Author: Ron S. Doyle

  • 108: Brooke Pillifant, “Newton”

    108: Brooke Pillifant, “Newton”

    We here at The Narrators talk a lot about the role of empathy in the show’s success. The Narrators is, at its core, a community building enterprise, and one that is built on the premise of people wanting to connect to each other. The simple act of sharing stories allows that. It builds empathy and it erases the cultural practice of abstracting people.

    Make no mistake—we do live in a culture that abstracts people into binaries that behave predictably according to that which we ascribe to them. Our culture works hard to strip people of their basic humanity because fuck, man, holding a nuanced view of people is really hard.

    At our most aspirational, this show works to illuminate the humanity in all of us, and so that is what we will continue to do. We plan on doubling down in the coming months, planning events with and sending our support to other organizations who work tirelessly to assert and elevate the humanity and dignity of people who are far too often kept at the margins by the ruling classes. And in this work we hope to affirm and re-affirm that, although we are fully committed to finding common ground for all of us, we are also fully committed to confronting racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, white supremacy, and ableism. In other words, there will be no high fives for bullshit.

    We look forward to sharing with you in the coming year, and we have some exciting things coming down the pike, including the themes for our 2017 shows. Stay tuned here and on our Facebook page for more as it develops. We have just two shows left in 2016. Our San Diego show is on the 13th at Tiger! Tiger! Tavern and our Denver show is on the 21st at Buntport Theater. The theme for both shows is “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

    Now for this week’s episode: After a miserable yet hilarious cross-country car trip, Brooke Pillifant was propelled out of the world of teaching mathematics into the world of storytelling. She has performed with Speakeasy DC, Mortified, RISK!, Austin Writer Roulette, Dallas’ Oral Fixation, and at several backyard story nights. Currently, Brooke has founded a nonprofit, Down South Word of Mouth, dedicated to merging her love of social justice with storytelling to provide a voice for those who often go unheard in our communities. And when she isn’t on stage, she occupies her time with four kids, shooting pool, roadside adventures, and welding.

    Brooke’s story was recorded live at Tiger!Tiger! Tavern on 11 October 2016; the theme of the show was “Tricks!”

  • 107: Malkah Duprix, “The Noisome Corruption of Adolesence”

    107: Malkah Duprix, “The Noisome Corruption of Adolesence”

    Today’s story comes from Malkah Duprix. Malkah is a singer and guitarist with the band Paper Perfect Girls. Her story was recorded live on 17 August 2016 at Buntport Theater in Denver Colorado; the theme of the evening was “Naked.”

    We just have two shows left in 2016—13 December in San Diego and 21 December in Denver. The theme of those shows will be “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” Be sure to check our website or our Facebook page for more details and keep your eyes peeled for an announcement about our 2017 schedule in the coming weeks.

  • This Wednesday in Denver: “Overindulgence”

    This Wednesday in Denver: “Overindulgence”

    BUNTPORT THEATER, DENVER, 16 November 2016 at 8:00PM:

    Join us on Wednesday night for a feast of stories from this astounding lineup:

    Kat Atwell (This is My Brave, Ignite Denver)
    Christie Buchele (Pussy Bros, Empty Girlfriend Podcast)
    Tyrel Hartman (Comedian, New Money)
    Daniel Reskin (Comedian, Casa de Haha)
    Tony Shawcross (Open Media Foundation)
    Rachel Trignano (Writer, Performer, Poet)

    …and your host, Ron Doyle, waxing hyperbolic about the world at large.

    The show is as free as a fourth plate of food at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Swanky beer from Breckenridge Brewery and not-swanky wine available by donation.

    See you there!

    717 Lipan Street
    DENVER

    overindulgence-denver1

  • 106: Kirsten Imani Kasai, “Karmic Justice”

    106: Kirsten Imani Kasai, “Karmic Justice”

    Today’s episode comes to you from Kirsten Imani Kasai, a novelist, poet, and essayist. She has mountains of work available through her website, and is also the fiction editor and publisher of Body Parts Magazine: The Journal of Horror & Erotica.

