Let me tell you a story.

It is about two people who were on the same journey, albeit separate paths, who were looking for a way to foster greater creativity by knocking down some of the boundaries they thought were in the way -- the rules, the formulas, the expectations of what art is supposed to be.

She had been many things in her life -- a 30-year writer and editor, a poet, a teacher and active in the arts community. He, too, had held different jobs, a 20-year veteran actor of television, screen and theater; director, screenwriter and personal coach.

And so it came to pass that the two, Westport resident Ina Chadwick and Fairfield resident Simon Billig, met during a writing contest earlier this year organized by Chadwick in conjunction with a Westport Arts Center exhibit.

Their protracted e-mail correspondence, spurred, in part, by numerous technical glitches, was just the start of a continuing discussion about the importance of creativity and providing opportunities for all kinds of creative expressions.

Billig did finally learn that his submission, based on the theme of home, had been among the award-winners, but the real prize was the chance to launch Fourth Wall Down Productions with Chadwick.

It was a way the two could break down some of the boundaries they saw as impediments to creative expression.

In Chadwick's case, she was looking for a way to elevate the literary arts so they could take their rightful place among the musical, performing and visual arts, and create some interdisciplinary projects in the process.

Billig was searching for a way to re-ignite the creative spark in people who may have felt they lacked the schooling or the proper credentials to create art.

"We are born into creativity," he said, but added that people are often encouraged to put that aside, or to grow out of it, as they pursue what is seen as more responsible and serious endeavors.

"Art, at its heart, is about communication," Billig said. "You take all the stuff that is thrown at you and put it together in your own way. That's creativity."

Chadwick credited a recent trip the two took to Baltimore as the place where the concept of the production company and storytelling series firmly took hold. As she watched a similar program, called "The Stoop," a storytelling series that has run for several years, she said she was struck by the energy created by people who were up on the stage. Although they weren't professionals, they had succeeded in creating a communion with the audience.

"I'd been looking to knock down walls all over the place, tear down barriers," she said.

On Tuesday, others will get a chance to join Chadwick and Billig on their journey when Fourth Wall presents a storytelling series, "Off The Wall ... Life on the Other Side of the Story," at the Fairfield Theatre Company. It will run 7:30 to 10 p.m., one Tuesday a month, through June. Tickets are $17 per show. Chadwick and Billig will serve as co-hosts.

Every evening, six storytellers will tell a relatively short story based on a particular theme. Audience members also may put their names in a hat during intermission and, if chosen, they will be invited on stage to tell a three-minute story. There also will be live music.

The performers are not required to be professionals or script writers. In fact, the organizers are seeking a more unscripted format. Those interested in appearing on stage are asked to visit the Fourth Wall Web site, where each show's theme will be posted, and then e-mail Billig and Chadwick with a paragraph or audio file in response to the theme.

"For all this philosophizing," Chadwick said, "it is also going to be a lot of fun."

Billig said he believes the series will find its niche among area audiences. "Ultimately, it's their show."

So, how will this tale end?

The two protagonists are not all that sure, but they know the other characters are going to have important roles in determining where this story goes.