Past Shows
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I Killed Andy Breitbart
By Pam Dickler 3 Performances on Nov. 2 & 3, 2024
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Pam Dickler’s writing spans the gamut from deep family drama to sidesplitting absurdity, and from 3-min shorts to full-length plays. Her work has been seen on stages in NY and Chicago. Pam received her BFA in performance from Syracuse University, later serving on their College of Visual & Performing Arts Advisory Board. She’s a proud member of The Dramatists Guild. www.pamdickler.com
Drew Martin (director) has worked in Chicago theatre for over 35 years. He served as Artistic Director of Stage Left (SLT) in the 1990s and is now Emeritus Ensemble. His passion for new work is reflected in the many Jeff Award-winning world premieres he directed at SLT and other Chicago theaters. A graduate of Dartmouth College he also studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Drew Martin (director) has worked in Chicago theatre for over 35 years. He served as Artistic Director of Stage Left (SLT) in the 1990s and is now Emeritus Ensemble. His passion for new work is reflected in the many Jeff Award-winning world premieres he directed at SLT and other Chicago theaters. A graduate of Dartmouth College he also studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
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Carry On By Shai Bardin October 6th, 2024 Shai Bardin, Trailblazer (self-diagnosed), dumps all her extra baggage in this stand-up/storytelling special. What will this Girl Comedian talk about? Her p****, probably. Typical. |
Shai Bardin is a comedian and performance artist, currently studying at Northwestern University. Since her first open mic at 16, she has performed in New York City, Chicago, and Tel Aviv. In 2023, she was a semi-finalist at the NYC Queer Comedy Festival. She has been described as “a little freak,” “a breakout star,” and “a Northwestern 8.” All her friends are guys. For more, visit shaibardin.com or follow Shai on Instagram @iceddirtyshai
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Avocado
By LaTanya Lane September 29th, 2024 From dating to career to pursuing a meaningful life, Lane explores the power of mild dissociation and the courage it takes to care. Be warned: this show contains stories and jokes. Directed by Brandi Jiminez Lee |
LaTanya Lane (she/her) is a company member with 2nd Story, a two-time alum of the Voices of Our Nations Arts writers' workshop, and winner of the 2018 Diverse Worlds Grant from the Speculative Literature Foundation. She is trying so. very. hard to finish her novel. You can learn more about LaTanya and her work at www.latanyalane.com.
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Get F*cked
By Suzie Campbell September 22nd 2024 Suzie just wanted to get fucked, but having a hysterectomy to treat pre cervical cancer at 35 years old didn't make it easy. This is the story of a single mom’s journey of self exploration after the surgery that changed her body forever, and recounts her quest to have sex before her impending surgery and her subsequent sexual awakening. |
Suzie Campbell is a single mom living in Evanston, IL with her two children. A Loyola University Chicago alum with a degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies, she now works as an Salesforce Manager for a non-profit company. Suzie started telling stories about her life after her hysterectomy at 35 years old and has been seen at storytelling shows such as Story Colliders, Is This A Thing?, Pour One Out, and Filet of Solo. Suzie shares stories that often show that reproductive journeys are not always linear, sexuality is not always straightforward, and that seeking support for mental health treatment - especially in relation to motherhood - isn’t something shameful. She believes if more people talk about these ideas openly, the stigma around them will decrease over time.
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Tidepools
By Francesca Sobrer September 8th 2024 The story of one woman’s journey swimming in and out of the flotsam and jetsam of life. This show takes the audience for a ride in the waves with the story of finding and living love only to be caught in an undertow of loss and grief that eventually drifts back onto the shore in a tidepool of realized joy. |
Storyteller, writer, teacher, actor and director, Francesca Sobrer enjoys working with actors and storytellers to help them develop the story they want to tell. A one-time high school theatre director and English teacher, she has been published in Chicago Storytellers Press, from Stage to Page, True Stories About Love, and co-editor with Liminal Publishing, A POET’S TAROT by Josep Miquel Sobrer. A multi Moth StorySLAM winner in Chicago, Milwaukee and New York City, Sobrer has told stories for Back Yard Story, This Much is True, Soul Stories, South Specific, Soul Serenade, First Person Live, Nantucket Dreamland, BackRoom and Homewood Stories.
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Girlfriend Guy
By Nick Narcisi August 4th, 2024 After his life as a 'girlfriend guy' takes an unexpected turn, storyteller Nick Narcisi navigates the turbulent waters of love, self-discovery, and unconventional romance in the chaotic landscape of modern dating. |
Nick Narcisi was an actor before the pandemic. Now he works at a cancer research laboratory. (He is as surprised with that career pivot as you are.) He was really good at telling other people's stories, but only recently started telling his own. Some of his favorite credits include: Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Arkansas Shakespeare Theater), Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams Festival of St. Louis), Ethan in Sex with Strangers (Renaissance Theaterworks), A. of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks), and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (Macklanburg Playhouse). He has also worked with the Milwaukee Rep, the Great River Shakespeare Festival, Third Avenue Playworks, and the Children's Theater of Madison. Nick is a Moth StorySlam winner and has worked with a variety of other storytelling shows in Chicago and Milwaukee.
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Who Do You Think You Are?
By Patrick Curtin Sunday, June 23rd 2024 Who do you think you are? Explore how this question transforms over a life filled with opportunities and challenges. Laugh, rue, howl and cheer at the unexpected twists of fate. |
Patrick Curtin is a native Chicagoan who discovered improv and storytelling in his mature years. His role models are Grandma Moses, Quentin Crisp and Betty White. He is a native Chicagoan that lives with his spouse, Armand. Patrick is an overachiever, sharing stories at the Irish American Heritage Center, Steppenwolf, Second City, Backyard Stories, This Much is True, Outspoken, Chimera Loft, You’re Being Ridiculous, Story Lab Chicago, The Moth, Inspired Live Lit, Fillet of Solo, Story Sessions, Soul Stories Live and Goodman Theatre GeNarrations.
Director Dorothy Milne has over twenty productions at Lifeline Theatre, where she is an ensemble member and served as artistic director from 1999-2019. She is a founding member of Sweat Girls, a storytelling collective that formed in 1993, leads the Lifeline Storytelling Project, which formed in 2011 and co-curates the annual Fillet of Solo storytelling festival.
