In what has become a tradition, the 39th Phantom season draws to a close with a Moth storytelling event on Saturday, September 7. The theme: lost and found.
Host Bobby Stoddard will be on hand to guide the festivities. A gifted comic, Stoddard has been emceeing the show for more than a decade. He performed his own first Moth story at the Phantom Edgcomb Barn. “He was so incredibly good that we asked him to host the next one,” recalled artistic director Tracy Martin. The experience eventually launched Stoddard onto the national Moth stage, touring with his stories “Flight” and “A One Year Sentence.” On Saturday, he will invite members of the audience to join him on this journey when 10 folks’ names are chosen from the hat to tell a story.
The Phantom Moth features five-minute-long stories that are true as remembered by the storytellers. Most people come to listen, drawn -- like moths to the flame, as the saying goes -- by the age-old pleasure of listening to a good yarn.
Those who have a story based on the theme of lost and found, there is no better place to tell it than the Phantom stage. Need more encouragement?
Here are some storytelling tips to help create a compelling tale.
- Think about the theme. What have you lost? What have you found? It might be a physical object like your grandmother’s ring, or a metaphysical concept like love. Maybe both.
- Get organized. Know the beginning, middle and end. Figure out how to transition from one part to the next.
- Chronological order isn’t always the best order. For instance, you might start your story just before the most exciting part and then flashback to the chronological beginning.
- Plant a few clues early on that will pay off at the end. If your brother saves the day, make sure to put him somewhere up front as well.
- Then practice. Say the story aloud to yourself while walking, driving, mowing the lawn, or making dinner.
- And relax! This is the most generous audience imagineable.
A Phantom Moth promises entertainment that is as original, funny, inspiring, and surprising as friends and neighbors.
Phantom Theater presents The Moth, Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 7 p.m. Tickets available at the door or online at phantomtheater.org.
