Story and photos by Marcia Parnell
Its origin dates back to the COVID pandemic, when, as a way to safely socialize and engage with others in the community, the Becket Arts Center organized outdoor storytelling. Led by Paula Langton, an Arts Center trustee and theater artist, the sessions moved indoors when safety protocols allowed and have continued since.
To help participants zero in on potential story ideas, Adams crafted several prompts for potential interviewees to consider. For example, what makes Becket special for them—a memory or event from childhood, something in their present life, or perhaps a series of things that happened to them or at a familiar location. Each storyteller was allotted about ten minutes, and Adams and program editor Chris Gauthier, an experienced filmmaker and podcaster whose expertise was funded by the grants, recorded the sessions either at the Arts Center or the storyteller’s home, whichever they preferred.
Enthralled by so much of what they were hearing, the group agreed they should try to capture the stories because they represented a shared history of Becket that hadn’t yet been documented or recorded anywhere. Putting the idea into action were Marianne Adams, a Becket resident and experienced teaching artist, and Arts Center Executive Director Jenn Beatty. With NPR’s StoryCorps and the Moth Radio Hour in mind—both of which record everyday-life stories of Americans—they designed “Becket Stories,” a program to interview and record the personal stories and histories of Becket residents. Adams, who’d also managed to pick up some grant-writing experience during the course of her career, submitted several grant applications on behalf of the Arts Center, and two were awarded.
And to truly capture the spectrum of Becket life over the years, Adams developed a grid of potential demographics—for example young and old, full- and part-time homeowners or renters, students, those still working full- or part-time, and retirees. From that, a list of potential interviewees was developed, and each was contacted, which resulted in sixteen interviews and thirty separate stories. In her Becket Story, lifelong resident Rita Furlong relates her life from her earliest memories to the present time. Asked what motivated her to participate, Furlong explained, “I love Becket. I was born here, educated here, and raised my family here, and they’ve gone on to do great things. I wanted people to see that you can grow up in the country and have a wonderful life. My family came through Ellis Island. My grandfather was a quarrier, and my father had only an eighth-grade education; and yet they were talented and accomplished so much.”
The first group of recordings is largely of older people. While it does include three high school students, Adams hopes to get more students and young families to participate in the next round. The work is paused over the busy summer, but Adams plans to pick it up again in the fall with an additional grant.
Listen to all the stories, check out some early postcards, and learn about the area’s first inhabitants at becketartscenter.org/becketstories. And importantly, if you have a story you’d like to share, be sure to click on “Share Your Story,” and submit your idea. You’ll be contacted.
