Group aims to preserve the art of storytelling

Malia Spencer

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 4:13 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: August 16, 2003

Kiosk people, passive dad and even George Dubya are all part of the cast of characters in Saga Storytellers' latest comedic production, "Five Dollar Funny."

Billed as bright lights and cheap laughs, "Five Dollar Funny" is a collection of original sketch comedy pieces. The show runs Friday and Aug. 29 at the Clark County Library.

"Five Dollar Funny" is the group's sophomore, and somewhat sophomoric, production. It comes after a one-man show the group produced in April about the life of Jesus Christ.

The show, reminiscent of "Saturday Night Live," features nine cast members and pokes fun at all aspects of pop culture. In one sketch, the troupe's director, Sean Critchfield, as Billy Spears, performs an acoustic rendition of "Hit Me Baby One More Time," a song he claims was made famous by his ex-girlfriend.

The cast, a group of friends who have day jobs, aren't in it for the money -- the tickets are only $6 in advance, $8 at the door. They used to do this for fun, to entertain church groups and any other place they could find a willing audience.

The group became a company when President and Creative Director Joe Boyd took the serious step of filing paperwork to create a nonprofit organization, according to Tommy Peterson, a cast member and member of the board -- who jokes that the board, with only three members, is more like a 2-by-4.

When Boyd asked Peterson to be on the group's newly formed board of directors, Peterson, a loan consultant, saw it as an opportunity to work with friends doing something he loved.

Saga Storytellers is not just a community theater group. It is a group dedicated to preserving the art of storytelling in all of its forms.

"From a historical perspective I don't think it's (storytellings) lost," Boyd said. "It's undervalued."

He points out that Americans like quick facts and sound bites and cites CNN as a prime example, saying many times the story gets lost in the vast amount of data.

"Ultimately stories give us wisdom," he said. "They help to assimilate the knowledge we get from that data."

Peterson echoed Boyd's sentiment and said he joined the group because he liked the freedom of imagination simple storytelling gives.

"I think we forget life's a story," Peterson said.

Without official training in theater, Boyd said he uses his classical training as a preacher to show that anyone can be a storyteller. He starred in the group's first production, "The Story of Jesus," to more than 800 audience members over the show's three-day run.

Though the group meets to rehearse in the Apex church office on Lone Mountain Road and had a religiously based debut show, Boyd says the group is not religiously oriented.

"We would love to be known as a company that isn't afraid to address those (religious) issues," he said.

The group's next performances, scheduled for October, will be a simple storytelling event based on the Book of Genesis. Boyd said the creation story is one shared by all major religions, so it may be billed as a unity event.

The group is focused on performing mostly original work, Boyd said. The final show of the year, which is currently being written, will mix live theater with film.

Most of the cast members and the director of "Five Dollar Funny" have some relation to Boyd. He said since the group is still establishing itself, most of the casting stayed within his circle of friends.

"We are all six degrees of Joe Boyd," Critchfield, who has been a professional actor for seven years, joked.

He said his work with the show has been stressful but rewarding and fun.

Most of the cast members contributed to the writing of the sketches, co-producer and cast member Kelly Parker said.

She said the idea for a comedy night came about in January and the group has been steadily working its script and rehearsing since April.

The significance of stories in all their forms is punctuated by the group's filming of a documentary of the story behind the production of "Five Dollar Funny."

Group members' passion for the art of storytelling is evident, she said.

"This is completely different. We believe storytelling is important, and there are so many forms that are important," Parker said.

Both shows start at 8 p.m. at the Clark County Library, 1401 East Flamingo Road. Tickets are available at the group's website sagastorytellers.com or at the door.