Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho is quoted as saying, “The power of storytelling is exactly this: to bridge the gap where everything has crumbled.” Tempe resident Caleb Winebrenner could not agree more.
Steeped in drama and theater since high school, the seventh-grade English and drama teacher is also a performance artist – a storyteller who draws from mime, poetry writing and theater. A member of the National Storytelling Network, his performances and workshops are alchemies of colorful and dramatic characters that are archetypes of the human experience. Kings, queens, peasants, rabbis, students, children and more come alive with his whimsical creativity. Using nuanced vocal inflections, expressive hand and body movements, and a variety of accents to convey emotion, he creates “wisdom tales” – variations on traditional folk tales that have a clear moral or spiritual message. Caleb culls many of his tales from around the world, including Romania and Morocco where there are large Jewish populations.
“Caleb is all about stories,” says fellow teacher Tim Hedger. “When performing his wisdom stories, he holds his audience rapt with his gifts of curiosity and empathy while eliciting and finding commonality. He brings to life handed-down or newly crafted stories from different cultures, places and lives.”
Caleb, who has performed at art festivals in Phoenix and Tempe, as well as at the Herberger Theater, relates that storytelling is heavily intertwined with the power of suggestion. “When I tell a story,” he explains, “I add body language to convey traits like haughtiness or vanity, as opposed to just saying ‘once there was a very regal king who enjoyed his money and jewelry.’ To me, storytelling is an art form in its own right, but it dwells in the intersection of other art forms; it’s talking like a poet, moving like a mime and thinking like a director.”
Caleb is fascinated with the universal aspects of storytelling and frequently finds folktales from around the world that interweave with Judaism. Examples are stories from Buddhist traditions that have Indian, Chinese or Japanese lineage. “When I craft stories, there are so many human and moral teachings that it doesn’t matter what language you use for your spiritual path,” he says. “What matters is that there is something that can be learned.”
A classic story Caleb tells is that of a Jewish woman who many years ago lived in a small town in Europe. The woman is famous for spreading rumors, so her rabbi instructs her to take a pillow and let the feathers fly everywhere for penance. When told she must then gather back the feathers, she realizes her gossip is symbolic of the feathers, never to be put back once scattered to the wind.
Another tale involves a man who studies Torah so fervently that he doesn’t hear his own child crying. The man’s father brings his misplaced priorities to light.
The famous Jewish author and philosopher Martin Buber had a powerful impact on Caleb’s philosophy. Buber’s classic book “I and Thou,” in particular, struck a powerful, emotional chord. It provided novel ways for Caleb to articulate his thoughts. “In a nutshell, Bauber explains how you can relate to people without depth and consciousness, or you can relate on a level of how profoundly awed you are of them,” he explains. “I want to do things that bring about a sense of wonder in the world and highlight how profound any person can be; I feel we can tap into deeper wisdom that way.”
A self-described “existential crisis” was the catalyst for Caleb’s career as a storyteller. As a linguistics major on the cusp of college graduation in North Carolina, he realized he was at a crossroads. He originally dreamed of a career as a UN diplomat but became disillusioned with the practical application of linguistics. “I kept wondering what I was called to do,” he says. “I knew I wanted to use my language skills and work with people in a helping profession, such as the classroom.” Caleb eventually realized a career in storytelling would be the perfect fusion of his language and theater skills, as well as his interest in social justice. Even though his original goals shifted, he says, “I still believe there is a great power in everyone for tikkun olam, to heal the fractured world, which is also the title of a book that inspired me.”
After graduate school, Caleb put his idealism into action. He spent a year working for AmeriCorps, a national organization similar to the Peace Corps. His talent and energy was utilized in a nonprofit organization called Southwest Key Shelter, where he did translation for South American youth and developed an after-school drama curriculum from scratch.
After college, a comprehensive master’s program in “Educational Theater for Colleges and Communities” at New York University proved to be major game-changer; it allowed Caleb to harness all his talents into a satisfying career. Classes in education, combined with theater skills (acting, directing and character/scene studies) and applied theater (using theater and drama for conflict resolution therapy and social justice work), all provided avenues for professional growth.
Once or twice a year, Caleb does a three-week workshop series at Phoenix Center for the Arts. Starting with drama games to tap into creativity and warm up creative muscles, participants learn to craft stories and play improvisational games such as “magic clay,” which involves miming an object and shaping it with hands. “People get intimidated about how to tell stories, and these games help shake off self-consciousness,” says Caleb. “I focus on finding those little ways to warm up your creative muscles. … I start with the idea that everyone can tell stories, and everyone loves to play games and be silly.”
Caleb’s repertoire (usually an hour with a half-hour discussion) includes Jewish-themed wisdom stories as well as multicultural ones. “I am excited to say I have more performances booked for 2015 than I had for 2014. I hope to continue that pattern of growth,” he says.
Caleb Winebrenner: 480-250-6554 | storytellercaleb.wix.com/story
