In 30 years of putting on shows of various kinds, Teya King has heard a lot of stories. Most of them,she finds, start off with, “So...”
So...she's producing a new show, a podcasted evening of writers and dancers and craigslisters from points far and wide, telling their stories. “So... Stories of Life” has its second iteration Tuesday, March 19th at the Tavern of Fine Arts.
The idea is for people—writers, yes, but certainly not exclusively—to tell their stories. Some people will tell their own tales, and some people will submit stories for someone with a little more stage presence to tell on their behalf.
“I know a lot of writers but some of the best stories are from everyday Joes,” King said. And some great writers, she's found, struggle mightily to communicate from a microphone instead of a page.
She's been collecting tales for the series from MFA programs and through professors she's known and a literary radio show she hosted at UMSL, as well as through word of mouth. King has also placed ads on craigslist, which, she says, is where the real gems come from. “The craigslist stuff is hilarious.”
Surely some of the material will provoke a guffaw or two, but don't expect a three-hour laugh riot. King says the stories vary widely, and they represent a wide breadth of the tellers' experiences.
“The stories are such a treasure trove, from hilarity to angst,” she said.
One of Tuesday's featured performers, the poet Matthew Freeman, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22, and his poems paint a frank picture of life with mental illness.
The monthly evenings feature a theme—"Doppelgangers and Other Alter Egos," for Tuesday. Last month's was "Travel Diaries," and April looks at "What I Wish I'd Said." The themes, and the act of telling, are open to interpretation. An airline pilot told about a practical joke last month, but King says that some of the tales on tap for April are blisteringly poignant.
Featured tellers deliver a tale, which is either their own or relayed to them by a submitter who may be in Australia waiting for the podcast, or may be sitting in the front row. Poets, dancers, figure models, sketch artists and a drag king and drag queen will be on hand to confabulate. At the end of the evening, inspired audience members can get a chance to take the stage.
King doesn't really know what the stories will be. She has a synopsis and a voice-mailed audition from each teller, and that's it. Storytellers don't read, they tell. Brief skeleton notes are allowed.
“It's a homegrown thing,” King says. “I think it's a great format for getting remarkable, memorable stories out.”
“So... Stories of Life Radio Show,” Tuesday March 19th at the Tavern of Fine Arts. 7 p.m. Suggested donation is $7.50. Got a story? Email So.Storiesoflife@gmail.com.
