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2nd Tuesday of Every Month Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro 3905 N Lincoln, Chicago 7:30 PM FREE (Doors open at 6:00) |
This Much Is True is one of the longest running storytelling shows in Chicago, IL. Every month, we come together in the cozy upstairs lounge of one of the city's finest pubs for an evening of true personal stories from some of Chicago's most fascinating people. An all new cast takes the stage each month to let you in on the heartbreaking, the hilarious, and everything in between.
TMIT is intimate. You'll feel like you have joined friends to share life experiences over a few pints.
Past guests have included writers, actors, chefs, theologians, SNL alums, musicians, bloggers, activists, professional storytellers, comedians, and more from our city and around the world.
We hope that you can join us.
TMIT is intimate. You'll feel like you have joined friends to share life experiences over a few pints.
Past guests have included writers, actors, chefs, theologians, SNL alums, musicians, bloggers, activists, professional storytellers, comedians, and more from our city and around the world.
We hope that you can join us.
On Tuesday, October 9th,
We celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary
Featuring the return of original cast members, live music,
some good friends, and, of course, cake for all.
We celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary
Featuring the return of original cast members, live music,
some good friends, and, of course, cake for all.
James Conway (musical guest)
James will play from 6:30 until the storytelling begins at 7:30.
James Conway is an active musician in the Chicago music scene. He plays in several formats but mainly solo acoustic and with his Celtic power trio, The Boils. Heavily influenced by acoustic greats such as Neil Young, Merle Travis, Bo Carter, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, James uses fingerpicking, slide guitar, rack-harmonica, and a variety of tunings to perform tasty renditions of songs from the folk and country blues genres. In the Celtic scene, Conway plays the traditional dance music of Ireland on tin whistles and harmonicas. Playing the fast-tempo reels and jigs on the mouth harp isn’t a common or easy feat but James does it convincingly using advanced techniques he learned from local blues/jazz harp heroes such as Junior Wells, Sugar Blue, and Howard Levy. He does a variety of musically instructional stuff (workshops, seminars, private lessons) at places in his hood and beyond such as Hogeye Music, Old Town School of Folk Music, Northwestern University, and SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica). James has performed and/or taught at places such as: Les Harmonicales Festival (France), An Ri Ra Festival (Butte, Montana), Steppenwolf Theater, Long Wharf Theater, The Indy Palladium, and Wicker Park’s Smoke Daddy. Conway received both a Fellowship Award and a Master/Apprenticeship Award from the Illinois Arts Council during one of his rare productive periods. James Conway has an endorsement with Hohner Harmonica.
James Conway is an active musician in the Chicago music scene. He plays in several formats but mainly solo acoustic and with his Celtic power trio, The Boils. Heavily influenced by acoustic greats such as Neil Young, Merle Travis, Bo Carter, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, James uses fingerpicking, slide guitar, rack-harmonica, and a variety of tunings to perform tasty renditions of songs from the folk and country blues genres. In the Celtic scene, Conway plays the traditional dance music of Ireland on tin whistles and harmonicas. Playing the fast-tempo reels and jigs on the mouth harp isn’t a common or easy feat but James does it convincingly using advanced techniques he learned from local blues/jazz harp heroes such as Junior Wells, Sugar Blue, and Howard Levy. He does a variety of musically instructional stuff (workshops, seminars, private lessons) at places in his hood and beyond such as Hogeye Music, Old Town School of Folk Music, Northwestern University, and SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica). James has performed and/or taught at places such as: Les Harmonicales Festival (France), An Ri Ra Festival (Butte, Montana), Steppenwolf Theater, Long Wharf Theater, The Indy Palladium, and Wicker Park’s Smoke Daddy. Conway received both a Fellowship Award and a Master/Apprenticeship Award from the Illinois Arts Council during one of his rare productive periods. James Conway has an endorsement with Hohner Harmonica.
