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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 Fresh 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.
Over the last 15+ years, we have provided the space for 950+ 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. Hosted by Scott Whitehair.
June 18th Cast
Becky Altman
Becky Altman lives in Northbrook and enjoys music from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s , even if she sometimes makes up the words as she sings along. She loves getting creative in the kitchen, Pilates, tap dance, reading, crafting, watching medical dramas and telling stories! She has been married to Jason for 31 years and together they have raised their amazing kids, 27-year-old twins Max and Ava.
Lisa Grayson
Lisa Grayson has worked as a graphic designer, editor, and certified Spanish-to-English translator in Chicago. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Northwestern, although she hasn’t done much with it, and is pretty much an all-round underachiever apart from writing a description of the Chernobyl reactor for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. She sings and teaches about shape-note music. Although she has participated in many readings over the years, this is her first time performing at Story Lab.
Catherine Inserra
Catherine was born and raised in Park Ridge where she lives today. She loves being a mother of two, adult daughters- one of whom has returned to Chicago from Brooklyn, NY and the other lives in Paris, France. She is a Deaconess in the United Methodist Church. She works as the Manager of Faith & Community Relations with Kids Above All, a child-serving agency of 132 years building better lives for kids and families impacted by poverty, violence and injustice. She is an active member of Go Green Park Ridge and enjoys officiating weddings and dog sitting as her side hustles. Catherine has fond, childhood memories of listening to her father, D Bob, share made up stories about the people who lived in Crawl Village based in Monongahela, PA.
Denise Schwartz
Denise Schwartz is a physical therapist and owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy, where she helps people learn how to function and embrace life when their bodies no longer cooperate the way they used to. After years of showing up for others as a PT, a wife, and a mom to two grown, thriving children she’s starting to show up for herself in a new way. These days, you’ll find her on weekly walks through the Chicago Botanic Garden with girlfriends, tackling The New York Times word puzzles, or planning her next adventure - sometimes solo. She’s recently traveled to Italy, Memphis, and Florida, with upcoming trips to New York City and Ireland on the horizon. For the past year, she has embraced creativity through theater and storytelling. She loves collaborating with other storytellers and is excited to see where this new chapter leads.
Ryan Smith
Ryan has just started his Chicago 2.0 adventure and is excited to participate in Story Lab for the first time! After completing his MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College, Ryan moved to Chicago for the first time, where he developed and performed his one-man show, Curator, and worked on productions like 13 Dead Husbands with Sans Culottes Theater Company. He has also taken courses at iO, Victory Gardens, Old Town School of Folk Music, and Improv Boston. When not on stage, Ryan uses his creativity to support college students through career programming, enjoys being back in Chicago, and is a proud "Guncle" to two future creatives.
Paul Tavianini
Paul Tavianini (Tav-yuh-KNEE-knee) was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and has been a professional actor for over 30 years, finally landing in Chicago by way of Muncie, Indiana (it’s a long story) after stints in Los Angeles and New York. His family lives in Muncie, where his wife teaches musical theatre at Ball State University. No, he doesn’t commute, well, not regularly anyway (like I said, it’s a long story). An avid baseball fan - sorry, I won’t tell you who I root for, but it’s not the Cubs . . or the Sox - he’s still a few parks short of visiting every ballpark in the country. He’s here at Story Lab by way of his good friend, Jenni Hendrickson, who appeared on this stage last October.
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 950+ 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, and the historic Green Mill. He is a frequent guest instructor at the city's top universities, and his personal narrative class has been selling out almost 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. He is honored to be a 2024 Meier Foundation Award winner.
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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. |