On August 27, the storytelling collective The Moth will be at the National Theatre with the aim of creating a very particular atmosphere.
It will be a night of delicate weaving, of storytelling intermingled with competitive rigour.
The Moth is an independent non-profit arts organisation dedicated to the art of telling true, thoughtful, engaging stories for an active audience of dedicated listeners who equally share in the delights of a perfect tale, story, or yarn.
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I chatted to director Jodie Powell about how their collective has enabled the storytelling capacities of audiences.
“We’ve enjoyed listening to stories for over 27 years!” she says. “The beauty of sharing true stories in a live setting is that each story is so personal and allows the teller and the audience to connect in meaningful ways.”
At this year’s open-mic StorySLAM, The Moth has never had much difficulty in finding stories from Melbourne locals. In fact, It takes surprisingly little to get Melbournite’s talking.
“At our open-mic StorySLAMs, which we host in Melbourne monthly, it takes little convincing! Once you’re in the crowd and hear someone share a story, we hope you see how easy it is. We always tell people to share something meaningful to them. Something that goes beyond an anecdote.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, there has been no end to the passion The Moth as a collective has for storytelling and its ability to make people feel connected.
“What we love about storytelling is that it allows us to connect on things as common as a broken heart and as unique as seeing the earth from space. The stories keep us fresh. So much of our collective experience has changed over the last 27 years and we love hearing that reflected in the types of stories shared on stage!”
She tells me the collective is also trying to embrace new forms of media like video and social media to share these stories to a wider audience.
“We want people all over the world to feel like they’re in the room with the storytellers whether they’re watching us on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, listening to our podcast or reading one of our best-selling books.”
This year, they ask their GrandSLAM storytellers to talk about the consequences and the effects of change and effects.
“We want to hear about the time you adopted your childhood pet and how it changed your life. We want to hear about the time you finally found the courage to tell someone how much you cared for them.
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“We want to hear about the experiences, people and places that helped shape you into who you are! It doesn’t always have to be so serious, either. Tell us about that embarrassing moment from grade school that you’ll never forget!”
Listening to their podcasts and reading the stories people have told, you get the sense that The Moth is tapping into people’s instinctive need to express themselves and share the experience of living with others. At their upcoming event, The Moth team are looking for stories with dramatic twists and huge consequences.
“The theme of our upcoming GrandSLAM on 27 August is MAKING WAVES so expect stories about the epic highs and lows of life. Ripples or tsunamis. Accidental or instigated. Rocking the boat or just trying to keep your head above water.
“We hope all of our storytellers enjoy sharing their stories with the audience and walk away from the experience knowing a bit more about themselves and the world around them. Whatever the story, our stage is here for you to share it on.”
You can listen to The Moth Podcast on Spotify and iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. GrandSLAM Championship is at the National Theatre on August 27. Grab tickets here.
This article was made in partnership with The Moth.
