Then there was the time I said to Brent, “I’ll meet you on the street as soon as I grab my fanny pack,” and the Kiwis on our crew all laughed and snickered and guffawed. In case you missed the live event, here’s the video of my story, “New Zealand: Living a Lie at Mrs. …
I found out later that Spicy Jew’s Ear was a type of mushroomy fungus, but it still didn’t sound like something that I wanted to eat.
Here’s the video from my telling Shanghai Lunch at Tell It On Tuesday at The Marsh in Berkeley on January 28th. Storytelling in the oral tradition. No notes, no text.
Closed captions available.
In just a few days …
this Tuesday, January 28th …
I’ll be telling a new story “Shanghai Lunch” at TELL IT ON TUESDAY, the monthly storytelling event at The Marsh in Berkeley.
I am also performing at LUNCHTIME STORYTELLING at Stagebridge in Oakland on February 20th.
We tried to make sense of what we had seen. We compared notes. We realized that we would probably never find out anything more about what had happened, and why and how.
In case you missed any of the live shows (or you’re dying to see it again!), here’s the video of my story, “Mysteries of Travel,” from the Monday Night Marsh event at The Marsh in San Francisco on April 29th. Storytelling in the oral tradition. No notes, no text.
Closed captions available. Just click on CC near the bottom of the player.
‘Mysteries of Travel’
‘The Great Debate’
‘The Elevator in Rome’
I’ll be telling some new stories at three gigs this month in San Francisco and Oakland. Storytelling in the oral tradition. No notes, no text. Hope you can make it! The Marsh venue is easily accessible on BART (or park nearby). And the Stagebridge telling is free.
MONDAY NIGHT MARSH on April 15th and April 29th at The Marsh in San Francisco.
LUNCHTIME STORYTELLING on April 18th at Stagebridge in Oakland.
She looked at me, wide-eyed, with a big smile.
I knew that getting stuck in an elevator was one of her worst fears.
In case you missed the live show (or can’t wait to see it again!), here’s the video of my story, “The Elevator in Rome,” from Tell It On Tuesday at The Marsh in Berkeley last month. Storytelling in the oral tradition. No notes, no text.
Closed captions available. Just click on CC near the bottom of the player.
I gave a talk on Storytelling at my 50th Dartmouth College Reunion last month. Following is the text of my ten-minute introduction. If you want to see the whole, one-hour presentation, including video clips and stories, click on the video player below. Closed Captions (CC) available.
I never wanted to be a performer until I discovered storytelling.
About two-and-a-half years ago, a friend of mine had a gig playing classical guitar at The Marsh, a club in Berkeley that was hosting a monthly storytelling night called Tell It On Tuesday. She urged me to come along. After she finished playing, five people, all roughly my age, stood up in turn and told stories.
I guess gratuitous self-promotion pays off, eh? Every single chair was in use. I was so pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the audience, even if most of them were friends!
They laughed a lot, usually at appropriate moments, and applauded each story. What fun!
Part 2 includes these stories:
My solo storytelling show last Friday was amazing, a real peak experience!
What a fun evening! I had a terrific time and feel wonderful about having challenged myself like that. I did eight stories, about 75-80 minutes of material in all.
The place was packed. About 48 people in a medium-smallish room.
Part 1 includes these stories:
Friday, April 20th at 7 pm
Silk Road House, 1944 University Avenue #107, Berkeley (6-minute walk from Downtown Berkeley BART)
Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
http://bit.ly/billysolo
OR Go to zarchy.eventbrite.com
(Loosely inspired by a tall and nearly true tale)
Jake rushed through the door, sweaty and disheveled, to find Al playing solitaire in the main lodge.
“Al! I just had a moose encounter,” said Jake. “Up on Bacon Ridge. It was pretty great, dude. Wait’ll I tell the guys at home about this.”
“Was it sweet and chocolatey?”
“No, dipshit! Not that kind of moose, with a U! Moose with two O’s, like Bullwinkle. Huge, with antlers. I just saw one.”
“Tell me.”
“I grabbed my camera, hiked to the top, then took a few snaps, looking down at the ranch in the fall foliage. It was right purdy, pardner.”
About two years ago, I went to a storytelling event at The Marsh in Berkeley and watched six people tell six very different stories. Some personal, some historical, all about 10-15 minutes long.
My first reaction: I can do that.
Little did I know.
The tellers were all from Stagebridge, a Senior Theatre Company housed in an old church in Oakland, so I started taking storytelling classes there. Stagebridge also offers courses in acting, directing, singing, dancing, and many other kinds of performance. It’s the only “senior” thing I’ve ever done. But close friends, both recently retired psychologists, have found new passions in performance at Stagebridge, and, so I dove in.
