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Episodes of the No, YOU Tell It! Podcast

Episode 18 – Dark Woods

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Today’s Two on Tuesday stories were performed live as part of our “Dark Woods” show.

Were you ever told you had an over-active imagination?  When you have an older sibling who loves to tease, it can be a tricky business. Chris Gebauer writes about the joys and terrors of childhood in “The Wolfman Cometh” read for us here by Amanda Sisk.

darkwoods

(artwork by: Nikka Valken)

What do we owe to our family? To the land we come from? Amanda Sisk ponders what stays with us when we move away, and what calls us back.  Switching it up, here’s Amanda’s story “Unloaded” performed by Chris Gebauer.

 

These stories were originally performed at Jimmy’s no 43 on February 18th, 2015. Here are the switched-up storytellers bios from that evening:

Chris Gebauer is thrilled to be a part of No, You Tell It! He is a usually working actor and a recent graduate of NYU-TISCH. He has just gotten into storytelling (and really loves it). Chris most recently worked in Drunk Shakespeare and before that Puppet Titus Andronicus. You can also find his narration work on Audible.com. What really matters though is that he’s really excited to be here.

Amanda Sisk likes to consider herself the President of the United States. With her partner Noah Diamond, she has co-written and directed several political musicals for their theatre company Nero Fiddled. When she is not writing or yelling at political pundits on television, she can be found yelling at football players on television. Sisk enjoys running, yoga, karaoke, and seeing her name written on things. Mugs, tanks, and tees with “SISK” on them are available for a nominal fee. She thanks the gang at No, YOU Tell It! for their patience, guidance, humor, and this wonderful opportunity.

March 8, 2016 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , ,

Episode 17 – Lock & Key (Part 2)

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Today’s pair of “Two on Tuesday” stories comes from our show LOCK & KEY.

In “What Am I Doing Here?”, Ryan Holmes risks jeopardizing a new-found sense of security by being true to himself. It’s a story of negotiating friendship, and Los Angeles traffic, with bonus relationship advice from none other than the singer Tony Orlando. Here’s Valerie David performing Ryan’s story.

lock and key pic

After battling cancer, sometimes it’s the psychic scars that linger longest. In “Re-Releasing the Confetti,” Valerie David writes about giving herself permission to live again after struggling to just survive. Here’s Ryan Holmes with Valerie’s story of celebration.

 

LOCK & KEY stories were performed live at Jimmy’s No. 43 on February 17th, 2014.

Here are the switched-up storytellers bios from that evening:

Valerie David is honored to be a part of No, You Tell It and thanks this wonderful group for all of their support. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, her credits include A Stoop on Orchard Street, Melissa inNational Treasure, Cookie in Rumors and Claudia Shear’s one-woman show Blown Sideways Through Life. Films: How I Became that Jewish Guy and Bridges and Tunnels. She is a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Dramatists Guild, AEA, and SAG-AFTRA.

She performs with Red Tie Mafia and Cherub Improv troupes. She also wrote NY Fringe Festival reviews for Time Out New York and co-wrote the play, Two-mur Humor: He’s Malignant; She’s Benign. Visit vadactor.blogspot.com for more info and Time Out New York (here and here) for her theater reviews.

 

Ryan Holmes is an actor who was most recently seen in Peace Warriors by Doron Ben-Atar at Fordham— Lincoln Center. Other NYC credits include Blocked: A Play About One Man at Manhattan Repertory Theatre; What You Will, a workshop with the Bristol Riverside Theatre; and the award-winning cabarets Hot Mess in Manhattan and The Rescignos,both at The Duplex.

Ryan hosts the popular Internet radio show BlazinRy Radio and co-hosts BlazinRy: Backstage. BlazinRy guests have included Betty Buckley, Biz Markie, Lea Delaria, Sweet Brown, Kellie Pickler, Crystal Waters, Sticky Fingaz, Tommy James, and Freeway Ricky Ross. Visit www.blazinryradio.com.

