SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW SHOW INFORMATION! 
 HERE ARE HIGHLIGHTS OF LONG BEACH SEARCHES FOR THE GREATEST STORYTELLER-IT ALL TOOK PLACE DEC. 29, 2011 at Long Beach Playhouse

Picture
It was such a rush walking into the packed playhouse.  The air snapped with excitement, or perhaps it was the crackers in my pocket.  Anyway,  Eyygad.  I grabbed one of my friends, poet Tamara Madison, to warm up the already warm crowd, then  Paul Williams opened the show with stories about Pat Mc Cormic.  Next, he told of  a time on stage in Tahoe, when his pant zipper popped during a song. What would you do? He took them off, rolled them up and held them under his arm and finished the song. The funny part came next....

Picture
HITOSHI HORODA IS LONG BEACHES GREATEST STORYTELLER! VERY FITTING THAT HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF MOST IMPORTANTLY AS A SURFER!

Long Beach Greatest Story Teller FINALS! Thurs., Dec. 29th @ LB Playhouse

Picture
Thursday, Dec. 29th ended the year in stories by locals at a competition held at Long Beach Playhouse.  Three events preceded the finals, and the top two storytellers from Spring, Summer and Fall shows were invited back to compete on stage in front of several hundred theater-goers.            The rules of the game were simple.  A six minute, true story that happened to you, either read or said.  Locals submitted their stories on-line, describing their tale in a few sentences.  Mariana Williams, Producer of the event, chose the stories showing the most variety in subject matter.  Belmont Music Studios donated $100 for the winner of each of the four events.
Hall of Fame, Grammy-winning songwriter, Paul Williams, was a guest storyteller who opened the show with a couple funny stories of his own.  He and his author wife, Mariana, Producer of the show, live in Naples. Celebrity judge, Alan Kalter, “Big Red” the announcer from the Late Show with David Letterman, also took the stage after the intermission.  Kalter regaled the standing-room-only audience with a story about an audition he went on, where he exited the meeting by entering a closet.

The winner of LB Searches for the Greatest Storyteller is Hitoshi Horoda, who was born in Japan, and now resides in Signal Hill.  The IT Security Engineer  describes himself as a father, USC graduate, Toastmaster, and surfer.  His tale was a hilarious adventure of surfing a huge wave in Japan and coming onto shore as a surf-hero.  Unbeknownst to the onlookers, he was rescued by the coast guard just out of sight.  Upon receiving the prize he said, “ You gave me the great opportunity to speak and it will stay deep in my heart for the rest of my life that I did the contest with such a large audience."

The show featured stories on any subject from the top storytellers: Bobby Lux, Jeanie Frias, Jared Wilson and Hitoshi Hosoda.  (Pam Hummel qualified, but was unable to get away when her daughter's team won a sports event. Yay girls in sports! We are happy for them both! Also, poet Autum Brown qualified, however moved to the East Coast. She sent her regards to us via email.) 

Paul is such a great supporter. He'll be at the finals this year too. (This is a random snapshot of us around the house.)

Picture
Paul is such a great supporter! He'll be Guest Storyteller Dec. 29th at "Long Beach Searches for Greatest Storyteller in the 562" Here's a hint. His story is about working with Raquel Welch.

More about the final night storytellers......

Picture
L-R Jared Wilson wowed us with a rap-prose-hip-hop flow that built with intensity ending in a thunderous applause.  Hitosh Horoda, THE SURFER,  bent in half recreating the swell of the wave--all the while drawing us in. Bobby Lux has a charisma that reaches the back row.  He kept it real in his coming-of-age story at the crossroads of sports and theater. Jeanie Frias left the mic in the stand and boldly used the entire stage recalling a day of accidents, busses, bicycles and strangers.  Jeanie won second place and a gift certificate for four lessons at Belmont Music Studios. (Our sponsor, located on 2nd Street.)

Picture
My turn.  "You can tell a lot about a person by the songs they request.  I worked as a piano player---I know this first hand.  "My Way" was usually requested.  Not the slick Frank Sinatra types...but down in their luck, dudes....yeah, I played in dives too...I'm just saying', guys mooching beers at the bar, pretending  to be talking on cell phones, when it's only their hand cupped against their ear...well, "My Way" was their song too. Anyway, this one time I'm playing at my best gig: The Bonaventure Hotel in downtown L.A.  So, this cute guy comes in and requests "Rose in Spanish Harlem..."

Picture
Alan Kalter, celebrity judge announcer from The Late Show with David Letterman was on hand to tell stories too!  All the way from New York-he came to Long Beach to escape the cold and golf with Paul.  They BOTH took a few minutes off the greens to tell us stories that night.  (Believe me, if it weren't a night time show-I dunno.)  On the end is Liz Lydic, managing director for Long Beach Playhouse. I love the support the theater has given me.  At intermission people drift to the bar in the gallery and tell their own stories. Sip and spill?  (Their guts, I mean.)

Picture
Alan has a big voice, a big personality and since I know him, I'll tell you....a big heart!  Anyway, here he is letting us in on a moment...telling a story to his new family of Long Beach friends.  Big Red delivers a tale like nobody!