Director Dorothy Milne has over twenty productions at Lifeline Theatre, where she is an ensemble member and served as artistic director from 1999-2019. She is a founding member of Sweat Girls, a storytelling collective that formed in 1993, leads the Lifeline Storytelling Project, which formed in 2011 and co-curates the annual Fillet of Solo storytelling festival.
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Another Father's Day Ruined:
Stories and Songs by Mark Nutter & Tom Wolfe Sunday, June 16th 2024 "Inexplicably, this is not the opening act of a bigger and better show. This IS the show." |
Mark Nutter has written three short fiction collections (‘Dancer on the Ceiling,’ ‘Giant Banana Over Texas,’ ‘Sunset Cruise on the River Styx’). He’s also written music and lyrics for the stage ('ReAnimator the Musical,’ ‘Christmas Smackdown,’ ‘The Bicycle Men’). www.marknutter.com
As of December 2024, Tom Wolfe will have been writing and/or performing comedy for forty years. He has done standup, sketches, cowritten plays including, with his wife Barb Wallace, ‘Early And Often’ at the Famous Door Theatre in Chicago and written, produced and performed comedy on WXRT radio. Tom and Barb spent nearly twenty precious years of their lives toiling in television and during that time Tom also did some writing for film with Mark Nutter and their friend Boyd Hale. Tom would like to dedicate this performance to anyone in the room who thinks Tom Wolfe somehow owes them a performance.
As of December 2024, Tom Wolfe will have been writing and/or performing comedy for forty years. He has done standup, sketches, cowritten plays including, with his wife Barb Wallace, ‘Early And Often’ at the Famous Door Theatre in Chicago and written, produced and performed comedy on WXRT radio. Tom and Barb spent nearly twenty precious years of their lives toiling in television and during that time Tom also did some writing for film with Mark Nutter and their friend Boyd Hale. Tom would like to dedicate this performance to anyone in the room who thinks Tom Wolfe somehow owes them a performance.
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An Afternoon with The Gee's:
55 Years of Hilarity and Heart Sunday, May 19th 2024 Join us for a side-splitting journey through the zany escapades of the Gee's, a couple celebrating 55 years of marriage. From honeymoon hilarity to empty-nest antics, this comedic romp explores the absurdities and joys of lifelong love. But amidst the laughter, there's a touching reminder of the enduring power of commitment. Get ready for an unforgettable evening of laughter, tears, and reflection with the Gee's. |
Life’s a blast with Val & Jeff Gee. Married in 1970. Irish twins circa ‘73. Flew across the pond in ‘83. Started their own business in '85. Became American citizens. Acquired two sons-in-law. Got 3 grandkids. Did all kinds of crazy stuff like climbing to Base Camp, Mount Everest, Val going all spiritual and shaving her head; Jeff beating cancer; starting a comedy Fawlty Service dining business in Lake Forest, hired to do standup comedy on the train from Wilmette to Chicago, performing The Queen and Prince Phillip at the Winnetka Follies to drowning in the recession, climbing back out, writing books, telling stories, and still keeping their corporate business afloat after 38 years. Their target audience is everyone who wants to laugh out loud at life.
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Masters of Song
Featuring Val Leventhal, Jim Gary, Scott Wills, Barbara Smith, Patrick Reninger, & Anne McIntyre Sunday, October 29th 2023 Masters of Song showcases the work of a group of Chicago musicians who pursue excellence in the song form. The six performers meet regularly to try out new material, exchange musical ideas, and explore their craft together. Expect an intimate evening of soulful songs, challenging ideas, and virtuoso musicianship. |
Jim Gary is an award-winning songwriter and Kerrville New Folk Finalist with 6 CDs featuring 70 original songs of wit and wisdom in whatever genre suits his fancy!
Val Leventhal is a veteran singer songwriter with a powerful voice who has performed in the Chicago area since the 1970s. Her music is eclectic, lyric driven, and addresses the human condition past, present and future.
Scott Wills is a Chicago-based artist/musician. He composes, performs and records intense, story-driven songs with a wry, sardonic wit. He has performed in Chicago area in clubs, bars, coffee houses, private events and street festivals since the 1970s. His first album of original songs will be released in Fall 2023 on the Manatauck Music label.
Barbara Smith has appeared in shows in Chicago and Paris, including Studio Herbertot, Piano Vache, Chez Ma Cousine, Davenport's, Rosa's Lounge, Chief O'Neill's, Borellis, Ephiphany and the Cliff Dwellers Club. Her powerful alto voice is well suited to jazz, blues, and folk music as well as cabaret. She was the 2018 winner of the Skokie Idol.
Harmonica player Patrick Reninger is fiery soloist able to channel his passion for the blues into everything from a jazz ballad to a country weeper. In his teens, Patrick jammed with bluesmen at the famed Maxwell Street Flea Market on Chicago’s Near West Side. He has performed with country, blues and rock musicians throughout Chicagoland including gigs at the House of Blues, the Chicago Cultural Center and the 1997 Chicago Blues Festival.
Anne McIntyre - keyboards and occasional songwriter. Her dad taught her to play the blues when she was a little girl and she has been playing them ever since...she's a honky-tonk woman.
Val Leventhal is a veteran singer songwriter with a powerful voice who has performed in the Chicago area since the 1970s. Her music is eclectic, lyric driven, and addresses the human condition past, present and future.
Scott Wills is a Chicago-based artist/musician. He composes, performs and records intense, story-driven songs with a wry, sardonic wit. He has performed in Chicago area in clubs, bars, coffee houses, private events and street festivals since the 1970s. His first album of original songs will be released in Fall 2023 on the Manatauck Music label.
Barbara Smith has appeared in shows in Chicago and Paris, including Studio Herbertot, Piano Vache, Chez Ma Cousine, Davenport's, Rosa's Lounge, Chief O'Neill's, Borellis, Ephiphany and the Cliff Dwellers Club. Her powerful alto voice is well suited to jazz, blues, and folk music as well as cabaret. She was the 2018 winner of the Skokie Idol.