 

February 23, 2016 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , ,

Episode 16 – Wild Card

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Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories were performed live at Jimmy’s No. 43 as part of our WILD CARD show.

Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. Can you be unlucky at both? And what if the cards are being dealt by a psychic? Her story “All in the Cards” was the first time writer Shelley Gazes’ work was performed live, but we are happy to say it wasn’t the last. Shelley’s come back to take part in No, YOU Tell It! alumni events, and perform her stories at The Moth’s StorySLAMs.  Give a listen to the story that started it all, performed here by Nelson Lugo.

wild card

(Wild Card inspired artwork by Sarah Gentile.)

Now, switching it up, magician Nelson Lugo’s one-man shows feature slight-of-hand and are full of heart as he interweaves magic with storytelling. We were honored to have him come develop this deeply personal tale with us about magic, mental institutions, and the miracle of a well-made cookie.  Here is “Crazy Sad” written by Nelson Lugo and performed by Shelley Gazes.

 

These stories were performed on Wed, September 17th 2014. Here are the storytellers’ bios from that evening:

Shelley Gazes has studied fiction and nonfiction writing at Barnard College, Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute, Gotham Writers Workshop, and MediaBistro. Her work has appeared in The Journal News and The Huffington Post. She is also a regular volunteer for 826NYC’s storytelling field trips for children, helping students to foster their own creative voices. She’s excited for her work to be performed for the first time with No, YOU Tell It! and looks forward to taking part in more storytelling events in the future.

Nelson Lugo is a Magician, Sideshow Artist, and Batman enthusiast. He was featured by TimeOut NY as an Entertainer to Watch and co-hosts a podcast called “The EPIC PIEcast” for NerdyShow.com. He’s been a guest speaker for The Sunday Assembly NYC, a guest singer for the BTK Band, a storyteller at Adam Wade’s Whatever Happened to the Nerds, and was featured on the Story Collider podcast twice. He is currently performing a solo show called “Gathering The Magic” at The Tank Theater which you can see on Saturday September 20th that is slice-of-life storytelling and sophisticated stage magic. More info at NelsonLugo.com.

February 2, 2016 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , , , ,

Episode 15 – Revelation Workshop Showcase

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A year ago, we expanded No, YOU Tell It! by offering workshops at QED: A Place to Show & Tell in Astoria. These workshops are open to writers of all levels looking to switch-up their story.

Revelation group (pictured left to right: Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Jessica Cannon, Carrie Haugh, Alessia Donati, Violet Olds, Katie Johnston, and Erika Iverson.)

As a result, we’ve been fortunate to work with so many amazing storytellers we never would have met otherwise. Many of whom have come back to take part in our live shows at Jimmy’s No. 43.

Give a listen to our very first workshop showcase “Revelation” performed live at QED on February 3rd, 2015 and hosted by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.

Want to switch-up your story? Click here to register for our “Sink or Swim” workshop that starts this Saturday, 1/23.

REVELATION Stories:

Casper Evelyn Birdie by Alessia Donati

– performed by Violet Olds

Swipe Right for Humanity by Violet Olds

–  performed by Alessia Donati

The Photo by Carrie Haugh

–  performed by Jessica Cannon

California Dreamin’ by Katie Johnston

–  performed by Carrie Haugh

My Guilty Heart by Jessica Cannon

–  performed by Katie Johnston

 

January 19, 2016 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , ,

Episode 14 – Lock & Key

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This episode we’re featuring a pair of stories from our LOCK & KEY show.

In our first story, author Stella Kaufman has devised a coping mechanism for dealing with the sleights, pain, and humiliation life can deal out. It’s a story of how we negotiate memory, especially in our current internet age – who we share with, and how, and what we keep private.

Here’s Stella Kaufman’s “The Vault” as performed by Richard Lovejoy.

lock and key

Switching it up, “The Locked Door Puzzle” confronts a childhood home dominated by a narcissistic mother, where refuge comes in the world of computer games.

