Class: Storytelling 101 in Silver Spring – Discover, develop, and perform your life stories (5 sessions)

Tuesdays from 7-10pm on June 19, 26, July 3, 17, and 24  (Includes comp ticket to SpeakeasyDC’s Tues, July 10 show – Band Camp: Stories about music, raves, and rock & roll). All five classes, including the final showcase on July 24 will take place at Pyramid Atlantic 8230 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910. About a 10 minute walk from Silver Spring Metro. Plentiful parking available at Silver Spring Metro. $350

Turn your life stories into performance. Learn the art of storytelling in SpeakeasyDC’s acclaimed 5-week class which will take your through the storytelling process from beginning to end, culminating in a public performance for your friends and family. Students who join the class come from varied backgrounds and have different goals and applications. Some hope to perform on a SpeakeasyDC stage, others have found storytelling useful in the work they do, and others just enjoy the creative process and the community. Your expert instructors — Stephanie Garibaldi and Vijai Nathan — have years of experience, coaching hundreds of people through the storytelling process. Registration is capped at 12 to maintain a 6:1 ratio and ensure individualized attention.  $350 can be paid online or send a check to SpeakeasyDC at 1525 Newton St, NW, Washington, DC 20010. Find out more at www.speakeasydc.org/classes

Taking the Storytelling 101 class was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Very talented and encouraging instructors helped us construct meaningful presentations of our true stories. I was taken by surprise by the feelings of connectedness that true storytelling brings about, and what a growing experience it was. I keep telling everyone I know to do this! — A Storytelling 101 graduate

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION. IF YOU DON’T, IT MEANS THE CHARGE DIDN’T GO THRU

To pay by check: Make payable to SpeakeasyDC and send to 1525 Newton St, N, Washington, DC 20010. Please include your name, address, email, and phone number, and write the name of the class in the memo.

DETAILS – all classes 7-10pm

Week 1 – Tu, Jun 19 – Class– Finding story material + understanding story structure

Week 2 – Tu, Jun 26– Class – Crafting your story + developing characters

Week 3 – Tu, Jul 3 – Class – Editing + polishing

Week 4 – Tu Jul 10 – Class – Comp to SpeakeasyDC’s monthly show (See Event Listings)technique

Week 5 – Tu, Jul 17 - Practicing your story + Reviewing performance

Week 6 – Tu, Jul 24 – FINAL SHOWCASE - This is your chance to try your story out on a friendly invite-only audience of friends and family.

Refund Policy

SpeakeasyDC does not give refunds (full or partial) for voluntary withdrawal from the class. There are limited slots in the class so that we may give sufficient attention to each student. Because of this, we typically have to turn people away. Should you choose to withdraw, we will have a vacancy that we can no longer fill.

Class description

This class is designed to teach the art of developing and performing an original, personal narrative drawn from real-life experience. We facilitate the storytelling process from beginning to end with each session centering on a step in the process. Students who join the class come from varied backgrounds and have different goals and applications. Some hope to perform on a SpeakeasyDC stage, others have found storytelling useful in the work they do, and others just enjoy the creative process and the community. There are 2 instructors and we cap this class at 12 to maintain a 6:1 ratio of student to teacher.

More comments from alumni of SpeakeasyDC classes

I’ve had the great opportunity to participate in a class, an open mic, and a performance workshop with Speak Easy DC and in each event I took away a whole difference set of skills and “tricks of the trade”. I would highly recommend the experience to anyone wanting to learn how to craft an engaging story and/or learn to perform your work on stage. Not only is the crafting processes enjoyable, but you will never find a more embracing and accepting audience to present your work than those that attend the Speak Easy shows. I truly believe that Speak Easy DC is an exceptional NGO that affords novices and practiced storytellers alike with the opportunity to share their stories and grow as artists. — posted by jarkarta1

I’m about to take my second class with Speakeasy and I’m very excited. I learned so much on the first go around and many of my fellow classmates ended up telling their fantastic stories at open mic. What an entertaining evening…I laughed, I cheered, I cried and I can’t wait to go back again! — posted by ter