Terminal Milwaukee: Frontier Radio Recap

by Ex Fabula blogger, Steph Kilen

Ex Fabula tackled a new frontier with a live, on-air radio event, the latest in theTerminal Milwaukee series on Thursday, March 29. About 25 people gathered in the WMSE studio lobby to listen to stories of “frontier radio” while what we believe to be the rest of Milwaukee and beyond tuned in to listen on their radios.

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All Photos: © Kathrine Schleicher 2012 – www.ellagraph.com

We’ve been all over Milwaukee with Tom Crawford, series centerpiece, and he welcomed us “back to the mothership” at the WMSE studio. Clearly in his element, Tom shared how he went from sometimes over zealous WMSE fan boy to station manager, while the other storytellers told stories of the magic of WMSE and radio in general.

Hal Rammel, host of the WMSE show Alternating Currents, told of the joy of playing or hearing “just the right song at just the right moment” on the radio as illustrated by a call from a listener. The woman had called when she just happened to hear an avant garde piano piece Hal was playing while running through her dial. It turns out she hadn’t heard the song in 60 years, the last time being when she wanted to play it for her piano recital but her teachers hadn’t allowed it.

Brent Ghode talked about hosting a metal show on WMSE on June 6, 2006 and the huge disappointment of the skip in Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast.”  Despite the photo, no props remains a part of the Ex Fabula rulebook, but hey, it was live radio – anything goes.

Paul Cebar delighted listeners by telling us about the particulars of tuning in a crystal radio as a child and the “thrill of pulling sound of the air.” And finally, Julie Cudahy, “den mother of WMSE” told of her journey through adolescence and music, across the country and to WMSE.

Throughout the broadcast, historian John Gurda, the glue of Terminal Milwaukee, gave historical perspective on radio in Milwaukee, the downtown and Cathedral Square area,  and Milwaukee School of Engineering.

You don’t have to take my word about what you missed, this time you can hear for yourself. The full show is available for download in the WMSE archives (you’ll want the 3/29 show).

Next up: The Terminal Milwaukee grand finale, Saturday, April 28, at Alverno’s Pitman Theater.

Seemed like a great idea at the time? Ex Fabula wants to hear it!

You’ve planned, you’ve envisioned and you’ve fantasized about that moment. You were sure it was going to work out just as you had hoped….What happened? Did it turn out as planned? Tell your true story -or just come to listen- at the next Ex Fabula event at 8 pm on Tuesday April 12th at The Bay View Brewhaus, 2535 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue. The night’s theme is Theory and Practice.

Think your true, personal story is so “out there” that no one would believe you, or so universal that everyone will feel like they’ve been there? Come to Ex Fabula! Dozens of people will be there to lend their ears and their support as you share your very own story on stage.  Those who are interested in vying for a storytelling spot on Tuesday April 12th should put their names in the hat by 7:45 pm. Would-be storytellers should prepare stories that tie into the night’s theme. Be sure to practice reciting your tale before the event (friends and pets make for a great audience). On stage, you must tell your story without notes and within five-minutes– there will be a cut-off cue if a story runs over the time limit.  The audience favorite of the night will have the opportunity to tell a story at the ALL STARS event in early June.

Speaking of ALL STARS, Ex Fabula fans should go to http://www.pabsttheater.org/show/exfabulaallstars and purchase their tickets for Ex Fabula ALL STARS, which will take place at Turner Hall on Thursday June 2nd. This event will feature brand new, ten-minute stories told by favorite storytellers as voted by audience members from our past monthly events.

Keeping within the theme of the evening, Secrets and Lies, Ex Fabula will also reveal a secret of its own: the trailer for a special, upcoming storytelling project starring a notable, terminal Milwaukeean. Put an excellent theory to practice and don’t miss the ALL STARS event!

For more information about Ex Fabula, go to www.ExFabula.com.

Recap: Grown-up Show & Tell at The Milwaukee Art Musuem

Listeners and Showers & Tellers gathered in "Milwaukee's Best Backyard." Photo by Kat Berger.

Just for the people of the “beautiful, f*#*ed up fabric of Milwaukee” Ex Fabula conjured up the loveliest of summer evenings in the loveliest of intimate settings for the latest story telling event on August 5th. The audience was treated to a Grown Up Show & Tell at the fieldtrip Mecca, Milwaukee Art Museum terrace.

Dana Lovrek kicked off the stories by holding up her keys and telling how they made her “bad day even worse.” Dan Neiderloh’s bag of cassette tapes stood as evidence to his tween obsession with recording his own voice and anything else the mic could capture. “Move over Catwoman, there’s a new kid in town:” his name is Randall Anderson and he has a bullwhip with which he amazes crowds at the Renaissance Fair and Ex Fabula. The lakefront hasn’t witnessed as many ooohs and ahhhs from an audience since the Big Bang.

