"Listening to a story is not a passive experience. It is an action-filled colorful event in the theatre of the mind. Storytelling, by its nature, is an audience-involving art form. As the storyteller's narrative, shared in words and gestures, is perceived by the listener, vivid images are created in the listener's imagination. Costumes, scenery, characters, come to life with as much complexity and detail as the creative listener devises. Even when the teller shares stories with a large group, there is an intimacy and an immediacy to the art form that bonds the teller and the listener as the journey of the tale unfolds...Since the imaging on the part of the listener is rooted in their own personal imagination, the transfer of the tale is both a group event and a highly intimate exchange between the teller and each listener. There are as many stories being heard as there are ears to hear the teller."
- From "Joining In. Some Thoughts on Audience Participation" by Heather Forest