Harmonica player Patrick Reninger is fiery soloist able to channel his passion for the blues into everything from a jazz ballad to a country weeper. In his teens, Patrick jammed with bluesmen at the famed Maxwell Street Flea Market on Chicago’s Near West Side. He has performed with country, blues and rock musicians throughout Chicagoland including gigs at the House of Blues, the Chicago Cultural Center and the 1997 Chicago Blues Festival.
Anne McIntyre - keyboards and occasional songwriter. Her dad taught her to play the blues when she was a little girl and she has been playing them ever since...she's a honky-tonk woman.
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An Intimate Evening
with D.C. Anderson (Featuring pianist Rose Snyder and guest Claudia Anderson) Sunday, October 22nd 2023 D.C. Anderson’s lyrics are poetic, confessional, searing, sometimes comic, explorations of love, family, negotiation, joy, heartache, gratitude. He has the soul of a folksinger, the voice of a troubadour and the spirit of a storyteller with a lifelong investment in possibility and wonder. |
D.C. Anderson is a Chicago born actor, singer and a songwriter. Northlight and Steppenwolf Theaters are on his resume along with a multi year run in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on Broadway and on tour. Other tours include THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, MARTIN GUERRE and PIPPIN. The premiere of Michael John LaChiusa’s QUEEN OF THE MIST (his Off Broadway debut) produced an original cast recording. Most recently: ‘Matthew Cuthbert’ in Goodspeed’s premiere of the Matt Vinson and Matte O’Brien musical ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. His all acoustic vocal/piano/guitar recordings of originals and covers on the LML MUSIC label, of which there are over a dozen, are available on most streaming services and YouTube. D.C. is a Bistro Award recipient (Singer/Songwriter) and multi MAC Award nominee in the categories of Male Vocalist, Song, and Recording of the Year.
Actor/singer/songwriter/storyteller, Chicago born Claudia Anderson has had a decades long career as a college professor throughout the United States, landing back in Chicago teaching voice at the DePaul Theater School. Currently retired, she is making music all over Chicago - her passion being Irish traditional music as a vocalist and a player of the tin whistle, flute, guitar and bodhran. Her album of original songs is titled In Dreams I Can Fly.
With pianist/musical director Rose Snyder.
Actor/singer/songwriter/storyteller, Chicago born Claudia Anderson has had a decades long career as a college professor throughout the United States, landing back in Chicago teaching voice at the DePaul Theater School. Currently retired, she is making music all over Chicago - her passion being Irish traditional music as a vocalist and a player of the tin whistle, flute, guitar and bodhran. Her album of original songs is titled In Dreams I Can Fly.
With pianist/musical director Rose Snyder.
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WANTED By Sophie Brown Sunday, October 15th 2023 When resident Jew Sophie Brown is nearly turned away from a synagogue, she starts to question her place not only within her community, but in the company of the world around her. In a unique fusion between comedy and storytelling, WANTED tackles what it truly means to belong--plus, what to do when chronic people-pleasing strands you in Berlin. |
Sophie Brown is an up and coming comedian, storyteller, actor, and writer. Originally from Palm Springs, California, Sophie is a senior studying Theatre and Comedy at Northwestern University. She has performed all over Chicago and New York at venues such as The Bell House, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, and The Laugh Factory. She has over 4.5 million views and 600,000 likes on TikTok because her roommate is hot. She’s a huge people person and probably wants to talk to you! You can find her @sophiebrownhahahaha on Instagram or @philosophieee on TikTok.
Directed by Mantra Radhakrishnan.
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Mary Shelley: Personal Stories from a Historical Heroine By Megan Wells Sunday, October 15th 2023 Raised by two genius literary rebels, Mary was let loose into a world unprepared for her inventive mind. Writing Frankenstein at the age of 19, she inadvertently invents Science Fiction. |
Megan Wells is a highly sought after professional teller, coach and historical impersonator. With over 40 years experience in professional theater and the national storytelling scene, Megan has an extensive repertoire ranging from full length one woman shows to the pithy olio's beloved of festival audiences. She is an Oracle; Circle of Excellence inductee with the National Storytelling Network, holds three national awards for Fire in Boomtown, an original story musical about the Great Chicago Fire, as well as a Jeff Awards for directing and nomination for solo performance. She has been a frequent feature at The National Storytelling Festival, and performed with Yo Yo Ma at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in her adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's Ugly Duckling. www.meganwells.com.
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Mid-Century Tales By Wendy Parman (w/ Andrew Milliken) Sunday, October 1st, 2023 What do Mozart, Barbie, drunken dads, and Space Food Sticks have in common? They all lurk in the darkly humorous heart of Wendy Parman’s Mid-Century Tales. With the delightfully talented Andrew Millikin on keys, this hybrid performance will feature readings, and stories with a sprinkling of songs, both original and obscure. We aim to pull you out of your doldrums and into your imagined past. |
Wendy Parman is both a performer and published author (!) who performs her original songs, stories, and personal essays. She was recently featured in Dorothy Parker’s Ashes “Rock ‘n Roll” edition, and is thrilled that her story “Voice and Movement” will be included in a soon to be released anthology, Awakenings: Stories of Body & Consciousness by ELJ Editions. Her works include a solo musical memoir with a very long name, and a musical comedy on Youtube, “Callie's Solo Web Series.” She has appeared in many theatrical productions and cabarets in Chicago. In the light of day, Wendy is a voice teacher with a thriving studio on the north side. She’s currently working on a memoir, when she isn’t chasing after her adorabeast, Felina Furrante.
Andrew Milliken has been a pianist/music director in the Chicago area since 2016, working primarily in storefront musical theater and as a dance accompanist. He would like to thank Wendy for the opportunity to play in a cabaret setting!
