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A world connected by
listening & telling stories
mission
Narativ's mission statement recognises the power that listening and storytelling have to break down barriers and forge meaningful connection between people. In spite of our differences, so much of our experience as humans is shared. In a listening and storytelling space, people get to experience this for themselves.
Narativ is a multi-disciplinary organisation dedicated to the power of personal storytelling. In New York in 2004, founders Murray Nossel and Paul Browde originated Narativ's Listening and Storytelling Methodology®, bringing together the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, theatre, documentary filmmaking, psychiatry, social work and executive coaching.
Since then, Narativ offices in London and New York have brought these tools and techniques to the world, working with a diverse range of clients, from not-for-profits to global corporations, from arts organisations to social entrepreneurs.
The live performance of a friendship
origin
In June 2001, three men sat in a cafe in New York, discussing the creation of a theatre piece...
Murray Nossel PhD, an Oscar nominated documentary filmmaker and Dr Paul Browde, a psychiatrist, had invited Dan Milne, a British theatre-maker, to tea. They wanted to run an idea by him about creating an unscripted theatre piece in which the two of them could tell the story of their friendship.
This was a story taking them from their childhoods in South Africa to the present day in New York City; a story moving from Africa to London to America, through conflict to a personal reconciliation between them.
After telling this story they told him their vision for the piece. "We think there should be no script or staging. We want to be able to step on stage and tell whatever stories emerge that night.".
Dan listened and then couldn't help interrupting them to say
"I have never heard of anything like this before - I want to direct it!"
In that cafe Two Men Talking was born. Often referred to as 'the live performance of a friendship' this ever-evolving storytelling piece is still presented all over the world, from grand theatre spaces to conference halls, from London's West End to Perth, Australia.
Narativ was founded as a way to pass on what has been learnt about the power that our stories have to connect us all.