August and September events

by Ex Fabula blogger Tasha Paradies

Secret Fabula on the patio

Come and have a seat at an exclusive and intimate Secret Fabula held on the patio of The Pitch Project (art gallery and artist studios) and Brenner Brewing Company on Sunday, August 24, 2014 from 5 to 7 pm. While enjoying a complimentary drink and snacks on the patio, you’ll hear others relate their personal experiences of creating, and maybe share a story about your own creative process!

Tickets are available for members only, so it’s a great time to purchase or renew your membership in time for the event. A membership also gets you many other great perks for Season 6, including free or discounted admission to our September 18th kickoff event and more. By becoming an Ex Fabula member, your support helps strengthen our community by giving Milwaukeeans the opportunity to meaningfully connect through the art of storytelling. Secret Fabula tickets are available for members here, but if you’re not yet a member you can purchase a membership here.

This Secret Fabula will be a treat that offers insights into creative life that you can only hear on the patio at the ultra-hip The Pitch Project and the Brenner Brewing Company. Don’t miss it!

Season 6 Kickoff Fundraiser

Story fans, you know that there are many great ways to kick things off. We like to begin the new Ex Fabula season the best way: with a party! Join us for our Season 6 Kickoff Fundraiser on the patio of Hot Water Wherehouse located at 818 S. Water Street on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 6 to 9 pm for an evening of food, drinks, and “classic” Ex Fabula stories!

Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour and hors d’oeurves while perusing the silent auction which features prizes from classic Milwaukee organizations and businesses. Throughout the evening, storytellers will take the stage to share “Ex Fabula Classics”, four of our favorite true, personal stories from the past years events, retold in an intimate setting. Guests can also submit Ultra Shorts to be read onstage. In between stories, a DJ will provide the soundtrack to the evening.

Tickets are available for $20; all proceeds will help expand programming, which includes workshops, story slams and community collaborations, all which allow the people living in the city of Milwaukee to be engaged in a wider circle of community through participating in storytelling, a way connecting that enriches the lives of all included.

And we would love for you to be included when we kick off the sixth season! Hope to see you on the patio!

Vote for your favorite StorySlam themes!

by guest blogger and Executive Director Megan McGee

Ex Fabula volunteers have been hard at work crafting the schedule for Season 6… but we want your help to finalize some event themes! We’ve put together a poll with 8 options and the votes are coming in quickly. After 52 votes, Oops! is in the lead with 18% of the vote, followed by Do The Math and Who Knew? at 15% each, but there are other themes that are not that far behind.

CLICK HERE and scroll down to the green poll to view the themes in contention and cast your vote for up to 3 favorites. Act quickly – the poll closes this Thursday July 31 at midnight. Once the votes are tallied, the ideas that receive the most voter love will be included as Season 6 StorySlam themes!

PS: while you’re on the website, take a look around. I’ve been adding lots of content recently, including details about a late August Secret Fabula event and our upcoming Season 6 Kickoff Fundraiser on Thursday September 18. We’re also working on Sponsors for Season 6, so please let me know if you know a business that would like to support Ex Fabula’s efforts to strengthen community bonds through the art of storytelling.

Mea Fabula Profile: Andy Nunemaker & The Vogel Mansion

 

The Vogel Mansion, also known as Greengate, has been host to several local fundraising events and tonight welcomes Ex Fabula’s Mea Fabula. This breathtakingly stunning residence, built in 1904, boasts a pool, a gym, a coach house, a fully operational Schlitz bar, ample parking, plenty of bedrooms & bathrooms and a stunning kitchen. The mansion has had some updates since originally constructed and is currently on the market.

Local entrepreneur and avid art collector Andy Nunemaker is the Mansion’s current owner. He serves as CEO and is the co-founder of Dynamis Corporation. Mr. Nunemaker’s art collection includes works from Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder as well as local artists. The variety and beauty of the pieces collected, in a wide range of artistic mediums, is a sight to behold. Mr. Nunemaker, his art collection and the mansion have been featured on www.jsonline.com, www.urbanmilwaukee.com and www.buildmke.org .

 

 

Want to see the mansion and the art collection up close & personal? Tickets will be available at the door for $40, so join your fellow Milwaukeeans and peruse Mr. Nunemaker’s art collection while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Watch as your true, personal story is transformed into a unique theatrical piece, a song, a poem or a painting courtesy of a local Milwaukee artist. Your purchase helps Ex Fabula expand its programming, which includes workshops, StorySlams and community collaborations, giving more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

 

All photos credited to REALTOR.com           

 

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by:

 

 

 

 

Mea Fabula Artist Profile: Tia Chianti Richardson

Do you have story that transcends words? Ever been the unwilling victim of a caricature portrait? Tia Chianti Richardson, a community-integrated artist based in Milwaukee, can solve both of those problems. She is a portrait artist, muralist, graphic designer and educator. Tia will live paint your true, personal story into what will no doubt be a beautiful and personal memento or gift.

Tia specializes in using group talking circles to support a space of generous listening to each other’s personal & collective stories. She then embodies the stories in the form of a mural. In her personal work, she uses oil and acrylic to create paintings about nature, Goddess and humanity. Tia is also a live painter for Playback Milwaukee Theatre Company, which uses a form of improv where audience members tell a true life story. They then watch as it’s played back on the spot using a mix of music, improv movement, spoken word and visual art. To view some of Tia’s creative works, visit her website, www.cosmic-butterfly.com. You can also check her out at https://www.facebook.com/PlaybackMilwaukee.