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EXPOSED: The Secret Life of The Playboy Advisor
Sunday, September 24th 2023 A Brand New Solo Show from James R. Petersen This is an oral history of the sexual revolution, by the man who helped guide Americans through it all. It follows the journey of James Petersen from his days at Boy Scout camp (where he learned to write about sex), through college (where he actually had sex), to the offices of Playboy magazine, where he took over the Playboy Advisor column --the number one source of sexual information in America in 1973. |
James R. Petersen was the sex and adventure editor for Playboy magazine for almost 40 years. In 1973 he took over the Playboy Advisor column, giving sex advice to 25 million readers of that somewhat controversial magazine. As The Playboy Advisor, he lectured at more than 125 colleges (Think stand-up sex therapy.) USA Today claimed the Advisor column was the number one source of sexual information in America. A critic associated with the religious right called him a “certified corruptor of youth.” Long since retired, a NYT article referred to him as “a cultural icon of the carnal sort.” He discovered live storytelling in late 2017, and has since performed at over 60 Moth story slam in Chicago, three Grand Slams, and at various bars and galleries around Chicago (some of which were actually hosting events).
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Tonight I Am My Mother Sunday, June 4th 2023 A dark comedy written and performed by Liz Allen. This show takes a deep dive into the mother-daughter dynamic between Liz and her southern mother, a lovable and complex woman who struggled with addiction. |
For the past 31 years, Liz Allen has performed, coached, and directed improv. Liz performed with iO Chicago’s house team Frank Booth, taking the first-ever long-form improv show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1995. She was iO Chicago’s Training Center Director for 3 years, and in 1999, 2000 & 2001, Liz won iO Chicago’s Coach of the Year Award, renamed Liz Allen Excellence in Teaching Award. She’s directed numerous improvised and scripted pieces, including The Two Horsemen (Jim Carlson & John Lutz), Big Guy Little Guy (Ryan Kiessling & Lloyd Ahlquist), Devolution (written by Sean Benjamin) at the Neofuturarium, Friends of Clark County Variety Show, and Eight for Eight Stories I-III in Las Vegas. In 2004, Liz directed a main stage revue for The Second City at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the first-ever fully improvised show on The Strip. In 2006, with Jimmy Carrane, Liz co-wrote the book Improvising Better (Heinemann). The Vegas Theater Hub awarded Liz as Guest Speaker of the Year and Best Workshop of the Year 2015. Liz was honored to coach The Commune, the improv ensemble in Mike Birbiglia’s 2016 feature film Don’t Think Twice. At the 2019 Rollins College Winter with the Writers Festival, Liz was selected to be a guest speaker and featured author. She directed the improvised long-form show A Family Affair, which performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2019.
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Stories from Americana:
Sunday, June 4th 2023 From El Paso to the El tracks, Pat Owen-Leary is a musician and songwriter who blends styles of Chicago Blues to Texas Country to traditional American folk. Owen-Leary will share music from North American songwriters TIsh Hinajosa, Chris Stapleton, and Neil Young, along with originals. For more infomation, visit patowenleary.com |
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How Ringo Saved Me from A Life in the Convent
Sunday, May 21st 2023 Megon McDonough takes you on a musical journey of her career, starting with her early influences – the Beatles, Carole King, Joni Mitchell – followed by some of Megon’s own folk songs, ranging from the hilarious (such as the ones she recorded with the group The Four Bitchin’ Babes) to heartfelt hits like “Amazing Things.” In this personal show, see how music has the universal power to connect us all. |
Megan McDonough recorded her first record at age fourteen, winning The WLS Big Break Radio Contest, which garnered her a recording contract with Mercury Records. Fate being what it is, she was released from her contract instead of her record being released. By age 17, Megon was signed to Jerry Wientraub’s Management 3 management company and Wooden Nickel/RCA record label. She began touring and opening for such folk acts as John Denver, Steve Martin, and Harry Chapin, performing on stages as diverse as Carnegie Hall and the Cellar Door. Megon might be best known for her work as an inaugural member of the folk group The Four Bitchin’ Babes, which allowed her wit and folk sensibilities to comment on the ups and downs of everyday life. To date, she has 20+ solo albums to her credit, and is best known for her inspiring song “Amazing Things." Megon classifies her music as folk/cabaret, citing her love of theater and jazz as the reason for the unusual mix. In addition to her singing career, Megon has also had an acclaimed acting career. She received rave reviews for playing Patsy Cline in Always ... Patsy Cline and was nominated for the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award. She has appeared in Pump Boys and Dinettes, Forever Prine at the Viaduct Theater in Chicago, and most recently wrote music and melodies for the songs of As You Like It, for The Shakespeare Project of Chicago. In December 2018, Megon celebrated her 9th year as Music Minister at Unity Northwest Church, in Des Plaines, IL. Currently, Megon teaches voice privately and is on the faculty at The Music Institute of Chicago.
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Woman Warrior
Sunday, May 21st 2023 Connie Shirakawa reflects on four generations of women in her family -- their history in America and how they coped with discrimination and displacement with their grit, wit, and tenacity. Directed by Sharon Evans. |
CONNIE SHIRAKAWA is a writer who was born and raised on the near west side of Chicago. After a career as an ad writer and a fundraiser, she tells stories all over town at the Goodman Theatre, 2nd Story, Free Street Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Backroom Stories, and This Much is True. Recently, her story “KNOCK KNOCK” was featured on NPR's SNAP JUDGMENT/SPOOKED podcast.
SHARON EVANS (Director) was Artistic Director of Live Bait Theater in Chicago, from 1987 to 2008. During her tenure Live Bait Theater created over 200 world premieres and was nominated for over 50 Jeff awards, predominately in the category of new work. In 1995 Evans premiered “Fillet of Solo” a solo works festival that went on for 12 seasons before moving to Lifeline Theater. Evans is currently working as an instructor with Goodman Theater’s GeNarrations, in the Homan Square/Lawndale community. Special thanks to Goodman Theater’s GeNarrations writing program, Dorothy Milne, Lifeline Theater, The Meyer and Norma Ragir Foundation and The Homan Square writing club.
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An Evening of Original Songs from Karen Salmon (with Christopher Elam) Sunday, May 7th 2023 |
Karen Salmon performs regularly as a solo artist and with Chicago-based indie rock band Things That Fly Her songs sit in a cozy intersection of rock, folk and country and her lyrics are alternately playful and stark. Karen offers listeners a varied musical pallet that radiates humor and depth. Karen’s second solo album is due out later this year. In 2018, Karen and Heidi began writing together for Things That Fly and their songs took on a darker hue. The pandemic afforded them the time and space to work with Christopher Elam on full-band, richly layered arrangements, heavy on electric guitars. In 2022, they teamed up with sound engineer Connor Boyle to document their work. Due out Mother’s Day, the band’s debut self-titled EP captures a high-energy, ‘summer radio ready’ indie pop vibe, while dwelling on feelings of isolation, invisibility and teetering on the edge of apocalypse. Salt. Married and the working mother of four, Karen wakes up to Herbie Hancock, goes to sleep to Chopin and dreams about Lucinda Williams.
