The Moth has put oral storytelling center stage since 1997.

The organization has only a few rules: true stories told with no notes and no props —just pure storytelling to a live audience.

On August 3 the Moth returns to the Vineyard for a show at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs, where five storytellers will tell their stories about events that shaped their lives.

This year’s theme is “Flying Starts,” an ode to beginnings and leaps of faith.

Two of Saturday’s five performers are Islanders: John Maloney and Janet Messineo. Yuliana Kim-Grant is a former seasonal resident.

In addition to building stone walls all over the Island, Mr. Maloney is a poet and teacher of poetry. His anthology of poetry, Proposal, was published in 1999.

Though he’s been a poet for decades, he said that telling a personal narrative is a new experience.

“This is treading new territory for sure,” he said. “My poems are mostly about working, like a plumber trying to learn how to do the moonwalk or something.”

Mr. Maloney’s story is one that he has told to friends for years. He said the act of writing about the tale made him reevaluate the way he’s always spun the yarn. At the Tabernacle, he’ll be telling it differently.

“Instead of playing for laughs, I was actually getting to the heart of it,” he said. “The process has been very eye-opening.”

Ms. Messineo is a longtime surfcaster on the Island and has written about fishing for numerous publications. Her memoir, Casting Into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life, documents her journey into the fishing world.

Though Ms. Messineo didn’t want to reveal too much about her story ahead of the performance, she said that it’s about leaving home at 18 and includes a fishing mishap. She said her time in the industry earned her a lot of stories and taught her a lot of important lessons.

“If you have a passion and you stick to it, no matter what adversity you have, you can get a miracle to happen,” she said.

The production is directed by Larry Rosen, who has been helping the speakers refine their stories for weeks.

“It’s exciting and nerve-wracking,” he said.

With a background in improvisational and sketch comedy, Mr. Rosen’s goal is to help storytellers loosen up, take risks and ultimately regale the audience with something powerful.

What makes the Moth unique, Mr. Rosen said, is the sense of intimacy in the performance and which helps shape the way storytellers present their work.

“This is really designed to create something that is going to be shared,” he said. “Ideally, it looks like they’re just chatting with you the way you chat with a friend.”

Though Mr. Rosen’s job is to shepherd storytellers to success, his ultimate goal is to empower them to take ownership of their narratives.

“The storyteller really is the boss, because it’s their story,” he said.

For tickets and more information, visit themoth.org.