Help us choose the best of SpeakeasyDC

July 27th, 2010

Hey everyone!! We are putting together a show (maybe 2)  of our all-time favorite stories in the last few years and we’d like your input. So, dig back in your memory-banks and tell us what your favorite stories have been.  You don’t need to know the name of the person or when you heard it, just give us enough details to help us identify it and add it to our list of possibles for the show.  Keep in mind that since 2007, we have performed at HR57, Cada Vez, Station 9, Source Theatre, Rumberos, Chief Ike’s, Town Danceboutique, the Atlas Arts Center, and various venues as part of the Capital Fringe Fest. Feel free to pick favorites from the open mic or any one of our ensemble productions, including both Sucker for Love Valentine specials, Chocolate Jesus, Sin Show, Revenge of the Cat-Headed Baby, Showcase Showdown, Mommie Dearest, Who’s Your Daddy, The Big Read, and Wetbacks, Aliens & Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation.

To share your favorites, please post a comment by Aug 15, 2010. Thanks!

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Showcase Showdown highlighted in Washington Post and MidCity DC

July 9th, 2010

From The Washington Post – Fringe Festival: What we’ll be seeing

Speakeasy DC needs no help with publicity given that its Fringe shows routinely sell out. Yet, because last year’s “The Sin Show” was my favorite performance of the festival, I must give credit where it’s due. This year’s entry adds a dose of spectator participation, including the chance for audience members to decide whether the story they just heard is true or false.

See full article

From MidCity DC

SpeakeasyDC Comes on Down to “The Showcase Showdown”

Local storytelling collective SpeakeasyDC has never been    af raid    to    take    on    some sensitive topics — the first genera- tion immigrant experience, the pit- falls of coming out, and one’s deep- est personal fears among them. But after staging a tribute to human fail- ings at their worst with the top-sell- ing “Sin Show” at last year’s Capital Fringe Festival, the Speakeasy crew has decided to bring a little levity back to the Fringe Fest stage and they’ve settled on an unlikely piece of inspiration — “The Price is Right.” Get ready to enter “The Showcase Showdown” — Speakeasy’s story- skewed adaptation of the games made famous by Bob Barker and thousands of play-at-home house- wives nationwide. “Last year was fun and funny, but it was heavy…This is like a palate cleanser, not for the audience, but for our own process – something light, playful and game-y,” said Speakeasy Director Amy Saidman. “’The Price is Right’ just sort of emerged as a great way to get to that.”

Taking a cue from their source material, Saidman and her eight- strong cast — featuring of a mix of Speakeasy regulars, workshop grad- uates and newcomers — are making audience participation the center- piece of their full-length production. Speakeasy’s raconteurs will host eight games during the 90-minute production, including four drawing that’ll be drawing on the infamous “Contestants’ Row.”
Instead of playing for cash, how- ever, the volunteers selected will be scoring points for guessing the true story in “Flip Flop” and the real end- ing in “Plenko” to name but two of Speakeasy’s “Price is Right” reinven- tions. In all, it’s a package that Said- man says “plays with the tone and kitsch” of America’s longest running game show — even if that all-ex- penses-paid Hawaiian vacation will have to wait.

“The Showcase Showdown” hits the stage at the US Navy Memorial for just four shows at 8 p.m. on July 9, 10, 15 and 16. Tickets are $15. For information, visit SpeakeasyDC online or the Capital Fringe Festival homepage at www.capfringe.org. 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW • www.speakeasydc.com

See original article, then click “Hit the City”

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Friends in the Fest 2010

June 28th, 2010

We know a lot of folks doing shows in this year’s Capital Fringe Festival. Be sure to check them out.

Give Them Vagina: Tips from Mom, Dad, & Cosmo with Vijai Nathan.  A one-woman comedy boobs, Barbies, Spanx, and porn. Info | Tickets

Logic, Luck & Love with Molly Kelly, Jennifer Howe, Dustin Fisher, and Kevin Boggs. Directed by Amy Couchoud and Joseph Price. Info | Tickets

Pushing Boundaries with Ellouise Schoettler. Info | Ticket

_	Nick Newlin will be performing at the Baldachinno Gyspy Tent as part of Fabulous Variety & Vagabond Amusementsw/Full Service Cabaret Dining. Free | Info

__	Nick Newlin can also be seen performing in the Baldachinno Gyspy Tent as part of Provessor Burgestic’s Musical Experiments. Free | Info

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Baltimore’s Stoop Storytelling is looking for storytellers

June 28th, 2010

Baltimore has a Speakeasy-esque show, too, and they need storytellers. Below is a list of themes and dates for their next 4 shows. If you’d like to get in the show, send a few sentences about your idea to info@stoopstorytelling.com. If they do invite you to tell, please let us know, tell them SpeakeasyDC sent you, and include us in your bio.

Monday / October 18, 2010
Haunted: Stories of ghosts, regrets, and things from the past that won’t stay in the past

Monday / November 15, 2010
War Stories: Stories of skirmishes, battles, victories, and defeats

Monday / February 07, 2011
Gimme Shelter: Stories about finding, creating, and losing a home

Monday / April 25, 2011
Culture Shock: Stories about confronting the new, strange and often scary

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Listen to stories from the first National Story Slam on WBEZ radio

June 21st, 2010

Windy City Story Slam hosted the first-ever national story slam in Chicago, IL during the Printer’s Row Literary Festival on June 13, 2010. Ten cities were represented — Portland, OR; Minneapolis;  Philly; Boston/Providence;  Westcheser, PA;  Chicago; San Francisco; Greenville, SC; Baltimore, and of course, DC. Each city brought one storyteller. Regie Cabico represented well for DC with a shortened version of his story from “Wetbacks, Aliens & Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation”. He came in second in both the judges favorite and audience favorite (beat out only slightly by the local Chicago teller).  The winning story by Nancy Donavan was aired on WBEZ (Listen) Chicago and and two stories were posted on their website — Regie’s story and Michelle’s (Greenville) story about a “goat incident”. Both are hilarious.  Listen.

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