around in costumes with music playing, warming up their voices, and practicing their lines. I\\u2019m immediately hooked!

I turn to Denise and say, \\u201cNot only am I going to usher, I\\u2019m doing it for every performance until I have to board the plane home.\\u201d\\xa0

Walking into that theater for the first time was like a dream. And dreams are often inspired by reality because my special guest today on the Storytelling School Podcast is an actress, singer, performer, and advocate. Brooke Ishibashi has been part of the arts and culture sector for her entire life and she joins me this week to share tremendous insights and ideas on stories and storytelling.

In this episode, we discuss her huge mobilization effort for protecting the arts and culture sector of the U.S. through the grassroots campaign she co-founded, as well as answer questions like:

Why is storytelling so critically important in our society today? What\\u2019s happened to the arts and culture sector of the economy due to the pandemic? Why is truth such an essential storytelling ingredient?

What you will learn in this episode:

  • How COVID has impacted arts workers and the domino effect on the economy
  • How a grassroots campaign pivoted when faced with a story problem
  • How to tell a truthful story that isn\\u2019t yours

Who is Brooke?

Brooke Ishibashi is a singer, actor, and advocate. Her recent work includes to the yellow house at La Jolla Playhouse, Cambodian Rock Band at South Coast Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and La Jolla Playhouse (where she developed and originated the role of Neary), and the critically-acclaimed NYCC Encores! production of Into the Woods, which will be transferring for a limited Broadway run this summer.

She is also the National Councilor for the Actors\\u2019 Equity Association, a NYCLU Artist Ambassador, a core member of Fair Wage Onstage, and the co-founder of Be an #ArtsHero/Arts Workers United, an intersectional grassroots campaign for proportionate relief to the Arts & Culture sector of the American economy. *Arts & Culture contributes over $919 billion to the U.S. economy and employs over 5.2 million arts workers. You can learn more about the campaign at BeAnArtsHero.com.

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