Christopher Elam is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, engineer, producer, and owner of Number Thirteen Studio. Formerly with the bands Plains and Shelley Miller and the BCC, Christopher is now lead guitarist in Things That Fly and a full-time producer. Christopher’s original music is clear, catchy and gets you in the gut. His debut full-length album, “Notes from the Borderline,” draws you in to a cozy room. Listen to it on a Sunday, when you can sit in an armchair and sink into Elam’s bracing, full-band arrangements. Thankfully, he persisted through mountainous setbacks to complete “Notes”, which not only makes an overcast Sunday move delightfully slowly but transposes the vision of a driven and talented soul into a collection of songs you’ll want to go back to.
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Big Dad Energy
Sunday, May 7th 2023 Jamie Campbell is not your father. He’s not ANYBODY’S father. But, he sure seems like he could be. In a show that combines stand-up, storytelling, and a touch of musical comedy, the critically-acclaimed comedian leaps into what it’s like to get married in your 40s and realize parenthood is not going to happen. He discusses why he is proud of the younger generation, recalls the days when teachers were allowed to spank students, and dishes deep on the time he took acid at Disney World. |
Jamie Campbell has spent the past fifteen years bringing laughter to audiences across the United States. His debut stand-up album, Tell Me You’re Proud of Me, debuted at #1 on the Amazon comedy charts. now, he is bringing his critically-acclaimed comedy show, Big Dad Energy, to cities throughout the nation. His tours and festival appearances have received rave reviews and garnered awards at venues across the U.S. You may recognize Jamie from his appearances on NBC’s Chicago Fire, the Pop Network’s Hollywood Darlings, his recent super bowl ad alongside Kristin Chenoweth, or a series of music videos by hiphop legend Tech N9ne.
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From Whence Emerge These Curiosities? The Oddly Compelling Songs of Robin Bienemann
Sunday, April 30th 2023 |
Robin Bienemann is a Chicago songwriter whose wildly original songs mix contemporary themes with Jazz, Blues and Country guitar. His songs are poetic, comical and educational, combining sophisticated musicality, dry humor, and a wide-open curiosity about the World. Robin has participated in many thematic songwriting events: Science, Lost Species, Haiku, Trains, Bad Luck, Bridges. He has found inspiration for songs in vampires, Velcro, various vocations, dinosaurs, dodo birds, DDT, moths, mushrooms, and mosquitos. Robin performs solo, with his trio, and as a duo with his wife Jenny Bienemann. With his duo Twang Bang, he has toured the U.S. and Japan. Robin has shared the stage with Dan Hicks, Christine Lavin, Junior Brown, Reverend Horton Heat, and Southern Culture on the Skids. Robin has recorded three solo albums (Songs About Work, Songs About Lessons Learnt, Animal Communicator), one live album of duets with his wife Jenny Bienemann, and two albums with Twang Bang. Winner (w/ Twang Bang) of Japan Open song contest, Hamamatsu Japan. Twice a finalist at the prestigious Kerrville (Texas) Songwriting Competition. Special Recognition: Great American Song Contest. For more info: www.robinb.org
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Hanging By A Hyphen: How I Lost One Home
To Find Two Sunday, April 30th 2023 Foraging the depths of a peanut butter jar one day, Jitesh realized with shock that he is now an Indian-American! Can home change? Can identity? Does love? Follow his journey as he leaves India for America in the pursuit of love and goes back to find that the hometown he missed, was missing. Will he be able to recreate what home is? In this hilarious and introspective story, Jitesh shares his unwelcoming American immigration process only to make everyone in the audience feel welcome! |
Jitesh Jaggi is an immigrant dancer, poet, and storyteller from India, currently living in Chicago. A two-time The Moth StorySlam winner, he also produces shows for the science-based storytelling organization, The Story Collider. He ended his career in Finance one day when he lost all his data that he forgot to save on an Excel sheet and realized that he just didn't care. That tipping point led to him becoming a writer and he is currently working on a book of essays. He regularly coaches clients in crafting their personal and business stories and over the last five years has taught workshops for the World Health Organization, the American Chemical Society, and the University of Illinois among several others. He was a keynote speaker at the 2022 international educator’s conference- NAFSA. His stories were recently played on the National Public Radio as part of The Moth Radio Hour. He loves writing bios because he can refer to himself in the third person. Jitesh can be easily bribed with books and chocolates.
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Inner State Stories
Sunday, April 16th 2023 When Alzheimer’s takes away his mother's short-term memory, Errol McLendon relies on the details of the road trips and roadside attractions they once shared to provide her comforting familiar territory during the last years of her life. In this solo show, he recalls his past through the many journeys his life has offered him. From childhood trips with his mother, to leaving home, to monthly trips home to care for his mother, each mile traveled offers humorous and poignant realizations. |
Prior to moving to Chicago, Errol McLendon had an actor’s life in Dallas doing sketch comedy, improv, melodramas, murder mysteries, serious drama, tv and film (look for his amazing work as the umbrella guy in JFK). For the past thirty years, Errol has been acting, directing and devising theatre in Chicago. He has been a company member for THEM Theatre, Red Tape Theatre and Forks & Hope Ensemble. While in Forks & Hope, Errol had the privilege to take “The Hunting of the Snark” to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. When Forks & Hope disbanded in March of 2019, Errol discovered storytelling and started working on his solo show. Errol has told stories at shows all across Chicago, is a two time Moth winner, and will have one of his stories featured on an upcoming Moth podcast. Errol also was chosen last October to be one of six storytellers to compete in the Story Slam at the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. Inner State Stories will tour to roadside attractions and retirement communities later this summer and has also been selected to be a part of both the Atlanta and Indianapolis Fringe Festival. For more information on Errol’s show, storytelling and workshops, visit www.innerstatestories.com.
