After seeing RICK HALL’s one-man show, Pigboy, based on his life growing up on a pig farm in Illinois, Second City producer, Joyce Sloane, dubbed him “a modern-day Mark Twain”. The New York Times described his storytelling as “spellbinding.” Rick has performed his stories at countless small venues as well as corporate conventions and was chosen by HBO to perform at the Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Rick continues to take audiences on a ride with his newest stories about his journey from farm boy to actor in Los Angeles and now back to his roots in the Midwest. You can check out more of Rick’s stories on his podcast, So Sez Rick.

MEGAN WELLS is a bridge teller – one foot in the new movement of personal telling and the other foot in the traditional model.  She has been a full-time professional touring storyteller for 30 years.  What that really means is Megan knows a lot of folk and fairy stories, epic stories, world myth and historical stories and she tells them anywhere, everywhere and a lot.  Credits include Guest Artist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival, yearly teller with the Chicago Public Library as well as libraries, schools, museums, book clubs, major storytelling festivals and theaters.  Recently named an Oracle by the National Storytelling Network, Megan was inducted into America’s Circle of Excellence in Storytelling.  ON THE OTHER FOOT, Megan is a passionate supporter of this exciting new movement of personal narrative and thrives on its intimacy, heart and edge.  I guess you could say she’s some kind of story fanatic.  There is a theater passion too, and a bio for that, but you can see that at www.meganwells.com.

 

SCOTT WHITEHAIR is a storyteller, producer, and teacher from Chicago, IL.  He is the host of This Much Is True, the city’s longest-running monthly storytelling series, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 700+ new and first-time tellers on stage since 2011, and director of Do Not Submit, a citywide network of open mics with the goal of creating empathy among neighbors. He tells stories anywhere someone will listen, which has included Steppenwolf Theater, The National Storytelling Festival’s Exchange Place, and on NPR and The Risk Podcast. Scott teaches a monthly class and helps corporations, non-profits, and individuals to find their voices. In 2014, he was the featured instructor at Hong Kong Story Worthy Week, headlined by David Sedaris.

MEET THE OPENING ACT

ZOE RABIN is a singer/songwriter based in Highwood, Illinois. Combining pop, soul, R&B, and indie, Zoe & Emerson create a unique sound that defies classification. While Zoe can hit a variety of vocal ranges, she establishes her niche in a husky, rich alto sound that can captivate any audience. The twenty-one-year-old vocal powerhouse cites Adele & Amy Winehouse as her biggest influences and mimics a blended version of their voices with ease. Through her songwriting, she paints a picture of heartbreak, turmoil, new love, & the trials and tribulations of dating in the 21st century. Zoe has performed during the Port Clinton Art Festival in Highland Park and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as part of an a capella group. Listen to her original music here.

 

EMERSON WEHNER is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter based in Houston, TX. They perform alongside Zoe Rabin and as a member of the band Ambivert, whose second album “Milo & Iris” is slated for a January 2023 release. When they’re not recording or performing new music, Emerson studies mathematics at Rice University. Listen to Ambivert here.

*This program may contain mature content*