Fall is historically a time of fantastic Here, Chicago shows. Maybe because it’s a natural season for gathering and sharing. Please join us on October 5th at Stage 773 for a gathering of excellent people, food and stories. If you haven’t been, our show convenes people from a variety social, political, generational, professional and creative circles that might not otherwise overlap. We come together for a delicious, joyful and sometimes transcendent evening of theater and community.
Here, Chicago offers free admission to this event with a prepared dish for the potluck. In exchange for a free ticket, we ask you to bring something thoughtfully chosen or prepared. Your dish doesn’t need to be fancy or costly! But just like with the stories, the dinner is better when a little care goes in. (Last month our tables were brimming with soda bottles and chips… which is COOL and all, but we’re hoping to halt that trend a little. ;)) Lets feed each other beautifully this fall!
Your featured storytellers on October 5th are excellent people, and we’re so excited to share them with you. Read on to learn more about them…
Mark Toland is a mind reader. He has been a featured entertainer at Disney World, was a 2014 nominee for “Best Variety Artist” in Campus Activities Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards, and was recently listed among “America’s Best Campus Artists”. Mark successfully guessed the outcome of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, predicted the headlines of The Chicago Tribune over three weeks in advance, and is currently filming a web series for WGN Radio. His weekly shows at The Bar Below sell out every week and have earned him multiple appearances on WGN TV in Chicago, who say that “he must be the devil.” In addition to his mind reading performances Mark is also an actor, writer, and web designer. Complete information about Mark can be found on his website: www.MarkToland.com.
Ladan Osman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Her poetry is centered on her Somali and Muslim heritage, and her work has been published in a number of prominent literary magazines. She is the winner of the African Poetry Book Fund’s 2014 Sillerman First Book Prize for her manuscript The Kitchen-Dweller’s Testimony (University of Nebraska Press, April 2015). She has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center, Cave Canem Foundation, and the Michener Center for Writers. A 2012 Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared or is forthcoming in American Life in Poetry, Apogee, Narrative Magazine, Prairie Schooner, and Vinyl Poetry. She lives and teaches in Chicago.
essica Smith Soto is the Community Manager of Meal Sharing, an international website for home-cookin’. The mission is for people be able to point anywhere on a map and be welcomed to a home-cooked meal, and it’s part of the awesome movement of the Shared Economy. Since January, Jessica has cooked for over 182 people in her apartment (not all at the same time) and hosted 168 different, interesting humans. Before her life in the start-up realm, Jessica got her degree in International Relations with a minor in Latin American Studies, and was able to live and study in Mexico, Hungary, and Poland, and later work in Colombia. Throughout traveling, Jessica has collected friendships, stories, and recipes. She also had a short one year period of being a cocktail waitress in a comedy club, and therefore enjoyed hundreds of shows and classes for free which only enhanced her obsession with comedy and live storytelling. Her brush with acting fame was as the female lead role in a National Geographic episode of the drama documentary “Locked Up Abroad” entitled “Snakes on a Plane.” Google it- totally weird tale.
Clay Neigher is our September Audience’s Favorite walk-up teller, and we are very excited to have him back for a longer story. After receiving degrees from Tufts University, The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and The University of Pennsylvania, Clay ventured west towards L.A, stopping only for what he thought was a short visit to Chicago. 8 years later, he is happily still here. He is a graduate of The Annoyance, The Second City and iO Theater training programs. Clay works as a creative consultant and strategist. He is also a Technori.com evangelist and has served Technori as a writer and creative consultant since post inception. Perhaps more importantly, Clay Neigher is a stubborn cyclist. He always prefers two wheels to four and pedals to any destination whether it’s miles of icy road commuting to work or a few blocks to visit a pal. After enduring his fourth bike theft, he came up with an idea that would benefit cyclists everywhere. Since then, he has been developing this solution with local techies. This is one reason he is considered a creative Swiss Army knife by his colleagues. You can follow him on Twitter @madpitcher82.
Ranjit Souri joins Janna as co-host for Here, Chicago on October 5th, and we are so happy to have him. Ranjit has appeared as an essayist on Chicago Public Radio and Cincinnati Public Radio. One of his essays was named a Notable Essay in the book “The Best American Essays 2007.” He also performs comedy every Saturday night at Stage773 with The Cupid Players. Ranjit’s past jobs include Accountant for Habitat for Humanity’s world headquarters in Americus, Georgia; teaching Head Start in Dayton, Ohio; working with homeless people in Cincinnati; researching stock-market data at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and managing The Second City Training Center in Chicago. Ranjit hosts three weekly shows, including the storytelling show Sunday Morning Stories at The Second City.October 5th is going to be a wonderful night. Please join us and make it even more wonderful.
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Here, Chicago on October 5th
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont
7:30 potluck / 8pm show
Tickets
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