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Broadguess,
A Shakespearian Sidebar Sunday, April 16th 2023 Elizabethan detective, Broadguess, stumbles upon a serial killer, which forces the question: What if that mirror being held up to nature is cracked? -- Absurd, hilarious and too much fun. |
An accomplished improviser, writer and actor, Dee Ryan is a proud alumna of The Second City in Chicago where she wrote and performed in three reviews on The Second City E.T.C. stage: “One Nation Under Fraud”, “Baby Richards Got Back” and “Farewell My Compuserve” – for which she was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award with the ensemble. She also toured nationally with The Second City touring company. Dee began her improv career with ImprovBoston developing the musical form, which is now performed by Baby Wants Candy. Additionally, Dee is an original improv cast member of The Armando Diaz Experience and Hootenany, Lois Kaz, Stacy’s Not Here, and The All Girl Revue - winner of the Audience Award at the 2010 Women in Comedy Festival in Boston, MA. As part of the West Coast comedy community, Dee worked at The Second City Conservatory in Hollywood and performed with Teacher’s Lounge. At the Adelaide Comedy Festival in Adelaide, Australia, Dee improvised the role of The Professor in Modern Problems in Science (an interdisciplinary improvised college class), and in Chicago, she performed in Cast on a Hot Tin Roof, an improvised Tennessee William play. Her extensive work in the theatre also includes the role of Dee in The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s production of The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged), which toured nationally and internationally. (You can hear her sing on The Complete Millennium Musical – (abridged) CD.) Her one-woman show DeeConstruction was workshopped at Pittsburgh Public Theater and premiered at Reston Center Theater in Reston, VA and The FanaticSalon in Culver City, CA. She co-wrote Fatwah Caprice with Russ Lees and Dave Razowsky, which premiered at The Zephyr theater, LA. Her pandemic project Broadguess was selected and performed at Nebraska’s Flatwater Shakespeare as part of their UnShaken Festival. In 2022, she directed the world premiere of Emma and Richie’s Big Viking Funeral for The Hollywood Fringe Festival which won an Encore Award. Dee is currently the proud president of the North Shore Shakespeare Society, which means she’s responsible for sending group texts.
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Hidden Memory:
An American WWII Story Sunday, April 2nd 2023 World War II was a very different experience for Japanese Americans. Racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership resulted in over 120,000 imprisoned for the crime of looking like the enemy. Join storyteller Anne Shimojima as she shares the inspiring story of her family’s journey from Japan and through the incarceration camps. Anne illustrates her talk with photos from her family and the National Archives, showing a journey of determination, perseverance, and strength. |
Anne Shimojima, a native Chicagoan, has been telling stories from her Asian heritage and around the world for forty years at festivals, schools, libraries, museums, and senior communities. Her venues include the National Storytelling Festival, Fillet of Solo, This Much is True, and as Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center. In 2019 she was invited to tell her family’s World War II incarceration camp story at three Tokyo high schools by the Japanese government and her CD Sakura Tales: Stories from Japan won a Storytelling World Honor Award in 2019. In 2022, Anne was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan for her outstanding contributions in promoting Japanese culture in the U.S. and promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S.
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God is a Firefly (or, God is a Word We Made Up)
Sunday, April 2nd 2023 One reason to believe in a God, is sometimes you just need somebody to thank." This show from Charles Murphy is about looking for God (whatever God means to you) in weird places, from the Tennessee River, to your buried shame, to the disgraced planet Pluto, and trying and failing to find words for things that can't be explained. |
Charles Murphy is an Alabama-raised, Chicago-based musician who loves trees, Irish whistles, and the words “I don’t know.” He grew up a priest's kid in the Episcopal Church, the legacy of which (among other things) is that he loves the sound of a group of people singing more than just about anything in the world. He has played throughout Chicago's music scene as part of the folk duo Duck and Goose, and as part of the band The Diving Bell. He loves songs that have stories in them (especially the ones without words) and he believes that everyone is a musician. He can be found most days wandering around his house or Winnemac Park, making up songs about washing his hands too much and his late basset hound, Murray.
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An Acoustic Afternoon:
Folk Singer Songwriter Mark Dvorak Sunday, March 26th 2023 Enjoy an intimate, personal experience with this legendary folk musician who has been referred to as "Chicago's official troubadour." This is sure to be a magical afternoon of music, up close and personal. |
The Chicago Tribune has called Mark Dvorak "masterful," and the Fox Valley Folk Festival describes him as "a living archive of song and style." In 2012 WFMT's Classical 98.7 fm Midnight Special host Rich Warren named him Chicago's "official troubadour." Mark has given concerts in almost all of the United States and has made visits to Finland, Canada and Ireland. To date he has released twenty albums of traditional and original music including 2020s Let Love Go On and 2023s Live & Alone. Dvorak has won awards for children's music, journalism and was honored in 2013 with the FARM Lantern Bearer Award from Folk Alliance International. In 2008 he received the Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
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An Evening with
Rick & Laura Hall Sunday, March 26th 2023 Rick & Laura met in Chicago when they both got hired by The Second City, Chicago. Since then, they got married, had two children, lived and worked in L.A for thirty years, and have recently moved back to the Chicago area where they continue to perform, both separately and together. The Halls present a unique theatrical experience. Rick’s storytelling, based on his life experiences, can be touching one moment and hilarious the next, with characters both unique and familiar. He's been called “a modern-day Will Rogers” by Joyce Sloan, Producer at The Second City. Laura adds another level to Rick’s stories by playing a musical score that make audiences walk out of the theater feeling like they just saw a movie. |
Rick Hall has been seen on many television shows including three seasons of the Disney Channel show KC Undercover where he played Zendaya’s boss. Other TV shows include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saving Grace, 24, According to Jim, Seinfeld, and The Middle. He’s also been in several films and countless commercials. Rick adapted one of stories, Slice of Pie, into a short film which he shot on location in his hometown of Carrollton, Illinois. The film enjoyed a successful run of the film festival circuit, winning numerous awards. Rick created a one man show called “Pigboy” with Barbara Wallace as director. The show is based on his life growing up on a pig farm in central Illinois. Pigboy was called “spellbinding” by The New York Times, was chosen for the Aspen HBO Comedy Arts Festival, and had successful runs in L.A, Chicago, and a tour of the Midwest. Rick has a podcast of his stories entitled “So Sez Rick” where Laura is his co-host who gently reminds us that all of Rick’s stories are mostly true. “So Sez Rick” can be found on most of podcast platforms.
