On Tuesday, March 24th, The Moth, a non-profit organization based in New York City, will host an open storytelling competition at the Town Hall Theater, as part of their StorySLAM series. The event itself will be recorded and potentially broadcast on “The Moth Radio Hour”, offering audiences the chance to have their stories heard by a national audience.
The Moth, originally created by George Dawes Green, was inspired by Green’s summer evenings in Georgia, where he and his friends would gather on his porch and tell stories late into the night. After moving to New York City, Green recreated those intimate storytelling gatherings in a more formal and structured format, officially founding The Moth in 1997.
The organization has since spread worldwide, producing approximately 600 live and virtual shows across 25 cities annually. The Moth additionally produces The Moth Radio Hour, which records live onstage stories and airs them weekly on the radio and through its podcast. The Moth Radio Hour reaches millions of listeners and is broadcast on 500+ public radio stations.
The Moth StorySLAM engages directly with the audience. Participants have the opportunity to put their name in a hat upon entering the venue; if selected, they will present a story related to the theme. There are certain guidelines: it must be a true story, it cannot exceed six minutes, it cannot include hate speech of any kind, and the participant cannot use notes when presenting their story. Outside those restrictions, participants are free to present any story of their choosing, so long as it fits the theme.
While audience members may initially be nervous about telling their stories, The Moth and its mission encourage them to step out and be brave. The supportive environment helps participants feel more comfortable when sharing their personal stories.
“I guarantee that when people leave the microphone, they feel good about the fact that they got up there and said something important and shared their voice. And the people in the audience are going to be the most welcoming audience, and they know what they are showing up for,” Susanne Schmidt, a StorySlam producer and MothWork instructor said.
The topic for this round of StorySLAM is “Fumbles and Fouls.” The theme prompts audience members to share stories about failures or times when they have “dropped the ball.” At the end of the event, audience members can volunteer to serve as judges and score each performance.
“When judges volunteer, usually it's a group of friends who form, or people are sitting next to each other and form a kind of team. So there is, it's this kind of team atmosphere and camaraderie as well that goes along with it,” Lisa Mitchell, the executive and artistic director of Town Hall Theater said.
The storyteller with the highest score will then advance to the Grand Slam event, where winners from cities across the United States will compete. This year’s Grand Slam event, featuring last year's StorySLAM winners, will be held at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington on Wednesday, May 6th.
The Moth initially came to Middlebury after a Middlebury College student attended a StorySLAM event in Burlington and said they would love to host it at the Town Hall Theater. Schmidt then reached out to Mitchell to begin planning a collaboration between The Moth and Town Hall Theater.
“In smaller places, and certainly in Addison County, you can often feel like there is really only one perspective because a lot of people look like a lot of other people. And then when you get to a Moth slam, you realize everyone has a story, and everyone has a different story,” Schmidt said.
In a smaller community such as Middlebury, past StorySLAMS have attracted significant attention and drawn large turnouts from Addison County residents. Middlebury College even has its own form of The Moth, titled “Moth-Up,” encouraging students and members of the community to engage in their live non-fiction storytelling events.
Events like StorySLAM highlight the power of storytelling to bring communities together. Whether the story is light-hearted or emotional, the personal touch of the event allows audiences to reflect together and hear new perspectives.
“We are living in very difficult times, and we, as people, have picked a side based on beliefs or values, and sometimes it becomes very difficult to listen to other people. Storytelling in general, but I think particularly at The Moth, gives people an opportunity to show up and listen to a perspective that they may have never heard before. Maybe it's a perspective that they don’t agree with, but they can then hear the storyteller say why it is important to them,” Schmidt said.
Those hoping to attend the event must purchase their tickets in advance. The Moth and Town Hall Theater encourage all ages to attend the event, whether to observe, to judge, or to be a storyteller. The Moth provides tips and tricks on storytelling for any interested participants.
Violet Wexler '28 (she/her) is a Local News Editor.
Violet has previously served as a staff writer. She is majoring in Political Science and intending to minor in Russian and Psychology. Outside of The Campus, she works with MIDDvotes, hosts a radio show with WRMC, and helps out in the admissions office. Last summer, she was on campus at Middlebury assisting with political science research!