    Our theme for November is “Overindulgence,” and it’s worth noting that we have canceled our November 8th show in San Diego at Tiger! Tiger! Tavern because that date also happens to be one of national, nay, intergalactic importance. This elections season has been interminably long and incredibly painful, and after much hand-wringing we have decided that we want to encourage people to vote, to help getting others to vote, and then to watch the fruits of that labor be tallied and announced to the world on November 8th. Even though we love the respite and warmth that a good story can provide as counterpoint to politics, we feel that this election is too important to offer distraction from. Let’s all dive headlong into the hope for a better tomorrow. Our November show in Denver is on November 16th at Buntport Theater and then both cities will resume regular programming come December.

    Also, stay tuned for news of our 2017 themes as well. Your faithful hosts are whittling down the list and are excited to share them with the good people. We hope to do that in the coming days.

  • 105: Unknown Caller

    105: Unknown Caller

    When The Narrators first started in Denver over six and a half years ago, storytelling shows were few and far between. There were poets and memoirists sharing true stories at open mics, and the oral traditionalists have always been around, at historical gatherings or elementary school assemblies, but personal narrative just wasn’t a common thing.

    Today, Denver—along with many other cities in America—is exploding with new storytelling shows and projects. Established shows in Denver like us and Stories Stories Bring Us Your Stories, My Teenage Angst, Truth Be Told in Boulder and The Moth Story Slam in Englewood are still going strong, and there are so many new shows and events and podcasts and projects popping up that it’s tough to keep up—there’s The Raconteurs, This is My Brave, Misunderstood, We Still Like You, and we know of at least two more that will launch in the next 12 months. Here’s the best part—there’s more than enough room for all of us. Even though we’re all ostensibly doing the same thing—sharing true personal narratives—each show has its own flavor and theme and feel, it’s own attraction for both the performer and audience. All of us at The Narrators are excited about this, because it offers folks more places to share their stories and find their voice, and because it confirms what we’ve believed all along: people are longing for opportunities to build empathy, to listen and to connect.

    So, today, we’re doing something a little different. We’re going to share a story from one of those newer storytelling projects in town. It’s called Unknown Caller. It’s a podcast that collects stories anonymously via voicemail—no standing behind a microphone, no spotlights, no crowd of strangers—you just call in to their hotline and start talking. Unknown Caller is the brainchild of Cory Byrom, a storytelling alum of The Narrators, Risk!, and The Iceberg in Atlanta. The podcast has published 13 episodes so far and they’re all worth a listen. You can subscribe to Unknown Caller on iTunes or SoundCloud, and find them on Facebook or Twitter (@1UnknownCaller). Let them know we sent you!

    This story was originally published by Unknown Caller podcast on May 2nd 2016.

    Our monthly theme for October is “Tricks”, so please join us at our live shows on Tuesday, October 11 in San Diego and Wednesday, October 19 in Denver. Check back here for more details. We’re also doing a special edition of The Narrators at Exposure, a free happy hour event, hosted by our pals at From the Hip Photo, that celebrates Denver’s diverse creative community. There will be free beer from Ratio Beerworks and a pop-up from Denver Zine Library. Join us at 5pm on October 12th at Fort Greene Tavern in Denver.

    If you haven’t already, please like our page on Facebook for the most up-to-date information on all of these events and more.

  • 104: Michael Wall, “Romance at Haywood Cinemas”

    104: Michael Wall, “Romance at Haywood Cinemas”

    This week’s story comes to you from Michael Wall, Curator of Entomology at the San Diego Natural History Museum. That means he’s the guy that gets endless texts from his co-workers with blurry photos of insects seeking advice on whether to kill said insect or not. He shared a story on the theme of “Tongues,” which was recorded live at Tiger!Tiger! Tavern on 10 May 2016. Enjoy!

    If you haven’t been to a live Narrators show yet, we recommend that you get thee to either Denver or San Diego post haste. Being a part of The Narrators in the flesh is a really magical thing. If you’re in Denver tomorrow, September 21st, you can see The Narrators at Buntport Theater at 8pm. The theme of the night is “Change of Heart.”

    Our October shows will address the theme “Tricks,” with San Diego at the mic at Tiger!Tiger! Tavern on Tuesday, October 11th and in Denver at Buntport Theater on Wednesday, October 19th. The Narrators is an all ages event. Shows start at 8PM and are free. We hope to see you there.