It’s a story of how something viewed as childish might actually provided the tools to negotiate self-hood and the adult world – how to solve the riddle of our families, and perhaps free ourselves from the dungeons of the past. Here’s Stella Kaufman with Richard Lovejoy’s “The Locked Door Puzzle.”

 

These stories were performed live on February 17th, 2014 at Jimmy’s No. 43. Here are the storytellers bios from that evening:

Stella Kaufman is honored to be working with the inspiring creative team and the talented writers at NYTI! Stella’s first book, Lots of People We Need, was written circa 1964, on laundry shirt cardboards from her dad’s uniforms. Stella has wanted to be a writer ever since. In order to keep her bulldog in dog treats and argyle sweaters, Stella is presently employed as a proposal writer. Past occupations include elementary school teacher and a brief stint as a clown. After a nearly three decades of taking the scenic route, she is making a return to the creative written form. Stella does freelance blogging and editing, and is a regular contributor to markfisherfitness.com.

Stella is currently working on a non-fiction book and an accidental collection of poetry. Stella’s goal is to become living proof of the George Eliot quote: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

Story: The Vault

Richard Lovejoy is a Brooklyn-based writer and actor. He wrote and starred in the feature film The Widowers (www.the-widowers.com), a comedy about grief set to premiere in 2014. He has been featured in All My Children, We Cause Scenes, Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Right’s Movement, and numerous shorts. On stage, Richard has recently been seen in The Dark Heart of Meteorology by Stephen Aubrey, Eric Meyer’s The Scavengers, and Willy Nilly by Trav SD. He also wrote and appeared in A Brief History of Murder and Adventure Quest, which helped spark a movement of video game based theater.

He was the head writer for BrainExplode! Richard is a 2009 NYTheater.com Person of the Year.  He is the Creative Director of Charred Oak Films (www.charredoakfilms.com).

Story: The Locked Door Puzzle

January 12, 2016 1 comment Podcast Tags: , , , ,

Episode 12 – Fiction Edition

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Our own Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons was interviewed about how our series might help a fiction writer. Read the interview on About.com here. Then give a listen to our special “Fiction Edition” show to hear firsthand how No, YOU Tell It! works across genres.

These stories were recorded live on June 17th at Jimmy’s No. 43 and feature two alums who came back to kick-off the summer by switching-up fun, frightening, and for the first-time ever FICTION stories.

We opened up our special show with an unsettling tale written by Jim Cairl that may keep you up at night wondering if, and more importantly, WHEN you will wake up. Read here by Raquel I. Penzo is “The Sleeping Season” written by Jim Cairl and directed by Erika Iverson.

Fiction edition

Switching it up, a young girl confronts spending what’s left of her youth behind bars due to a violent act. But, by focusing on the recipe for her Nana’s farina, she brings a bit of comfort to her prison sentence.

Jim Cairl performs “Breakfast with Nana in the Small Visitor’s Room” written by Raquel I. Penzo and directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.

Bios:

Jim Cairl is an actor, writer, and does a mean karaoke of It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Some of the more recent shows he’s appeared in are Richard III, Death of a Salesman, Flowers of Uptown and Himmelreich. Jim also penned a (very) short film that will be shot in July. Jim won on the television quiz show Jeopardy!, which is a story that he will tell to anyone who listens until the day he dies. Lastly, he’d like to thank Madeline, Ava, and Finn (his three lovely children) and Victoria (his very patient wife) for putting up with his odd schedules and needing to be alone in a quiet room for a while.

Raquel I. Penzo is a Brooklyn, NY, native of Dominican descent who has carved a career for herself as a writer, editor, and literary event curator. She hosts the New Voices Reading Series each quarter in NYC and works as a copywriter at Brooklyn Public Library. Raquel authored the self-published My Ego Likes the Compliments…And Other Musings on Writing, and the short stories, “Grey Matter” (Blue Lake Review), “Perspective on a Murder” (Mason’s Road), “On a Blue Day” (You Should Be Here), and “Enfermos” (Rose Red Review). An anthology of works from participants of her reading series was released on April 2014. Visit Raquel online at RaquelPenzo.com.

