April 6th’s Here’s the Story is going to be beautiful. Wonderful people are coming to tell you true-life tales. These folks are great storytellers, and also some of the best people we know. Very excited to share them with you.
We also want to hear your stories! If you have been considering bringing one to our stage, folks report that the experience of telling at Here’s the Story is somewhat transcendent… *blush*. Storytelling is exciting and exhilarating, because it’s like working magic powers that you didn’t know you had… or that you knew you had once but had forgotten. It belongs to you. People finding that out is changing the creative and cultural landscape in Chicago, and Here’s the Story is at the heart of that transformation. Embodied storytelling it is the most engaging, honest, lively and entertaining art form around (in our humble opinion), and it is already in you. It’s yours.
So bring us one! It’s spring time! We’re listening. Lets rise up from this black ice crust of winter and bloom a little, shall we? If there is a story that’s been pulling on your sleeve to tell it, come tell it. Just sign up for one of our 5 walk-up teller spots. Arrive before 7:30 and put your name on the list.
Here is some of the excellent company you’ll be telling in:
Irv Levinson is a skilled storyteller, performer, teacher, lawyer, and public speaker. Irv began his career in the early 1970’s as an inner city teacher in St Louis and Gary. He then spent 40 years as a busy trial lawyer, trying all types of cases throughout the USA, and consulting in cases in Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico and Canada. He earned admission to the the United States Supreme Court bar, and has represented the United States Olympic Committee and others before the Supreme Court. Later in his legal career, Irv turned to the performing arts, training as a storyteller, comedic and musical improv artist, and actor at Second City, iO and Gorilla Tango theaters. Irv has performed in story telling, improv and musical shows at Second City, iO, and Gorilla Tango theaters, as well as at Old Town School of Folk Music. He also teaches the use of improv and communications skills in business settings to lawyers, mediators, arbitrators and other professionals in a variety of training programs. Irv taught Trial Advocacy and International Arbitration as an Adjunct Professor to law students at Northwestern Law School and DePaul Law School, respectively, and has been a public speaker in demand for more than 25 years on a variety of legal, mediation and related topics.
Angelique Nelson is a lover of life and a liver of love. Her ardour for writing is primarily inspired by her experiences as a bodyworker, energy healer, and student/teacher of yoga. All of these passions she wields as tools for getting people in conversation with themselves and others. Her writings often find focus on the exploration of relationships we have with our environment, and how the words we use to tell our stories can shift our perspective and change our experience. When not on the mic herself, she is an organizer for The Gala Chicago where she enjoys holding space for other artists to showcase their talents. Find more of Angelique at the soon to be blog http://dynamo-of-shakti.blogspot.com/, also at every open mic ever in the city of Chicago.
Actor, writer, teacher are many of the labels that people have used to describe Nick Johne. His proudest accomplishment at the moment is stay-at-home dad. Hailing from Toronto, originally, Nick was a member of their Second City. Nick has also written for television, specializing in shows with puppets. A fan and friend of Nick’s has also said, “Nick Johne is awesome. He is a really good guy and helps people he barely knows when they need a leg up. He has performed all over North America and is a deeply respected teacher and acting coach. He tells stories and brings them to life with humor and poignancy.” “Nothing beats a tasty apple” -Nick Johne.
Kelsie Huff is a Chicago based comedian, performing at venues such as Zanies, Chicago’s Laugh Factory, UP Comedy, Mayne Stage, Comedy on State (Madison) and throughout the suburbs. She has also performed at several comedy festivals including, New Orleans, North Carolina, Boston Women in Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and Chicago Funny Female Festival. Like most Chicago comedians Kelsie studied at iO and Second City whereshe met Amy Sumpter and formed the two women sketch comedy team Children of the Absurd. Their signature show titled “10% Less Fat” focused on the absurdity of female body image and was performed all over the Midwest. Huff then wrote and produced her acclaimed one woman show, Huffs, which explored the struggle to find forgiveness in one dysfunctional family tree. It was a “Don’t Miss” in Time Out Chicago and won the Boulder Fringe Festival Encore Award. Kelsie’s second one woman show, Bruiser: Tales from a Traumatized Tomboy received 4 out of 4 stars in the Chicago Stage Review, and Best Solo Performance of 2011. Kelsie hosts The Kates, an evening of women in Comedy at The Book Cellar, every second Friday of the month. 
Tim Witting spent the bulk of his working career in Finance as a commodity market analyst at the CBOT, and writing his own newsletter on the psychology of the markets. Last summer, part as an experiment and part as an extended vacation idea, he moved out to Glacier National park to tend bar. He realized he could save enough money in those four months to live for the remaining 8 months of the year without working. So, starting this summer, that is the cycle he will follow – tend bar, read, meditate, yoga, hike for four month stretch, then move to some cheaper currency place and studying some area of interest. That’s the plan for now at least, we’ll see how this nomadic lifestyle goes!
You can see why I say it’s gonna be a good one. A festival of great food and great people and great stories. Please join in sharing any or all of the above. And save your seats now for the 6th!
<3
Here’s the Story
April 6th
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont
7:30 potluck/8pm show
Tickets!
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