‘Stranger in a Strange Land’

Milwaukeeans will undoubtedly be relieved to see Winter vanquished in the coming months, but saying goodbye to Ex Fabula’s first season will be a bittersweet affair. That’s right: Ex Fabula’s next event—8pm, Tuesday April 13th at Stonefly Brewery, 735 East Center Street in the Riverwest neighborhood—will mark the second-to-last event in this spectacular inaugural season. So be there or be square! The theme is “Stranger in a Strange Land.”

April’s event at Stonefly Brewery will be the sixth and final opportunity for our audience members to take the stage and show off their storytelling chops. On May 14th, we will be bringing the season to an official close with a bang: “Ex Fabula All-Stars, Theme: Epic Fail” will bring back audience favorites and a few special guests for the storytelling event to end all storytelling events. Are you ready for this, Milwaukee? We hope so.

Let’s take a moment and recap all the yarn-spinning action that’s occurred since Ex Fabula first coalesced in October of last year:

· Six events at six different locations in four distinct neighborhoods from Bay View to Wauwatosa

· 70 different storytellers who shared 70 very different personal experiences, from sex changes drunken bicycling

· Nearly 700 happy listeners served

And lest we forget, Ex Fabula didn’t even exist seven months ago. In a little over a half of a year, we’ve gone from nary an idea to a full-fledged event series! During our summer break, we’ll be producing a regularly scheduled radio show on WMSE. You didn’t think we’d just leave you hanging for three months, did you?

Like the previous events, this sixth event at Stonefly Brewery will feature three different storytelling formats:

· “The Solo.” Individual storytellers—some selected in advance, and some drawn at random from audience volunteers—tell true, five minute stories without notes.

· “The Rashomon.” This format is named after Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s classic that explores multiple perspectives. Two storytellers take the stage to share their versions of the same story.

· “The Terkel.” A question and answer format featuring one interviewer and one interviewee.

As always, audience members will crown their favorite storyteller at the end of the night.

Those who are interested in vying for a storytelling spot should put their names in the hat by 7:45 pm. The volunteer storytellers for the evening will then be randomly drawn to compete side by side with storytellers arranged in advance. Would-be storytellers should choose stories that tie in to the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. They should practice without notes and to the five-minute time limit as they will be cut off if they run over five minutes. Storytellers should pay particular attention to the first and last lines of their stories and ensure that they are vivid and compelling.

For more information on Ex Fabula, go to www.ExFabula.com, or:
Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=199016988153&ref=ts
Ex Fabula Twitter https://twitter.com/ExFabula