Podcast

Episodes of the No, YOU Tell It! Podcast

Episode 14 – Lock & Key

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

Episode 12 – Fiction Edition

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.

Episode 11 – In Transit

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

Episode 10 – Glory

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

Episode 9 – Temper, Temper

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.

Episode 8 – Uproar

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: , ,

Episode 7 – Fear Itself

Today’s “Two on Tuesday” story swap is from our ‘Fear Itself’ show – Edward Campbell finds himself across the globe on the search for the perfect symbol to ink on his body, only to return home with something more meaningful.

First up is “Tattoo” written by Ed Campbell and performed by Dana Klinek.

Fear Itself photo

Meanwhile, Dana Klinek’s “Eddie the Nut Job” is a tale of harassment and attempted home invasion by an unlikely culprit. Switching it up, Edward Campbell performs her story.

Fun Fact: Dana Klinek married the man who so gallantly offered to come over and rescue her from Eddie and is now Dana Pinter.

 

These stories were directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons and performed live at Jimmy’s No. 43 on April 17th, 2014. Here are the storytellers’ bios from that evening:

Edward Campbell loves stories. He loves to tell them, to act them, and loves to be taken in by them. He ran his first theatre company in college. They built the set in his backyard and rehearsed in his utility shed. He has worked on stage, back stage, in front of the camera, and behind it throughout his entertainment career. He is currently producing a documentary with his amazing wife, Ilana, about blind New Yorkers. Check it out at nyafterdarkmovie.com. He is thankful to No, YOU Tell It! for allowing him to play the writer this time around.

Story: Tattoo

Dana Klinek (now Pinter) is very excited to be a part of NYTI. She is a director for the AP Program at the College Board and previously worked as aneditor at the educational publisher Pearson Longman. She has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Publishing from New York University. Dana is passionate about travel, a good bottle of Malbec, Flywheel spin classes, great literature, and ice cream on Sundays. She looks forward to marrying her fiancé, Jason, later this year, and she hopes to vanquish her nemesis, Eddie (you’ll learn about him at the show), for good.

Story: Eddie the Nut Job

 

Episode 6 – Revival

Today’s “Two on Tuesday” stories are from our ‘Revival’ show recorded live at Jimmy’s No. 43.

How much should we reveal about ourselves? And what exactly do we leave behind?  Jessica Cannon contemplates these questions for the digital era in her story “Internets is Forever,” performed here by Matthew Trumbull.

Revival photo

How often have you found yourself in the midst of a terrible situation from which you couldn’t escape? What if you were literally center stage? Switching it up, Jessica Cannon performs Matthew Trumbull’s harrowing tale, “Last of the Metamoras.”

These stories from our ‘Revival’ show on April 15th, 2015, at Jimmy’s No. 43 were directed by Erika Iverson. Here are the storytellers bios from that evening:

Jessica Cannon is a New York City based actress and voiceover artist whose voice can be heard in national television commercials and radio spots for major brands such as Twizzlers, ALL, Citibank, AT&T, Hershey’s Kisses, Coffee Mate, Nexxus, Smirnoff Ice, Nesquik, and many others. Her work also includes voicing promos, cartoons and video games. She is an avid reader and a classically trained musician. If you’re young enough, you may remember her from your potty training days as the host of Potty Power, the number two best-selling potty-training DVD on Amazon (no pun intended, Elmo beat us to the number one spot).

Matthew Trumbull is an actor and writer, and was featured as a storyteller earlier this month in Soundtrack Series at QED in Astoria.  He will next be appearing in the play The Butter and Egg Man produced by Retro Productions at the Gene Frankel Theater, opening May 15th, and the feature film ‘The Spike’, written by Mac Rogers.  Previously this year, he starred in the opera/theater piece The Velvet Oratorio by Edward Einhorn and Henry Akona, and the play The Temple by Nat Cassidy, at the Brick Theater.

 

October 20, 2015 Post Comment Podcast Tags: , ,

Episode 5 – Alumni Show

This episode features a pair of stories from our first No, YOU Tell It! alumni reading at The Astoria Bookshop, written and performed by returning participants Marcos Stafne and Jeff Wills (pictured left to right).

Marcos Stafne and Jeff Wills

We’ve all had to deal with erratic, uncooperative co-workers. But when that co-worker is Fantasia, a 20-foot, 300-pound albino Burmese python, things get a bit tricky. When Fantasia escapes her enclosure at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Marcos Stafne has to act, despite his lifelong antipathy toward snakes.

Snake Dreams – written by Marcos Stafne & performed by Jeff Wills.

Switching it up, in Jeff Wills’ second-person narrative a wintry morning commute becomes the stuff of myth. Our narrator embarks on an odyssey through the frozen boroughs of New York, navigating icy avenues, crowded buses, and stifling subway trains in order to drop his daughter off at daycare and get his wife, and himself, to work on time.

Errant – written by Jeff Wills & performed by Marcos Stafne.

These stories from our alumni show on July 17th, 2014 were directed by Mike Dressel. Thank you to The Astoria Bookshop for hosting our alumni reading! Visit them online at www.astoriabookshop.com.

 

Marcos Stafne, is a proud alumni and supporter of the No, YOU Tell It! family. His first NYTI story, “The Anxiety of Emptiness,” was featured in November 2012’s Urban Dwellers series. Marcos has been working in museums for the past 20 years, and writes for various blogs and scholarly journals. Marcos splits time between White River Junction, Vermont (town slogan: it’s not so bad) and Brooklyn, NY.

Jeff Wills earned his BFA from VCU, and was a working actor for fifteen years before taking a chance on the fast-paced glamour of a career in museum administration. He has worked at the Rubin Museum of Art for four years, which requires virtually none of his oratory, circus, dialect, or Commedia del’Arte training. Jeff teaches workshops and private lessons in acting in general, and physical theatre in specific. In addition to acting, teaching and directing, Jeff has written three full-length plays of his own, collaborated on writing a half a dozen more, and takes full responsibility for innumerable short stories. He is dad to a three-year-old daughter and has a son due in December 2015. For more on Jeff’s creations and preoccupations, please visit www.JeffWills.net.

Episode 4 – Legacy

Citizens of Earth! Episode 4 features a pair of sweetly geeky swapped stories from E. James Ford and Nicole Greevy. Part of The Brick’s Comic Book Theater Festival, for this special edition our ‘Legacy’ storytellers based their true-life tales around this stunning piece of comic art created by Sha-Nee Williams.

Legacy collection

In turn, the fantastic Sha-Nee attended the collaborative workshop sessions we hold to develop the stories on the page and generated an individual image for each story that appeared on stage at the festival. WAIT, the parade of talent we have been fortunate enough to work with continues…

Impressed by No, YOU Tell It!’s slick new website? ‘Legacy’ storyteller E. James Ford made it! That’s right, he’s a kick-ass writer, performer, AND web designer. Check out more of his work here.

 

Stories from our ‘Legacy’ show at The Brick Theater on June 8, 2014:

League of Absence written by E. James Ford & performed by Nicole Greevy was directed by Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons

Nerd: The Next Generation written by Nicole Greevy & performed by E. James Ford was directed by Erika Iverson.

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