Laura Hall is best known as the improvisational pianist on television’s Whose Line is it Anyway, which is currently in production of their twentieth season. New episodes air on the CW network on Friday nights. Laura has toured the country doing live shows with Drew Carey and The Improv Allstars. She's shared the stage with such diverse performers as Roger Daltrey, Robin Williams, and Joe Walsh. She's played with countless improv groups in Chicago and L.A. Laura is also a singer-songwriter and has written music for several indie films, including the score for Slice of Pie. She also scored an award winning documentary about the holocaust, Swimming in Auschwitz, and the romantic comedies, Anatomy of a Breakup and Look at Me.
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I'm Not Trying To Be Funny
Sunday, March 19th 2023 R.C. Riley's humorous solo show with a nod to stand-up comedy will leave you in deep reflection about relationships, perspectives, and life’s most trying tribulations. I’m Not Trying to Be Funny… but sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying! |
R.C. Riley (she/her/they) is a writer, performer, activist, and warrior who began writing as a means of healing after a sexual assault. R.C.’s personal healing led to the creation of their first solo show, Wrong Way Journey. Their work examines the intersection of race, gender (sex), sexuality and faith and seeks to find justice for and liberate those marginalized by society. R.C. leads workshops, guest lectures, performs short stories and solo shows at colleges and theaters across the Chicagoland area. Their solo shows include: Wrong Way Journey, SOGI Say What?!: LGBTQ+ Health Care Experiences, Take It Easy on The Left Hand, Please and their most recent work – I’m Not Trying to Be Funny. In addition, R.C. hosts a podcast titled BE EMPOWERED! with R.C., which addresses topics of concern for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQ+ communities. You can find R.C. on social media @rcempowers or @rcrileyempowers or check out their website www.rcrileyempowers.com.
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In the Spirit
(featuring Zahra Baker & Emily Hooper Lansana) Sunday, March 5th 2023 An afternoon of stories and songs that journey from transformative moments in Black History to powerful moments of personal insight. This program is a celebration filled with opportunities for reflection and celebration. |
This duo performs an extensive repertoire of African and African American stories and songs demonstrating commitment to community and transformation. Individually and collectively, they perform for people of all ages in diverse settings. Past performances include: The National Storytelling Festival, and The National Association of Black Storytellers Festival and Conference.
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Places I Can't Return To
Sunday, February 26th 2023 In this interactive, multimedia performance of Sean Flannery's recently published book, the audience will choose the stories and order of telling via questionnaire. . Each chapter is a place he cannot return to, usually because the people who live or work there warned him to never return. Or sometimes because those places are now in the bottom of a lake. The book intertwines Sean's own outrageous stories with funny asides on the history of these places. Like a travel book, if the author only stayed at places that have since been demolished. |
The easiest way to describe Sean Flannery is: he’s attended the wrong wedding (twice).That mostly sums it up. Sean hosts and created The Blackout Diaries. He’s appeared on Comedy Central, NPR, Sirius Radio. The Chicaog Reader also named Sean "Best Drunk in Chicago". He and his wife are having very different reactions to that award. Sean's first book, “Places I Can’t Return To” debuted this spring.
Renowned stand-up comedian, editor of Sean's book, and Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me panelist Adam Burke will open the show.
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A Secret in Plain Sight
Sunday, February 19th 2023 What do you do when you discover a long-held family secret that completely alters who you thought you were? Kevin Gladish goes on a journey into the past as he discovers his true identity and grapples with what is true, what is false, and how much any of us can ever know. |
Kevin Gladish has been telling stories at such venues as Filet of Solo, You're Being Ridiculous, This Much is True, Story Sessions, Story Club, and The Moth Grand Slam. As an actor, he's worked with Steep Theatre, Griffin, City Lit, Promethian Theatre, and The Artistic Home, among others. Shortly after discovering he was adopted, he began documenting his experiences searching for birth family and coming to terms with his past in a blog called A Story With No Beginning. This show grew out of that blog and that journey.
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I'm Falling in Love
All The Time Sunday, February 5th 2023 Coffee. Romance. Heroin. There’s a first time for everything and a last. In his heartfelt solo show, Jack Schultz weaves together personal stories of the highs and lows of love. In 2015 Jack lost his brother Andrew to a heroin overdose, broke up with his girlfriend, and developed an addiction to coffee. Experiencing all three at once helped him see parallel themes in love, loss, and addiction and he tied them together in one universally accessible story. |
Jack Schultz is an actor, teacher, and storyteller in Chicago. He’s the Artistic Director of Green Shirt Studio where he teaches the Meisner Technique and former Artistic Director of The Agency. In his time leading Green Shirt and The Agency, he's helped produce hundreds of live performances of all shapes and sizes. Performance credits with The Agency include I Wish To Apologize to the People of Illinois, The Spirit of ’76, and Hellcab (2017 and 2018). Jack is a graduate of the iO Training Center, a 200 level RYT Yoga instructor, and completed the True Acting Diploma Course with Master Meisner Teacher Larry Silverberg. He also appears on The Carbonaro Effect where Michael Carbonaro tricked him into believing a viking skeleton tried to attack him at a construction site outside of O’Hare Airport. www.jackgschultz.com
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Treasures and Time Travel Sunday, January 22nd 2023 Why do we keep certain artifacts from our past (letters, trinkets, etc.)? What memories do they evoke? Through story and song, Sue Fink explores the treasures we choose to keep, and the places those treasures allow us to revisit. We break time’s linear path and in that sense, travel through time. As Sue shares her own treasures, the audience is magically transported to their own special places, unerasable by time. Is life but a dream? |
Chicago-based singer-songwriter Sue Fink enchants audiences with her whimsical perspective on the world. Through song and story (and story-songs), she shares witty and perceptive observations of the human condition. Her genre is folk with a hint of jazz, a large dollop of humor, and a drop of sadness for good measure. You may have seen her perform around town (or the Midwest), or heard her songs on local and national folk radio stations. Her “Alternate Universe” song was included in Episode 691 of This American Life (NPR). https://suefink.com
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Lessons From Granny
Sunday, January 15th 2023 From a kitchen table, Jacoby Cochran learned some of the world's greatest and hardest lessons from his very first Chicago icon, Mamie Ferrell. In a series of stories, he'll share a few of those gems. This show is a celebration, memorial, and dedication to the black women (and now ancestors) whose shoulders Jacoby stands on. |
Jacoby Cochran a writer, educator, and storyteller. He is the award winning host of City Cast Chicago, Chicago's favorite daily news podcast! The podcast was named Best of 2021 by the Chicago Reader and Chicago Magazine calls it “the essential Chicago podcast.” You can also catch Jacoby discussing news, sports, culture and events on Chicago's NPR and PBS stations. You can visit his website to sample his work and see the organizations he has partnered with. But for this show it is important to know Jacoby's storytelling primarily centers Black Chicago, the legacy of the Great Migration, and the griots who passed down their gifts. His work explores segregation, state violence and the joy of resistance.
