There really is nothing like seeing a live performance. Something magic happens when a human being musters the courage to step onto a stage and sing or speak or play an instrument. There’s a palpable give and take between the performer and the audience. It’s a lightning-bolt moment that creates a certain kind of electric energy that can only exist in this way — live, on stage, mere moments in time.
On Friday, September 13, the renowned and thoroughly riveting live storytelling show, The Moth, makes its debut at Guild Hall (158 Main St., 631-324-0806) for one night only.
““We are thrilled to co-present Mainstage – the quintessential Moth experience on Guild Hall’s stage” says Guild Hall chief creative officer Amy Kirwin. “It’s going to be a treat for the audience, and those who will listen later on The Moth Podcast.”
Done in two acts, the evening, entitled “Big Night: The Moth in East Hampton,” will feature five different storytellers each telling a 10-minute tale, without notes or prompts. Friday’s stage event will be hosted by comedian and writer Ophira Eisenberg, who co-hosted the NPR series “Ask Me Another,” and the evening’s storytellers include Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright, writer and Moth storytelling champion Jameer Pond, and chef Arlene Stewart, whose time cooking for the hoi polloi at some of New York City’s most renowned spots made her an in-demand personal chef and, since 2002, she’s been the personal satiater-in-chief for Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. (You can bet she’s got some stories.)
Created in 1997 to celebrate and highlight both the diversity and commonality of the human experience, The Moth has become a global storytelling phenomenon. Via its live stage show and podcasts, its mission is one we can easily get behind. From their website: “Our work allows people all over the world and from all walks of life: astronauts, students, a dental hygienist, a hotdog eating champion, a mechanic, exonerated prisoners, veterans, Nobel laureates and everyone in between, to share their stories on stage in front of a live audience.”
Friday’s performance adds five new stories to the over 50,000 already told (including three transmitted from outer space, and three live marriage proposals — because who doesn’t love a happy ending?).
“Big Night: The Moth in East Hampton” is this Friday night from 7:30 to 9 p.m.. Grab tickets here, or check The Moth’s website to find out when the East Hampton show will be on the weekly podcast.
