by Jasmine Gonzalez
The night of December 5th looked more akin to a night deep in February. After a record-breaking early snowfall, the streets in Riverwest were lined with tall snow mounds already frozen solid. After parking my car slightly askew atop an ice patch, I headed into Falcon Bowl, wondering if the gnarly weather would keep people away from the nightโs StorySlam.
As it turns out, I didnโt need to worry. This is Milwaukee, after allโwhen has a little snow ever stopped us before? In a blink, the cavernous Falcon Hall was bustling with guests peeling off their layers of winter gear, greeting friends, and grabbing seats in anticipation of a night of stories. My husband arrived just a short while laterโโOf course Iโll be there,โ heโd said, โitโs Date Night!โโand we took our seats up close to the stage, eager to see how the night would unfold.
Some of my favorite winter memories involve squeezing into friendsโ basements, snacks and drinks flowing freely as we fire up a karaoke machine, singing and laughing until we wear ourselves out. This night at Falcon Hall had that same sort of homey, lively feel. Maybe it was something about the weather, or about the theme of Date Night, or the electric energy that emcees Mac Antigua and Jay Lopez brought to the stage, that seemed to inspire the nightโs storytellers to be more relaxed, humorous, and sometimes even a little bawdy.
Even as storytellers stood lofted above the audience on the Falcon Hall stage, every story felt less like a performance and more like a living room conversation between friends. The nightโs stories included:
- Elaine Maly bringing boyfriends home to meet her shotgun-toting dad
- Katie Miotaโs mishaps on OkCupid and falling in love unexpectedly with a police officer
- Michael Danahey running interference for his professor while out at Polish Falconโs gay night
- Carla Pennington-Cross out on her first date night in a long time with her husband of four decades and reflecting on lifeโs ups and downs
- Coburn Hawk wondering why his flirtations were being ignored, only to find out the object of his attentions was blind
- Tony Anderson being told by a Chi-Chiโs waitress that he and his date were astrologically incompatible, yet going on to live happily ever after
- Mark Steidl reminiscing about all of the little gesturesโin particular, always taking a sip of her drink at restaurantsโthat conveyed his love for his now-deceased wife
- Mary Grochowski convincing a friend to use Tinder to find someone with a boat, and shenanigans ensuing from there
- And Meghan Koven finding love after years of misadventures, and proposing to her now-spouse at an Ex Fabula show
You can never predict whatโll happen at an Ex Fabula StorySlam. Thereโs magic in that uncertainty, a sense of wonder that can be hard to come by otherwise. And yet, when the ballots went out to choose the audience favorite, I felt strangely certain that, while this had been one of the strongest crops of storytellers Iโd seen this season, I already knew who the favorite might be. Of course, it was Mark Steidlโs moving tribute to his late wife that won the audienceโs heart, and the crowd cheered and whooped as he returned to the stage to receive his crown, a fairytale ending to a wonderful Date Night.
Upcoming Ex Fabula events:
StorySlam: Brave
Stories of Heroic Acts and Taking Risks
Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Time: 6:30pm doors, 7pm stories
Location: Pilot Project Brewing, 1128 N 9th St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Cost: $12 advance / $15 at the door
Tickets: https://www.exfabula.org/product/storyslam-brave-1-6/
AfterDark: For The Culture
A Night Celebrating Black and Brown Voices
Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Time: Doors open at 6pm, stories begin at 7pm
Location: Radio Milwaukee, 220 E Pittsburgh Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Cost: $12 advance / $15 at the door
Tickets: https://www.exfabula.org/product/afterdark-for-the-culture-2-12/
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