NEW DATES FOR SEASON 2, OF LONG BEACH SEARCHES FOR GREATEST STORYTELLER
SPRING-Sun., April 29, 12   
SUMMER-Sun., July, 29, 12 
FALL-Sun., Oct. 28, '12
FINALS-Sun., Dec. 30, 12
All shows 7-9 p.m.
                                                           "TRAGEDY PLUS TIME, EQUALS COMEDY."     SHAKESPEARE

How to enter L. B. Searches: Write about 5 lines about a true story that happened to you.  Send that and your contact info to: Write2Veronica@aol.com.  She will get back to you a week prior if you're in the pre-selected tales. Once on stage, you have five minutes, then a cue indicates one minute to wrap it up. (You can read it or tell it, on any subject.)  Along with the six pre-submitted tales, we'll take "four from the floor" which gives you audience members a chance too!  Audience votes as well as judges.  Top two tales go to finals. $100 prize to winner given at each event.  All events held at Long Beach Playhouse: 5021 E. Anaheim St., LB, CA 90804. www.lbplayhouse.org/storyteller. We pre-select to ensure a diverse show, it's not personal. (We just don't want five stories in a row about the time grandma went to jail cuz you turned her in.)
**********************************************************************************************
ORANGE COUNTY STORYTELLERS COME TOGETHER
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012, 12:45-2:15 p.m. Center for Spiritual Discovery is holding an afternoon of storytelling at the University Synagogue in Irvine. 3400 Michaelson Drive, Irvine, CA 92612.  Go to contact to submit a tale, thanks! How to enter: Write about 5 lines about a true story that happened to you.  Send that and your contact info to: Write2Veronica@aol.com.  She will get back to you a week prior if you're in the pre-selected tales. Once on stage, you have five minutes, then a cue indicates one minute to wrap it up.

For more pics of shows, go to the top and click "more"

Picture

Picture
The storyteller signs in their name and  title of their story, so we can remember when it's time to vote.  I need the help, since I get lost in every person's tale.  The two-hours go by in a flash and the story board knows... who said what.
Picture
See dates and times below.

 Wince-worthy Tales  True Stuff That Happened to Me                     Mariana's recorded tales before a live audience.

Please click on arrow above for Bill Evans piano.

Picture
Ali & Mariana after the show.  We spilled our guts in music and prose.
Buy the Wince-worthy Tales CD today! Just send $10 to: Creative Entertainment, 1077 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. #293, Seal Beach, CA, 90740 

                                                     Wince-worthy Tales                                                                                          True Stuff That Happened to Me         by Mariana Williams      Music by Ali Handal      

1. song "Pin Me Down"                   7. It Sucks to be Vain & Poor
2. Intro by Paul Williams               8. Jinxed Dress
3. Reunion                                          9. Peep Holes
4. Fooey                                             10. song "Breathing Under 
5. Idiot Curley                                   11. Yen for Music  
6. song "Slave to Ambition"       

To order Wince-worthy Tales CD, send $10 to Creative Entertainment Options @ 1077 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. #293, Seal Beach , CA, 90740 (includes shipping and handling allow ten days.)  Wince-worthy Tales was recorded Oct. 29, 2010, at Custom Taylored Studios, Costa Mesa, CA. 

HEY!  You love Ira Glass. You howl at David Sedaris. You revere the avuncular Garrison Keillor. Okay, them are dudes.  After becoming a semi-finalist in L.A.'s Moth storytelling GrandSlam, I got busy writing and telling, keeping it real with episodes of fame and shame.  It’s exhausting retelling these brutal truths, so I made a CD, highlighting some of life's low lights. Hey, why are people laughing?
The wince is one of the most under-rated expressions to grace a face. Do we always have to fall back on a smile and frown; the salt and pepper of emotions? How about a blanch of surprise? A trace of disgust, bob your head slightly, narrow your eyes, shudder with sympathy, retreat with discomfort, stiffen with envy.
FINALLY a CD for those who need to... sit back and wince.  

        A big thanks to LEILA for her iphone exit poll, snagging attendees on the way out.
                        WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT WINCE-WORTHY TALES

The stories are touching and there’s humor and you actually feel every minute of it. You never knew when the story or the mood would go from humorous to touching to pathos, it was really wonderful.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Larry Porricelli-Regency Theatre    

It blew me away! She was unpretentious, speaking from her heart, but the stories were so fun and intertwined and she was able to pull something from the beginning and draw it perfectly to the end.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Pat Burns-Author

These stories were meant to be performed and told out loud, and Mariana brought the magic to them.                                                                                                                                                          Penny Bernal-Author/Educator

I really appreciate how she lives her life and she’s done these wild things, but tells them in such a way that we can handle it.                                                                                                               Carol Hastings Bi-lingual Educator

I really enjoyed the timing, and her pacing, and the structure of the stories… they always came to a satisfying conclusion.  I hope she does this kind of thing more often.                  
Carolyn Levy-Composer

The story about Japan made me cry. 
Silvia Nena-Author/Educator

 
The stories about her friend Danelle really resonate for me because my mother never would let me have friends like that for very long. Now I see where it could have gotten me. I guess I’ll have to thank my mother yet again.  But, nobody tells a story like Mariana. Tamara Madison-Poet/Educator
  

The stories are fantastic.  Her delivery is sparkly. Ali was awesome!                                       Steve Perry-Accountant

Special Musical Guest, ALI HANDAL one of the most distinctive and exciting sounds in contemporary music, is also heard on the CD.  (learn more at: alihandle.com)

Picture
Picture