Prepare to step outside your comfort zone on Wednesday night. The Moth Mainstage on Martha’s Vineyard introduces an element of the unexpected when it returns to the Island for an evening of storytelling at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center.
“All the stories have some sort of element of going off into something unknown,” said Moth senior producer Meg Bowles, in reference to the this year’s theme Into the Wild.
Originating in New York city nearly two decades years ago, The Moth operates as a non-profit dedicated to the art of storytelling. It grew nationally and broadcasts regularly on NPR.
Few rules exist for its storytellers. True stories. No notes. Keep it simple. No rants allowed. The show only requires a microphone and a few brave souls willing to tell their own, genuine story.
Ms. Bowles typically reaches out to a few Islanders when selecting her cast of speakers for the annual Martha’s Vineyard show. For this year’s show, the lineup of speakers features stories by Micaela Blei, Abeny Kucha, Dan Larsen, Doug Liman and David Lit. Of those speakers, Mr. Larsen and Mr. Liman will represent the Vineyard.
Doug Liman, a New York city native and seasonal Chilmark resident, began visiting Martha’s Vineyard over 25 years ago while attending Brown University. A film director and producer, Mr. Liman first entered the national spotlight with his movies Swingers, Go and The Bourne Identity. No stranger to The Moth, Mr. Liman performed at one of its word-of-mouth shows 10 years ago. His talk focused on relationships with a comedic anecdote about Valentines Day. Ms. Bowles encouraged a less comedic approach for his upcoming Martha’s Vineyard performance.
She wanted something different. Something life changing that ventured outside his comfort zone.
To Mr. Liman, that meant discussing his “ill-conceived” attempt to climb The Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
“I had never climbed a mountain before,” he said during a recent phone interview. “It wasn’t unknown to other climbers. But it was unknown to me.”
Performing on stage terrifies Mr. Liman more than climbing any mountain. A self-proclaimed “behind-the-scenes” person, he cringes at the thought of performing in front of others. Surprisingly, this fear motivated him to perform.
Dan Larsen shares Mr. Liman’s attitude toward public performances. A Menemsha native, Mr. Larsen grew up in a family of commercial fishermen. He followed in his father Louis’s footsteps and opened his own fish store called Edgartown Seafood Market in 1987. To this day he continues to manage the market with his son Daniel.
Mr. Larsen declined to give away the plot of his story. Over the past few years, Mr. Larsen found himself conveniently obliged to prior commitments whenever The Moth asked him to participate.
“She had asked me last year,” he said, recollecting his initial conversation with a member of The Moth’s outreach team. “Something came up and I backed out.”
But he made a promise to participate the following year, never expecting a call back. But sure enough, The Moth called a year later, penciling in Mr. Larsen as an Island speaker.
David Litt, Abeny Kucha and Micaela Blei round out the evening’s storytellers. Mr. Litt wrote speeches for President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2016 after graduating from college in 2008. A certified nursing assistant, Ms. Kucha immigrated to America after surviving civil war and genocide in her homeland of South Sudan. And Ms. Blei is currently pursuing her PhD in educational theatre after teaching third grade for eight years and building homes around the world.
Lynn Ferguson hosts the Wednesday show. A Scottish writer and performer, Ms. Ferguson worked extensively for the BBC and worked as a staff writer for The Late Late Show upon moving to Los Angeles in 2008.
The Moth will be performed at the Performing Arts Center on Wednedsay, August 3. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and speakers perform at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at themoth.org.
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