December 22, 2015 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , , ,

Episode 11 – In Transit

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For this special episode, you can LISTEN to these switched-up stories from our live show and READ Molly’s story at The Literary Review via TLR SHARE.

In “Song Lines,” a singer/songwriter has an adventure in Ireland and finds all sorts of new doors opening for her. The remarkable Rebecca Hart will be appearing in The Civilians’ “Rimbaud in New York” at BAM in March, a development for which we can take absolutely no credit.

Read for us by Molly Touger, please enjoy “Song Lines” written by Rebecca Hart.

In Transit Photo 2

(pictured left to right – Molly Touger and Rebecca Hart.)

Switching it up, a young person leaps to conclusions in what should be a carefree setting, but all is not as it seems… Molly has just returned to New York from a year living and working in Mexico, which you can read about in her blog at MuchasDonas.wordpress.com.

But before you do, give a listen as Rebecca Hart performs “SeeyouinthemorningIloveyougoodnight” by Molly Touger.

This episode was recorded live on a particularly rocking night at Jimmy’s No. 43 as part of our IN TRANSIT show on July 30th, 2013. The stories were directed by Erika Iverson.

Bios:

Molly Touger is a Bostonian turned Brooklynite who has, over the course of her career, worked as a journalist, barista, publicist, instructional designer, and busboy. She recently returned from a year serving as communications manager and kayak guide for a nonprofit language school in Mexico’s Zona Maya. Among her favorite things about that job were apprising visitors of the fact that the Maya aren’t dead.

NY-based actress and songwriter Rebecca Hart once accidentally won a comedy contest in Dublin Ireland while appearing as musical guest. Born into a theatre family, she was onstage for the first time at nine months old and has been writing and performing music for only a slightly shorter time. Recent credits include ‘At the Vanishing Point’ & ‘Luna Gale’ at Actors Theatre of Louisville and ’10 Out Of 12′ at Soho Rep, all with director Les Waters. Hart is an Associate Artist with The Civilians and will be composing/performing with them in ‘Rimbaud in NY’ at BAM this March. She is currently at work on a new recording with acclaimed cellist & songwriter Ben Sollee. Everything else at www.rebeccahart.net

December 15, 2015 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , , ,

Episode 10 – Glory

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At first Vicki Cabrera said to us, I’ll take the class, but I’ll never do the show. She was in our very first No, YOU Tell It! workshop and with a little coaching by director Erika Iverson, she gave one of the most moving performances we’ve seen. Here she is performing “Say Hi to Ellie,” written by Ellie Dunn.

glory photo

(Pictured left to right Vicki Cabrera and Ellie Dunn)

Switching it up – Ellie Dunn is one half of the hilarious comedy music duo Mel & El, whose latest creation, “The Mommy Show,” can be seen in venues all over NYC and beyond. Visit them at welcometothemommyshow.com, but before you do listen to her perform Vicki Cabrera’s story “Hitting the Wall” about the harsh consequences of what happens when procrastination is the only thing you exercise.

Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our GLORY show, recorded live at Jimmy’s No. 43 on 2/18/2013.

