This here might be my favorite HtS photo ever. Thanks to Brandie Madrid for snapping it, and thank you to everyone who made it a wonderful night. I am enjoying the once-a-year softer day-after-show where there are no votes to count, and just after-show gladness to feel.
Sometimes I lose my faith in anything like magic. This has been a rough year (for me), and looking back at last night’s pictures, I can see it in my face. Things will change soon, in one way or another, and I am hopeful about that. In the meantime, and all throughout this year, Here’s the Story has given me a joyful experience that has both bouyed and anchored me. The experience of so many people from so many places looking with clear eyes for the beauty in each other is a pretty awesome thing.
Last night we had a show that celebrated this goodness of the year past, by featuring all of our Audience Favorite tellers from 2013. Each month at the regular show, we host five featured tellers, and five tellers who sign up right out of the audience. Our audiences give points to the walk-up tellers, and the person with the most points at the end of the night is invited to return as a feature the following month. In December, we invite all of those people back for a retrospective show. Last night, once again, 160 people from all different backgrounds and worlds and walks of life came together in a room to listen and share and feed each other amazing food, and look back on the year. And LAUGH. And that was magical.
A lot of people made it happen. Our Production Manager Brandie Ray Madrid, especially, who also volunteered to do double duty and take photos of the evening. And Mary Cait Walthall, Thomas Kelly, Robert Brown and Erin Kahoa, who joined me in volunteering to make the night happen. Lily BE and her son Xavier Retana joined me as co-co hosts, and held the evening in capable, skilled, graceful hands. Erin Diamond, Tim Stafford, Stephanie Douglass, Josh Berling, Polly Yukevich, Kelli Honeysweet, Jesse Bob Harper and Kat Barker all returned as the Audience Favorite tellers from 2013 for a night of laugh-filled personal revelation. And as a one-time thing, I joined them in telling a story, which I hope I made as much fun for our audience, as they made it for me.
After Here’s the Story every month, I always believe in magic again. So I thank you all for that. I really hope the night does the same for you. And I hope it will continue to do that for many people, for a long time to come.
Here’s hoping you a peaceful holiday season, and a bright New Year. See you again on January 5th.
<3
Here’s the Story
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont
January 5th, 7:30 potluck/ 8pm show
Tickets
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