Over the last 12+ years, we have provided the space for OVER 750 people from every walk of life and experience level to share their true personal stories with packed houses of attentive listeners. Each show is an unpredictable mix of the hilarious and the heartbreaking featuring memorable tales from your friends, neighbors, and fellow Chicagoans.
Come hear what people are saying, then get involved. |
3rd Thursday of Every Month Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro 3905 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago 7:30 PM (Doors at 7:00) FREE New Voices Telling New Stories
Join us for an intimate evening of storytelling in the cozy back room of one of Chicago's best pubs. Each month, an entirely different lineup of up-and-coming storytellers will share their stories. Hosted by Scott Whitehair.
|
June 15th Cast
Bonnie Bagdon
Bonnie Bagdon (left) is recently retired from 25 years as a trial lawyer defending personal injury cases. In other words, denying compensation for widows and orphans. In penance, she now volunteers at a food distribution center and is active in greyhound rescue and cat adoption groups. She is looking forward to telling stories to more than twelve people at a time.
Phil Brakefield
Phil Brakefield promoted concerts for and toured with Elvis, Frank Sinatra, John Denver, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Glen Campbell, Neil Diamond, Led Zeppelin,Three Dog Night, The Moody Blues, and many other bands in the late 60's and early 70's. These days he works on behalf of young people battling addiction, is active in dog rescue, is an avid folk music nerd and didn't waste a moment of the Covid shutdown by learning a fourth chord on guitar. At 76 years of age, he figures at this point he is playing on house money, so why not give storytelling a shot!
Chuck Cotterman
Hailing originally from the mostly great state of Maryland, Chuck set down in Chicago about a dozen years ago and never looked back. When he's not in the lights booth at the Bughouse theater around the corner, he's playing fetch with his cat, creating comedy and documentary films with his wife, or you know, doing his job. He works at the Alzheimer's Association, which he's very proud of, but works primarily in social media, which he's very sorry for.
Melissa Landfield
Melissa is a multidisciplinary artist, metalsmith, and an educator. She comes from a family of multigenerational storytellers, artists and educators, too. She loves rainbows, shiny things, and learning random facts. As a storyteller she keeps those she loves alive with her words and their stories, and firmly believes that George Bernard Shaw was right, “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
Samantha Lin
Samantha is originally from Charlottesville, VA but is now living life as a reluctant midwesterner after living in Rome, Italy for the past five years. She's interested in the following things in no particular order: Middle Eastern politics, the Jesuits, rock climbing, college access for minority and underserved students, perfecting an authentic carbonara (don't even THINK about adding garlic or butter. we can talk about this later), Jewish-Catholic dialogue, and her cat, Pangur Ban.
Scott Whitehair (Host)
Scott Whitehair is a storyteller, teacher, and producer living in Chicago, IL. He is the producer of This Much Is True, Chicago's longest running monthly personal narrative series, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 700+ new storytellers on stage since 2011, and director of Do Not Submit, a grassroots network of open mics across the city bringing people together to connect with each other. Scott tells anywhere someone will listen, including The National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place, Steppenwolf Theater, the historic Green Mill, and on NPR, the Risk podcast, and Siruis XM. He is a frequent guest instructor at the city's top universities, and his personal narrative class has been selling out every month since 2012. Scott is in demand as a coach and trainer, spending his days helping individuals, companies, and non-profits develop their voices as storytellers. In 2014, he was the featured instructor at Hong Kong Story Worthy Week, headlined by David Sedaris, and in 2015 taught an intensive at All Hallows College in Dublin.
|
Tell YOUR Story
Story Lab Chicago is open to anyone wanting to share his or her story, regardless of experience or background. Click here for more details on getting started. |
Take a Class
Do you feel like you need a little more guidance and experience before taking the stage? Click here for more details. |