 

Here are the switched-up storytellers bios from that evening:

Vicki Cabrera works in education for the College Board, a nonprofit organization, where she is responsible for online tools and resources that help over a million students prepare for the SAT college admissions exam each year. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the College of New Jersey and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University. When she’s not working, Vicki likes to collect new hobbies and seek out creative pursuits, which is why she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to participate in No, YOU Tell It! She is also an avid eater, explorer, and photographer. Check out her photoblog and follow her at vickisee.com. Story: Hitting the Wall

Ellie Dvorkin is one half of the hilarious comedy music duo Mel & El. She is thrilled to exercise her storytelling muscles with the NYTI peeps. In recent years, her writing skills have mostly been used to pen lyrics for funny and often naughty songs as well as the occasional rap, but she has also written educational puppet shows and musicals for The New York Hall of Science museum. Watch clips of her funny stuff and listen to songs at MelAndEl.com. Story: Say Hi to Ellie

December 1, 2015 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , , ,

Episode 9 – Temper, Temper

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It’s our first Tri-flip! And our first “Three on Tuesday” episode featuring switched-up stories from Gloria Beth Amadeo, Morgan Pielli, and Elizabeth Jaeger. Click here to meet our storytellers.

Plus, special guest Colby Black started our show off strong with some stand-up.

Here is our full ‘Temper, Temper’ show recorded live at Jimmy’s No. 43 on November 17th, 2015.

Temper Temper

(Pictured left to right Colby Black, Elizabeth Jaeger, Gloria Beth Amadeo, and Morgan Pielli)

First up – What was the biggest lie you ever told? Did it get you in trouble? Gloria Beth Amadeo shares a particularly vivid childhood memory in her story “The Biggest Lie I Ever Told” performed by Elizabeth Jaeger.

Next, Morgan tells us of a tolerance workshop gone wrong and its unfortunate aftermath. Switching it up, here’s Gloria Beth Amadeo performing “Midget” written by Morgan Pielli.

Finally, a mother tries to fight against anything that might hamper or harm her son. In the process, she realizes her own anger might be part of the problem.  Rounding out our ‘Temper, Temper’ show, Morgan Pielli performs “Genuine Demon” written by Elizabeth Jaeger.

November 24, 2015 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , ,

Episode 8 – Uproar

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Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our show UPROAR.

Peter Tinaglia is a graduate of the master’s program in voice at Manhattan School of Music. In this story, he reflects on a horrifying undergraduate experience where a mere slip of the tongue led to unintended consequences.

Merritt Minnemeyer performs “Ms. Lorimer… If You’re Nasty.” Written by Peter Tinaglia and directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons.

Uproar

 

Switching it up! Merritt Minnemeyer writes about losing a loved one and how to care for the ones left behind. Peter Tinaglia performs “Mourning Becomes Elijah” written by Merritt Minnemeyer and directed by Erika Iverson.

These stories were part of our Uproar show on November 18th, 2014.

Here are the switched-up storytellers’ bios from that evening:

Merritt Minnemeyer is an educator, writer, performer and advocate. She holds a BFA in Acting from NYU and has nearly 20 years experience teaching and producing theater in and outside of New York. She is most passionate about employing those skills in the social justice arena, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Humanistic/Multicultural Education at SUNY New Paltz. Most recently she founded Tipsy Gazelle, LLC with a focus on developing a community arts space in a 200 year old home in Beacon, NY where she resides with her three children. Merritt is deeply grateful for and honored to work with NYTI.

Lyric tenor Peter W. Tinaglia is a recent graduate of the master’s program in voice at Manhattan School of Music. He was seen as Fatty in MSM’s Spring 2013 opera Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny and was featured in MSM’s Spring 2013 musical revue Side by Side by Sondheim. Also while at MSM, Peter participated in the Opera Scenes program, Mr. Ken Merrill’s seminar on the music of Kurt Weill from 1927-1933, and the American Musical Theatre Ensemble’s production of Ragtime. Favorite opera scene work includes Alfredo (La Traviata), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni). Favorite regional opera and operetta credits include The Rape of Lucretia, Così fan tutte, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Kismet, and The Great Waltz. Peter is a proud graduate of Northwestern University (B.A.) and Boston University (M.S.). In addition to performing, Peter maintains a private voice studio in New York City. He also works as a non-profit project manager and teaches introductory project management courses online at Boston University.

November 10, 2015 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , ,
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