Friday, September 7, 2012

The Moth StorySLAM Comes to Milwaukee



image
I am addicted, but there are worse things. I can't get enough of it, but it's easy enough to obtain.

I am hooked on live story telling, raconteurs, unscripted and pure from the hip ordinary days turned into extraordinary tales.

Tonight I went to The Moth's launch of their Milwaukee Moth StorySLAM. A storyslam is a themed open mic story telling competition in which you get five minutes to take the stage - sans notes - to slam your true story. With SLAMS already currently thriving in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Louisville, and Pittsburgh, The Moth has branched out its satellite storytelling slams to four new cities: Seattle, Portland, Boston AND Milwaukee. Since its inception in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. (oh, you mean sold out like the sold out one I was in alongside Molly Ringwald this past May at The Pabst? sorry - couldn't help it)

Ophira Eisenberg is the emcee for The Moth shows. She is a beautiful, quick-witted, charming Canadian (of course) who makes performers feel like a million bucks when they're around her. Named New York Magazine's Top 100 Comics, she is also famous for her work as a writer, storyteller, and Ask Me Another, NPR's hour of puzzles, word games, and trivia. She can tell you all that - I can tell you that she should always wear green. She's killer in green. After seeing her emcee two shows, I can't imagine anyone else hosting The Moth.

StorySLAMS are the most fun you can have without going on a roller coaster. You attend the show to hear fabulous TRUE stories; and if you'd like a shot at telling yours, you put your name in and cross your fingers, eyes, self, everything. Ten are chosen. Hope that they pick you.

I put my name in last night and crossed everything - they called me up on stage. The night's theme was "nerve;" and since luck favors the prepared, I always have a story in my back pocket. I performed a piece on cynophobic me somehow finding the guts to take on a slobbering bear-dog that went after my two babies like they were the chickens Steve Irwin dangled in front of that alligator. There was an $89.00 Dansko hausfrau clog involved.

It was a fantastic night, filled with lives shared; some confessional, like the story of an affair just ended. Some enlightening, like the tale of what goes on behind the scenes of a fatal car accident. But all to entertain. Like the gigantress 6'4 in heels exotic dancer who realized you really don't even need to know how to dance to be an exotic dancer, the high school teacher who made salad from the baby carrot projectiles thrown against his head every time he turned to face the blackboard, the empty nester who fell in love with her new baby of a puppy - enough to jump in after him in a harrowing rescue when he fell through end-of-winter's thin ice.

Ah, the night was over much too quickly. I'm still floating on air from all the lives I was able to peer into. I'm hooked and have to wait until the first Thursday next month for the next storySLAM. In the meantime, to get my story fix, I've built a stage in my front yard out of a cabinet shelf and two milk crates. Come one come all! Tell me your stories!!

To see some of these fabulous Moth videos, check out The Moth's youtube channel. If you'd like a chance to send your words out into the universe, snag a ticket in one of The Moth's events here. For The Moth's advice on how best to slam a story, click this or this.

If you get a chance to see The Moth national live story tellers tour in your city, do it. If a StorySLAM is within two hours driving time for you, fill up the car and go. 

All you blog readers, come on: who doesn't love a good story more than a blog reader?

Seriously. The Moth. Go. Now.

Thank you, The Moth, for finding us moth-worthy and giving Milwaukee their very own StorySLAM. Every first Thursday of the month. Dang. I can hardly believe this.
 ______________________________

 
*The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It is a celebration of both the raconteur, who breathes fire into true tales of ordinary life, and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. At the center of each performance is, of course, the story.

 The Milwaukee Moth StorySLAM launched on Thursday, September 6th and will continue monthly on first Thursdays at The Miramar Theatre with support from WPR. This month's inaugural theme is “Nerve,” so all stories about the courageous (or the just plain rude) are welcome. Each month a panel of judges crowns a winner who will go on to compete in a championship event. Guests can sign up to tell stories or to judge them beginning at 7 p.m.; the stories begin at 8 p.m.


32 comments:

  1. Congratulations on getting picked AND being prepared. I'm sure you wowed them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ms A: I love telling stories, but listening to all that goes on in others' life: just rivets me...

      Delete
  2. Darling girl, you are but 10 minutes away from starting your own live group, based on whatever it is that pumps blood into your heart. It's all well and good to belong to other people's dreams, but there is nothing more satisfying than starting your own.

    Go. Now. Do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suzy and Erin:

      Just gotta get the balls and DO IT.

      I want to...I so want to.

      Thanks for the cheers so loud I could hear them today. Thank you.

      Delete
  3. very cool...go to similar for poetry...we only get 3 minutes though...it is very cool thing...would love to see one of the story telling ones....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd like to hear of the poetry slams, B. I've read your entries on your blog, but I"d like to know what that's like...

      Delete
  4. I would love to have seen it-and heard you! I live near a pretty big city, that thinks much of itself, but it seems like we seldom have anything like this.
    Fly Farther South Moth! we have real electric light these days and everything ; )

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds so fantastic! I'm looking up Chicago's Story Slam right now. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon: I want you to go. I WANT you to go. You'll be addicted, please. put your name in and TRY FOR IT.

      It changes you, to get up in front of others and tell about yourself: either to move, enlighten, entertain, share, it's a thrill.

      SO glad you're doing it.

      Delete
  6. That sounds amazing! What a wonderful experience!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's like a Listen To Your Mother in a very throw your hat in there way.

      Tons of fun. Exhilarating, more like it.

      Delete
  7. We talked to you at the very end of the show. We saw you at The Pabst, too. It was great to see you do something funny, though we did love your moth story about your father. We'll look for you at the October show.

    Meg

    ReplyDelete
  8. You never steer me wrong, so I'm headed over there now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You??

      YOU would be a natural, woman.

      Delete
    2. YES! You'll kick serious mothballs, Kitch.

      Delete
  9. here's hoping I get to see you slam a story - soon! go. You!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fabulous! I wish I had heard you Slam!

    ReplyDelete
  11. So proud of you!

    You are a born storyteller.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This sounds slammin'! I'm going to find out when the next one in New York is and go. I'm so glad you got up there and strutted your stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  13. YAY you look at you taking more stages. Bravo! Wish I could see you on stage too :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. What I would give to hear you slam, Empress. Glad you're high on the process. An audience is the perfect sounding board for stories. Go get em.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love listening to The Moth podcast, and I can't believe you were there! That is so cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lj, I was lucky enough to be on the main stage for the national show when it came to our town. Molly Ringwald headlined, and I was one of the ones that presented with her.

      I know...pinch me. She was as down to earth as could be.

      Delete
  16. So excited for you!

    Cheers to you!

    XOXO

    A.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am so proud of you and impressed at how you have slammed this Moth opportunity - will go over and watch some videos now. You are doing so great in getting your writing out to a larger audience and in many formats - how cool!

    BTW Molly is in town this week for a reading, you want I should say hi for you if I can manage to go?

    ReplyDelete
  18. So I read this - Friday maybe? I forget, and then?? CBS Sunday Morning did a special on The Moth. I was SOOOOO wishing I'd see you!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I wish I'd been out there to see you on the 6th. Sounds like a fantastic night. No plans for a return trip to MKE this fall. More's the pity.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great story! I would never have the nerve to tell my story in front of real live people - Good for you! And those are my favorite shoes, too...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MOLLY: don't YOU know you are a natural story teller? You and Charlie both. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed someone's company so much.

      Delete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails