, https://boxoffice.diamondticketing.com/lifelinetheatre/events/filletofsolo, _blank
Performers
80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories
Curated and produced by Nestor Gomez
Celebrated storyteller and 40-time Moth Slam winner Nestor Gomez has assembled a group of local performers to help illuminate the voices of immigrants in our city.
Performances:
Friday, January 10 at 8:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Featuring: Beatriz Badikian Garler, Lupe Nuñez, Luis Tubens, & Nestor “the boss” Gomez
Friday, January 17 at 8:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Featuring: Mae Flores, Julia Suacillo, David Barish, & Nestor “the boss” Gomez
Friday, January 24 at 8:30 p.m. (Lifeline) 
Featuring: Ana Vive, Marie Larsen, Rachel Reed, & Nestor “the boss” Gomez
Back Room Stories
The Back Room is a curated show that features voices from across the spectrum of storytelling. Margaret Burk
co-produces and co-hosts three monthly storytelling events in Oak Park/River Forest: Back Room Stories at Hamburger Mary’s, Illinois Storytelling’s series at Dominican University, and Do Not Submit Oak Park at the Eastgate Cafe.
Performances:
Sunday, January 12 at 4:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Saturday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Jamie Black
It’s My Penis and I’ll Cry If I Want To
Written and performed by Jamie Black
Directed by Geoffrey Bleeker
What happens when we allow society to dictate who we are and how we express ourselves? Winner of National Artist of the Year at the 2016 St. Lou Fringe Festival, this award-winning and critically acclaimed show will surprise and entertain you!
Performances:
Saturday, January 25 at 4:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Shelby Marie Edwards
Lost Home, Win Home
Written and performed by Shelby Marie Edwards
Directed by Earliana McLaurin
Some of us never leave; while others spend their whole lives in search of it. In “Lost Home, Win Home” a Charlottesville native unpacks the events of the Rally that turned her hometown upside down.
Performances:
Sunday, January 19 at 4:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Friday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
GeNarrations
Participants aged 55+ develop personal narrative pieces based on themes in Goodman productions in this storytelling performance workshop.
Performances:
Saturday, January 11 at 4:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Directed by Liam Collier
Storytellers: Sandra Beaty, Deborah Hines, Darrelyn Marx, Melisha Mitchell, Erin O’Bryen, Judy Parker, & Dhamana Shauri
Saturday, January 18 at 4:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Directed by Adrian Azevedo
Storytellers: Terry Brennan, Robert Collin, Ron Richardson, Connie Shirakawa, Nancy Solomon, Peter Wood, & BJ Parker
Sunday, January 26 at 4:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Directed by Willa Taylor
Storytellers: Patrick Curtin, Norman Field, Loretta Hawkins, Tery Veras, & Denise McIntosh
Is This a Thing?
Produced by Jake Cowan, Damian Raszewski, and Suzy Kahn Weinberg
Is this a thing? is a storytelling show that features new and experienced writers and tellers of true personal tales in a welcoming and nurturing space and place. Since 2014, our theme-inspired monthly show happens in the warm embrace of a Northside neighborhood pub, O’Shaughnessy’s at Ravenswood and Wilson on the second Monday of the month, February-July and September-December. The stories all benefit from a super helpful and supportive workshop for the performers and producers to listen to each other and share ideas. Is this a thing? Yes. Yes it is.
Performances:
Friday, January 10 at 8:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Catherine Gibbons, Lou Greenwald, Wendy Mages, Caroline Hemphill, Veronica Vidal, & Suzy Kahn Weinberg.
Friday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Nicole Costello, Jake Cowan, Greg Ledger, Claire Muller, & Lupe Nunez.
the kates
An all-female comedy showcase that provides an intimate night of comedy dedicated to showcasing talented and hilarious female-identified performers by creating inclusive and positive environments. Artists are encouraged to express their comic point of view in unique and non-apologetic ways – proving that women are equal in the eyes of comedy.
Performances:
Saturday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Friday, January 17 at 7:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Kristina Lebedeva
It’s Easy to be a Hero: Disability in Exile
Written and performed by Kristina Lebedeva
Directed by Josh Zagoren
Kristina Lebedeva moved to The United States from Russia in 2000 to earn a doctorate in philosophy. As her academic work continues to explore the intersections of ethics, trauma, social justice, and disability, Kristina’s fiction and autobiographical essays address such themes as mourning, violence, suffering, survival, and memory. Kristina is currently working as a language instructor, splitting her free time between writing, theater, and digital art.
Performances:
Saturday, January 18 at 4:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Sunday, January 26 at 5:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
The Lifeline Storytelling Project
Written and performed by Jay D. Lenn (Lifeline board member), Lisbeth Maxwell (Lifeline board member), Sessy Nyman (Lifeline board member), & Betsy Vandercook (Lifeline subscriber). Directed by Dorothy Milne
The Lifeline Storytelling Project produces live music and storytelling events designed to develop and showcase artists affiliated with Lifeline Theatre.
Performances:
Friday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Friday, January 17 at 7:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Friday, January 24 at 8:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Loose Chicks
Before #MeToo began empowering women, there was Loose Chicks. Loose Chicks is made up of amazing women who share experiences that most women tend to keep to themselves. It features several exceptional writers and performers from various backgrounds who allow themselves to be vulnerable as they share a wide range of experiences with uncommon and sometimes brutal honesty. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes tragic, but they almost always make you think. Directed by: Roberta Miles & Jillian Erickson
Performances:
Sunday, January 12 at 5:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Roberta Miles, Jillian Erickson, Terri Silverstone, RC Riley, Calle Hack, & Phyllis Porché
Saturday, January 18 at 7:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Roberta Miles, Jillian Erickson, Sydney Davis Jr., Lynne Roberts, & Terri Silverstone
Arlene Malinowski
A Little Bit Not Normal
Written and performed by Arlene Malinowski
Directed by Lisa Portes
With her trademark humor, Arlene confronts her own state of mind when depression slips in through her basement window, lights a cigarette and makes himself at home. A Little Bit Not Normal circles around a secret that had been kept for six decades and discovered at a family wedding. It’s a serious comedy about depression, the journey of a love story tested and the secrets we keep about crazy.
Performance:
Sunday, January 12 at 4:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Janki Mody
Hear Me, See Me
Hosted by Janki Mody
Survivors share their personal stories of being cared for, dismissed, or silenced by the medical community. An audience talk back and conversation will follow. This storytelling panel is hosted by Janki Mody, who premiered her second solo show, This is All Fine at last year’s Fillet of Solo Festival. Janki is a women’s health, infertility, and pregnancy loss advocate.
Performances:
Saturday, January 11 at 4:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Tori Rosin Szekeres, Amanda Marcheschi, Lily Be, Heather Morgan Dethloff, & Maria Konopken
Saturday, January 25 at 4:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Tori Rosin Szekeres, Amanda Marcheschi, Lily Be, Heather Morgan Dethloff, & Liz Greenwood
Anne Purky
The Fixer (Notes from a Helicopter Mom on Steroids)
Written and performed by Anne Purky
Directed by Stephanie Rogers
When Anne Purky discovers her daughter Lelia’s diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, she embarks upon a madcap quest to “fix” Lelia, desperately looking for answers in nightmarish mom and tot groups and healing pods in Florida, where Bach and Beethoven are feverishly pumped into baby headphones. From the bizarre to the extreme, Purky faces the emotional, hilarious, and often brutal fight for her daughter’s life and health. But, in the process of desperately trying to fix Lelia, Purky ultimately learns how to fix herself.
Performance:
Sunday, January 12 at 5:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Victoria Reeves
Brassy + Intrepid: Fighting to be Me
Written and performed by Victoria Reeves
Directed by DJ Johnny Price
What does it take to carve out a bad ass life? Come hear one woman’s quest to overcome fear, shatter expectations, and explore what’s possible. Jumping into the unknown, BRASSY + INTREPID is a fun, musical coming-of-age story by a Second Wave Feminist.
Performances:
Friday, January 17 at 8:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Sunday, January 26 at 4:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
R.C. Riley
Take It Easy on the Left Hand, Please
Written and performed by R.C. Riley
Directed by Emmi Hilger
This sometimes comical, sometimes political one-woman show depicts the lives of three distinct women as they grapple with challenging life concerns such as masturbation, abortion, and paternal identity. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. You will certainly leave this show questioning everything you thought you knew – from how much lube to use to the importance of legal representation.
Performances:
Sunday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Saturday, January 25 at 8:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Serving the Sentence
Different storytellers take the same first sentence — each in their own direction. At the end of the show, a new sentence is drawn that the next show’s storytellers will embark from!
Performances:
Saturday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Saturday, January 18 at 5:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Stir-Friday Night!
A 23-year-old Asian-American comedy group, based in Chicago and performing at Second City, iO, Annoyance, Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, and at festivals all over the country. Stir-Friday Night! alumni include Danny Pudi from Community, and Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead. Stir-Friday Night! is a nonprofit theater company, specializing in sketch comedy and improvisation, and offers touring shows and workshops for schools, companies, and organizations.
Performances:
Saturday, January 12 at 8:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Saturday, January 25 at 8:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
The Stoop
The Stoop is hosted by Moth GrandSLAM champion Lily Be. Featured storytellers are given a theme and each share a short story related to that theme. The Stoop is a platform to bring Chicagoans to a better understanding of each other and to inspire change. Performing regularly at Rosa’s Lounge in Humboldt Park, it is as much about community and survival as it is about entertainment.
Performances:
Sunday, January 19 at 4:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Saturday, January 25 at 5:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Story Sessions
Produced and hosted by Jill Howe
Story Sessions is a monthly show in Edgewater featuring a collection of curated performers and open mics sharing true personal stories that will tug at your heart strings, tickle your funny bone and take your mind on a wild adventure. First Fridays at Sauce and Bread Kitchen also feature delicious fresh pizza and BYO. The show is an hour long without intermission, so there is plenty of time to hang out with fellow story lovers. The show is free and always will be.
Performance:
Saturday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Sweat Girls
With 26 years of shared history, the Sweat Girls represent the greying edge of Chicago’s Live Lit community. Known for their “contagious gusto” the Sweat Girls have been called “the undisputed tribal elders” of the solo performance scene (Chicago Reader, 2014).
Performers: Caroline Andres, Dorothy Milne, Clare Nolan, Martie Sanders, Pamela Webster (all shows), &
Cindy Hanson (January 18 and 25 only)
Performances:
Saturday, January 11 at 8:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Saturday, January 18 at 7:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Saturday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m. (Lifeline)
Tellin’ Tales Theatre
Tellin’ Tales Theatre: Change of Heart features solo performances about the changes we face at different stages in life. Featuring Artistic Director Tekki Lomnicki, RoiAnn Phillips, and Ben Saylor (all performances); Amy Eaton (Jan. 11 & 18); and Lindsay Porter (Jan. 25)
Performances:
Saturday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Saturday, January 18 at 5:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Saturday, January 25 at 5:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Universal Sound
Hosted by Vincent Greco
Universal Sound is a storytelling event that is part curated and part open mic, designed for people to tell their stories their way. It is sponsored by Voice Power Chicago on the first Friday of every month at the Flat Iron Arts Building in Wicker Park.
Performances:
Friday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Rachel Silvert, Megan Richards, & Maria Kostas
Saturday, January 18 at 8:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Featuring: Jordy Williams, Victoria Montalbano, & Bridget Schank
We Met at Nine
Hosted and Produced by Lindsay Eanet and Lindsey Schroeder
We Met at Nine is a quarterly storytelling show at Chicago’s Laugh Out Loud Theater involving true stories told by pairs. Each show features five pairs (partners, parent and child, coworkers, siblings, best friends, exes). Stories might be about a first date, an ill-fated road trip, a science fair experiment gone awry—whatever memory speaks to both parties. The name of the show comes from the Lerner & Loewe song “I Remember It Well”, where an old married couple go back and forth, each recalling their first date very differently.
Performance:
Sunday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m. (Teal Room)
Shannon Wright
“LOVE, SHANNON XO”
Written and performed by Shannon Wright
Directed by Tom Herman
Shannon Wright takes us on a journey through the senses in her solo performance, “LOVE, SHANNON XO” Wright is a skilled vocalist and performer who weaves together storytelling and song. It all began with her leopard Technicolor dream coat, one punch in the face and traveling around the world to gain hostage negotiation skills.
Performances:
Saturday, January 18 at 8:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
Sunday, January 26 at 5:30 p.m. (Lifeline)