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Summoning Up a World: Springsteen's Debut at 50 Sunday, January 8th 2023 On January 5, 1973, Bruce Springsteen’s debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., was released to little fanfare or acclaim. Few could have predicted the career that would follow. Fifty years on, musician and storyteller Eric Garneau (with an assist from percussionist Dwight Haesler) examines and pays tribute to this landmark record that sees an iconic musical voice beginning to create a world for his stories and himself. |
Eric Garneau (he/him) has played at the intersection of the storytelling and music spaces for a long time, including, for the last four years, as one of the coproducers and house band members of Mortified Chicago. He takes his Springsteen seriously and has even presented a paper on Bruce’s evolving use of pronouns at an academic conference on the holy ground of the Jersey Shore. By day, he works in the tabletop game industry and has recently published a series of Dungeons & Dragons adventures inspired by classic records called Rock & Roll.
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Paul Teodo: Greatest Hits Sunday, November 20th 2022 GREATEST HITS is a brand new storytelling series, featuring a live "mix tape" from an accomplished Chicago performer. You will hear some of their favorite stories, new pieces, entertaining anecdotes, the stories behind the stories, and much more. |
Paul Teodo is a retired healthcare executive who has been on stages around Chicago telling stories for the past twelve years. He is a multiple Moth story slam winner and Grand Slam champion. Paul has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and is the co-author of three works of fiction - the novels PASTAMAN and Call Me Z, as well as South of Cermak: Chicago Stories, a collection of short stories centering on the often forgotten south side of Chicago. All are available on Amazon and will be available at the performance.
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Bram Stoker's Dracula Sunday, October 16th 2022 Megan Wells has been touring her one woman solo-storytelling-hybrid experience for 20 years, from the Oak Park Festival to the National Storytelling Festival to its annual home in the Woodstock Opera House. We're excited to celebrate October with the original horror story in the intimate space of The Jekot Theater. Get up close and personal in this lively encounter with the undead. |
Megan Wells is an MFA theater director with Jeff award credits, a Jeff nominated solo performer and a full-time national traveling storyteller for 30 years. What that really means is Megan knows a lot of folk and fairy stories, epic stories, world myth and historical stories and she tells them anywhere, everywhere and a lot. Credits include Guest Artist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival, yearly teller with the Chicago Public Library as well as libraries, schools, museums, book clubs, major storytelling festivals and theaters. Recently named an Oracle by the National Storytelling Network, Megan was inducted into America’s Circle of Excellence in Storytelling.
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World's Greatest Dad(?) Sunday, October 16th 2022 After 10 years in therapy, Jimmy Carrane is still unhappy that he is not as famous as some of the people he started out doing improv with. So when his therapist suggests that Jimmy and his wife have a baby to bring more joy into their life, Jimmy sets out to become a first-time dad at age 52, at the same time that his own father is dying. From fertility treatments to a disastrous funeral, Carrane takes us on a funny and poignant roller coaster of life and death and shares his discovery that you don’t have to be the “greatest” to be a good dad. |
An original member of The Annoyance Theater and Armando at The iO-Chicago, Jimmy has written and starred in several acclaimed one-man shows Today, Jimmy is a renowned and respected improv teacher, having taught at The Second City, iO-Chicago, The Annoyance, Victory Gardens and other locations for more than 25 years. He may be best known to some Chicago audiences from his seven years as host of Studio 312 on Chicago Public Radio or as the host of the popular podcast Improv Nerd.
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The Princess Strikes Back:
One Woman's Search for the Space Cowboy of her Dreams Sunday, September 18th 2022 In 1997, 13-year-old Victoria Montalbano was introduced to her perfect man, Han Solo, and she’s been looking for him ever since. Watch her grow from awkward theatre kid to professional out of work actress while swiping her way through a galaxy far, far away! Don't miss this opportunity to experience this critically acclaimed solo show that has been delighting fringe festival audiences across the country. |
VICTORIA MONTALBANO is a Chicago-based actress, writer, storyteller, and producer. Her stories have been featured at STORY CLUB CHICAGO, UNIVERSAL SOUND, TENX9 CHICAGO, WE HAVE QUESTIONS, POUR ONE OUT, and more. The critically acclaimed, The Princess Strikes Back is her debut solo show. Since its world premiere in 2021, the show has been produced by the Elgin Fringe, Theatre Crude, the Chicago Circus and Performing Arts Festival, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, IndyFringe Theatre Festival, and the Orlando Fringe Festival. As an actress she has performed in Storefront Theatres all over Chicago, including Redtwist Theatre, Pegasus Theatre and Pride Arts, and was part of the iO Chicago improv team, Plus-Prov. Selected Theatre: Twelfth Night (Olivia), The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Syracuse), Arms and the Man (Louka), and Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding (Donna/Terry). Film: Cupid’s Chokehold, B.A.D.D., Cancel This Movie. TV/New Media: Apartment 101, Chi-Nannigans, The Studio. Podcast: Co-host Now Kiss! A Shipping Podcast. VICTORIA has a degree in Drama from Syracuse University