Jacqueline Luettgen held our hearts in her hand along with a business card that pays tribute to her cousin and best friend who was recently lost in the Iraq War. A night of Ex Fabula stories is nothing if not varied and the evening took a turn toward the funny and uncomfortable when Mike Brenner brought a wad of toilet paper to show and tell a story that could be titled “Home Depot: Clean Up on Isle 8.”

Playing off of Jacqueline’s story, Mike began, “There is god. There is the holy spirit. And there’s shitting your pants at Home Depot.”

Ex Fabula first timer Lisa Gatewood offered up a box of letters to delve into the correspondence she’s had with her former school guidance counselor for the last 15 years. As he crossed the lines of a “professional relationship” and crossed into a life of addiction and jail sentences, she learned more about herself than one does from traditional visits to the guidance counselor. Mike Heider brought along artifacts of his career as a news cameraman since he couldn’t find the letter of apology from the chief of Milwaukee Police Department to illustrate tales of being assaulted on the job.

In addition to a gorgeous setting, the Milwaukee Art Museum offered up its Director of Visitor Experience to the audience. Bambi Grajer has worn every day for the last 11 years a sterling bracelet made by a Navajo silversmith. Every day it reminds her of the conscious choices she has made about what her life would be.

When Adam Carr took the mic, he took a minute to comment on the “fabric of the city” before starting his story and finishing his apple, core and all. He told of a philosophy professor who ate apples the same way and was his “Knight in Shining Armor” on several occasions. The sun finally behind the skyline, Amy Losi made her way to the front on crutches. They are making her life difficult, but they help her remember it was the sixth time she fell this year that put her on them.

Recap of Ex Fabula 2 (Second Thoughts)

On Wednesday December 16, over 75 people packed into Sugar Maple for the second Ex Fabula event. Although the stories varied in format, style, and tone, all touched on the night’s theme of “Second Thoughts”. The event was sponsored by 91.7 WMSE, 89.7 WUWM, and Sugar Maple.

The first storyteller to take the stage was Ex Fabula founder Matt Sabljak; his 5 minute Solo story about a break up also explored his relationship with art and writing.  Mike Brenner then took the stage to recount the time he sang Prince’s song “Purple Rain” at a beer tasting. As he acted out parts of the story, it became clear to the delighted audience exactly why cops escorted him out and banned him from the beer testing. Then Ex Fabula founder Leah Delaney interviewed Niclaus Ortiz in a format called “The Terkel”. Niclaus works at José’s Barber Extraordinaire along with his father and brother, and the interview touched on his relationship with his family and the balance between hot emotions and cool logic.

After a short beer break, Rosie Ricks described the night she was the only black person in Lake Geneva, a night whose conclusion surprised her. The next storyteller, Scott Berkes, was the first of three audience volunteers whose names were drawn from a hat; in college, he purchased a 1977 Ford Fiesta for $75 only to discover that getting the car home would pose some special challenges. The last storyteller of the second triad was Leah Leone. “I often imagine making a comic about my marriage and subsequent divorce from an Argentine man who was ten years my senior. It would be called: What Red Flag?” she cheerfully exclaimed, looking back at her former, 23-year-old self.

Adam Baus came from the audience to contrast two times when he felt artistically stifled and out of place; along the way, he commented on the necessity of being true to yourself, a theme that had popped up in other stories as well. Anthony Umlauf was the last audience volunteer, and he thrilled the audience by describing a booze-soaked bike ride that led to a comical encounter with the law. Gina Ryther and Nita Cordova rounded out the night with a story in “Rashoman” format. First, Gina shared her memories of a birthday party. Her worries about the food, drink, and other party details melted away when she caught the rare sight of two people holding hands. Then, Gina’s friend Nita described an awful day that turned into a memorable one because of someone she met at the party. Their stories highlighted the fact that at every moment in time, people around us are having life changing moments.

Interspersed with the stories, emcee and Ex Fabula founder Megan McGee read Ultra-Short stories written by audience members during the course of the 2-hour event. Stories ranged from several lines about a couple debating a move back to Milwaukee to “Should I have eaten that Monkfish Liver?”

At the end of the night, votes were tallied and Leah Leone was crowned the audience favorite; she was presented with prizes provided by WMSE and Sugar Maple.

The next Ex Fabula event will be Tuesday January 19 at the Hi Hat. The theme will be announced before the end of 2009; Ex Fabula fans should feel free to post ideas for themes on the Ex Fabula facebook page and blog.