Stoytellers Draw Audiences Like Moths to a Flame

STORYTELLERS DRAW AUDIENCES LIKE MOTHS TO A FLAME

VICTORIAHOPE MCAULIFFE

Originally, the Moth was a group of writers and storytellers formed by George Dawes Green, on June 6, 1997 meeting on a porch in Georgia and exchanging stories. Moths snuck through the porch screens, and fluttered around their lights well into the night - leading to the name The Moth .These meetings later were held in a New York City living room, and eventually took off in night clubs and theaters across the city - and America.

The Moth is a non-profit organization based in New York that focuses on the craft of storytelling, a Moth story is told live, without notes to a standing-room-only audience. and uses its various platforms to uplift established storytellers as well as unknown artists. They host frequent themed StorySlams that provide them with material for the Moth MainStage and the Moth Radio Hour. Listening to the Moth often feels like an intimate, and extremely personal experience. Emotion resonates through each syllable that is spoken, sometimes it feels like you’re keeping the performer’s best kept secret they’ve entrusted to you.

Since its inception in 1997, the Moth has shared over 35,000 stories, however not much has changed since the first Moth gathering occurred. According to themoth.org, “From George’s living room, to the Mainstage, interest in telling a story with The Moth grew to the point that we needed to create another outlet for people to share their truths with us...using the same recipe, with only a change of venue and a growing audience, The Moth Mainstage quickly evolved into what it is today.”

While it is dedicated to sharing compelling stories that convey the essence of humanity at its most vulnerable, the Moth also invests in creating future storytellers through their education initiatives and workshops. The Moth offers 8-10 week storytelling residency programs for 5th to 12th graders in New York City, either on or off-site. During these residency programs, youth are empowered to craft their own stories by working alongside Moth teaching artists.

As a result, “Since 2012, 350 students have shared a true, personal story onstage with the High School StorySLAM program, and approximately 2,500 students have heard their peers sharing a Moth story onstage. Hundreds more students have taken part in in-class workshops, and over 350 educators have participated in our Professional Development programs.”

The Moth’s impact on education continues to grow, and its impact on the hearts and minds of those who hear its stories are forever changed. Humans crave to connect with each other through shared experiences and interests, the MothMainstage allows you to connect to the performers without the lens of social judgement. The MothMainstage brings people together in a space where acceptance is already a known prerequisite, the MothMainstage is one of the great unifying spaces where society seeks to find common ground and understanding.

If you would like to learn more about the MothMainstage, and their upcoming show at the Hanover Theater on November 4th, 2021 please visit themoth.org/events. The Moth offers a variety of professional development opportunities for educators, and company leaders which can also be found on their website. You can follow the Moth on their social media websites, on Facebook.com/TheMoth or Instagram.com/mothstories.