Joanna Gleason, an actress known for her performances in films such as Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Mr. Holland's Opus, will headline the event. Joining her onstage will be Michael Morand, the vice president of Yale University's New Haven and State Affairs.
"Having a wonderful local personality such as Mike Morand coupled with such a renowned Tony Award-winning and TV and film actress as Joanna Gleason typifies what The Moth is all about," said Debbie Bisno Goldman, producer of The Moth.
"We hear stories from all walks of life - we are privy to an intimate glimpse into the life of a personality we see on screen, and in the same night, we'll witness a community leader sharing a very personal private tale. The up-close and personal vulnerability factor makes the Moth truly unique. We basically get to be at a cocktail party with all new people sharing their most interesting and intimate stories.
After sold out performances last season, The Moth returns to Long Wharf Theatre for the third year, this time hosted by the former editor of National Lampoon, Tony Hendra, better known as one of the stars of the film This Is Spinal Tap.
The theme is Stories of Rescue and Redemption featuring tales of risk, dangerous predicaments, and nick-of-time salvation. We'll meet "superheroes" and the plain-clothed guardians who inspire hope in impossible circumstances, and liberate us from a variety of dangers - monsters, drowning, spiders, and most importantly, ourselves.
Storytellers include Hallmark card humorist and This American Life contributor Dave Dickerson; cartoonist & former NYPD patrolman Paul Bacon; solo artist and Studio 360 contributor Greg Wallach, celebrated Connecticut storyteller Catherine Conant and more.
"The stories are fantastic. There is never a story without laughs, but there tends to be a balance. They are stories that get to the core of all sorts of things that are very valuable, truthful and resonant, but they are usually very entertaining," said Edelstein.
The Moth is a unique storytelling event in an intimate setting. Each Moth show is organized around a theme and features five or six storytellers who tell a 10-minute story. "This reduces theatre to its most elemental form, which is pure storytelling. It is about the joy of watching a great storyteller tell a story, usually embarrassing, about their own lives," Edelstein said.
The event gathers storytellers from all walks of life - notable literary figures, celebrities, and everyday people, each of whom share personal and true spellbinding tales.
Local personalities are traditionally part of the line-up and have included writer Jack Hitt, New Haven Police Chief Francisco Ortiz, high school student Joe Kowalski, Yale neurosurgeon Dr. Murat Gunel, Yale football legend Coach Carm Cozza and Edelstein.
"I was scared out of my pants, but once I was out there, it was exhilarating. I speak in public a lot, but usually I speak about the theatre. Speaking about myself is a little more challenging," Edelstein said.
The Moth is a non-profit arts organization founded in 1997 by poet/novelist George Dawes Green, who wrote "The Caveman's Valentine." Green held the first Moth evening in his living room, in an attempt to recreate in New York City, the feeling of summer sultry nights in Georgia when his friends would gather on the front porch to spin captivating stories, as the moths gathered around the light bulb.
Since its inception, over 50,000 people have listened to over 3,000 stories at The Moth from New York to Aspen from Los Angeles to New Haven. First making its New Haven debut as an instant sell-out at the 2004 International Festival of Arts & Ideas under Bisno Productions, The Moth is now a quarterly series in New Haven.
The Moth season sponsors are Fairhaven Furniture, People's Bank, Karen Pritzker and Michael Vlock, WSHU radio, and Yale University.
The Moth, An Urban Storytelling Event will be performed at Long Wharf Theatre's C. Newton Schenck Mainstage (222 Sargent Drive) Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007 at 7:30 pm. A post show reception with the storytellers follows the performance. -- www.longwharf.org