You’d like a piece of yourself forever immortalized in time don’t you? In order to have your own joy of painting experience visit http://meafabula.brownpapertickets.com to purchase your ticket for Mea Fabula today! Tickets are only $40! Your purchase & support helps Ex Fabula expand its programming, which includes workshops, StorySlams and community collaborations, giving more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by:

Mea Fabula Artists Profile: broadminded comedy

Ever wanted to experience something before it happens? Or maybe relive a moment in time, with a more hilarious, less embarrassing ending? The ladies of broadminded comedy, Milwaukee’s premier (and only) all-female sketch comedy group can make that a reality! The broads (Stacy Babl, Anne Graff LaDisa, Melissa Kingston and Megan McGee) will transform your true, personal story into comedy gold! You are more than welcome to record the chicas as they are replaying your story, which you can and should share with family, friends and perhaps the occasional stranger.

 The broads honed their comedic skills at ComedySportz Milwaukee and Chicago’s Second City Conservatory. In 2006 they awesomely combined their powers and began writing & performing sketches “By Women. For Everyone.” Their shows have been described as “both intelligent satire and straightforward comedy” (Russ Bickerstaff, ExpressMilwaukee). They have performed more than three hundred sketches at festivals, conferences, and parties throughout the Midwest.

Check out this hilarious video commercial parody, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sZtLxHIjrk, and this comical sketch titled “Dentist”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTsdiXjYBRU.

To really experience broadminded comedy in all of their riotous glory, purchase your ticket for Mea Fabula! Tickets are $40 and are available NOW for purchase at http://meafabula.brownpapertickets.com/. Don’t miss out on a chance to be a part of a unique storytelling experience! Your purchase helps Ex Fabula expand its programming, which includes StorySlams, workshops and community collaborations, giving more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

Website: www.broadmindedcomedy.com

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by:

Mea Fabula Artist Profile : Ben Merens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo credit: Richard Bublitz)

 

Do you have the music in you? Have you ever found yourself walking down the street, wishing everyone can hear the theme music in your head? Now you can! He can do it! As an improvisational singer/songwriter, Ben Merens transforms your personal tale into song, singing for you immediately after hearing you share your story. For the past three years, Ben can be found performing his craft professionally on the first Saturday of each month at Pop More Corks in Lake Geneva.

Merens is a professional storyteller, speaker and broadcaster. He is also a listening expert with two audio books to his credit, “People Are Dying To Be Heard” and “Uni-Tasking: 25 Tips For Better Listening.” about how to live and listen in the moment. A former talk radio host on Wisconsin Public Radio for more than twenty years, Ben now makes his living as a podcast co-host/instructor & conflict resolution trainer and coach. He works for Brand XLerator and The Vistelar Group located on Milwaukee’s East Side. Additionally, he is creating a storytelling school for business executives and others who want to hone their storytelling skills.

Check out this video of Ben at The Shops of Grand Avenue, practicing his craft for writer Lisa England: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dKZtI1eEPc. For more information regarding Ben & his work feel free to check out his website, www.benmerens.com.

Tune stuck in your head? Song in your heart? Get it out of there and come on down to Mea Fabula! Tickets are now on sale, for $40, and are available for purchase at http://meafabula.brownpapertickets.com/. Your purchase helps Ex Fabula expand its programming, which includes workshops, StorySlams and community collaborations, giving more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

 

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by:

Mea Fabula Artist Profile: Anja Notanja Sieger

                                                                                        (Photo credit: Kat Schleicher)

Anja Notanja Sieger is the founder of “La Prosette,” a one-woman typewriter performance writing service.  “La Prosette” has been featured on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA Today Online, MSN Hotmail News and Yahoo News.  You tell Anja your personal story and she can convert it into a typed response poem.

Writing letters requires Anja to pretend that for the duration of the composition she is the client.  You can become the superhero you’ve always dreamed of, gain closure regarding a lost love or finally have your Office Space moment. The finished product is suitable for framing, a treasured family keepsake or for having future generations of students read in English class! Anja’s live stories have won Milwaukee area slams held by Ex Fabula and the Pfister Hotel. Anja is currently an artist-in-resident at In Tandem Theatre and is the Pfister Hotel’s resident narrator. For more information regarding Anja & “La Prosette”, please check out the links below.

Want to experience “La Prosette” first hand? You’re in luck! Tickets for Mea Fabula are now on sale! Purchase yours for $40 at http://meafabula.brownpapertickets.com/. Your purchase will help Ex Fabula expand programming, which includes workshops, StorySlams and community collaborations, in order to give more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

Website: www.laprosette.com.

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by:

 

Ex Fabula Featured on Philanthroper.com on Friday Sept 23, 2011

A big thank you to Philanthroper.com for featuring Ex Fabula as its daily featured non-profit to support on Friday Sept 23rd, 2011! Our mission is to connect storytellers with live audiences to build stronger communities. We run a monthly story slam series from October to May in Milwaukee and do special projects oriented around sharing and listening to true, personal stories.

If you’ve come to our page through the Philanthroper site, welcome! Please look around as we have lots of stories to share in our archives.

Here are some of our favorites to get your started:

Cindy Grover’s Gifts story:

Watch Jeanie Dean’s Stranger in a Strange Land story:

You can click on the tags to the right for “Live Stories Audio” and “Ex Fabula Video” to hear and see more of our great stories.

Terminal Milwaukee is our latest special event series and takes us on a journey following one charismatic native son of Milwaukee, Tom Crawford. We are holding live events over the course of a year to revisit some of the neighborhoods of his life where he tells stories at each one, along with current neighborhood residents telling their own stories about the neighborhood. Historian John Gurda helps share the story of the neighborhood itself through historical vignettes told at each event.

Tom told his first great Ex Fabula story on the theme “Busted”:

You can watch a trailer for the Terminal Milwaukee series here:

Thank you for checking out  Ex Fabula!