Dorrie Ferguson
Founding member of This Much Is True
Dorrie Ferguson is a storyteller, improviser, animal enthusiast and recent pie baking competition champion. Dorrie is passionate about the power of stories to bring healing and connection. She stepped away from preforming to complete her doctorate in psychology, and she is delighted to return to her This Much is True roots.
Dorrie Ferguson is a storyteller, improviser, animal enthusiast and recent pie baking competition champion. Dorrie is passionate about the power of stories to bring healing and connection. She stepped away from preforming to complete her doctorate in psychology, and she is delighted to return to her This Much is True roots.
Jill Howe
Jill is a longtime friend of This Much Is True, past performer, frequent photographer, and substitute host.
Jill Howe is the producer of Story Sessions, teaches storytelling writing retreats, and presented a TEDx Talk focusing on vulnerability through storytelling. Jill shares her stories at bars and theaters all around Chicagoland and, as a resident storyteller at The Field Museum, she develops kid-friendly true stories about dinosaurs and other fascinating creatures.
Jill Howe is the producer of Story Sessions, teaches storytelling writing retreats, and presented a TEDx Talk focusing on vulnerability through storytelling. Jill shares her stories at bars and theaters all around Chicagoland and, as a resident storyteller at The Field Museum, she develops kid-friendly true stories about dinosaurs and other fascinating creatures.
Larry Kerns
Founding member of This Much Is True
Larry Kerns is a husband, father, grandfather, child psychiatrist and writer. Since last telling a story at TMIT he has been in and out of rehab multiple times. (For his legs.) But that’s a story for another time. Larry is honored and delighted to be back with his good friends for the 10th Anniversary show!
Larry Kerns is a husband, father, grandfather, child psychiatrist and writer. Since last telling a story at TMIT he has been in and out of rehab multiple times. (For his legs.) But that’s a story for another time. Larry is honored and delighted to be back with his good friends for the 10th Anniversary show!
Paula Killen
Paula taught the workshop at The Annoyance Theater which inspired and spawned This Much Is True.
Currently lives in Los Angeles with her son, Zion, who is captain of the East Valley High Varsity Basketball team— hence she spends her time screaming from the sidelines and driving around a lot—listening to the radio and pondering her fate. Since becoming a screenwriter in 2009, Killen has sold 12 feature scripts to major studios including Paramount, Fox, Disney and Lionsgate. Her comedy feature, Fully Loaded, was produced by Adam McKay and distributed by STARZ after winning numerous awards at film festivals. Killen went on to develop two more comedy features for Gary Sanchez Productions (Adam McKay/Will Ferrell) and win a coveted spot in the Fox Writers Studio, headed by Nicky Weinstock. Having recently begun her transition into television, Killen’s worked closely with showrunner, Adi Hasak @Adi TV, helping to develop the NBC hit series, Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez and Eye Witness for the USA Network and she most recently sold an original MOW to USA entitled, Xmas Carol. Currently, she has numerous projects in development, that feature contemporary women and girls in real world situations, who (by proxy) struggle with age-old issues like race, sex and politics, but with humor – because her goal is to make people laugh while telling significant stories of female survival, empowerment and destruction that advance the conversation and contribute to social change. Killen has a national reputation as an actor, playwright and monologist; her hit solo show, The State I’m In, premiered at the Goodman Theater in Chicago and the later remount at La Mama in NYC, was collaborated on and produced by David Sedaris. She created The Big Goddess PowWow with Lisa Buscani and performed numerous times in Brigid Murphy’s, Milly’s Orchid Show. Her original musical, Music Kills a Memory, ran intermittently for 10 years, and toured nationally. Killen has returned to Chicago over the years to teach and premier new works including: Still Life with Blue at the MCA, Since I’ve Been Gone at the Prop Thtr and Sweet Ride, (directed by Susan Messing) at the Annoyance. Killen’s commentaries/ essays have been heard on NPR and in LA at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Improv, The Taper (to name a few). She was a regular guest at Jill Solloway’s, Sit and Spin and long-time host of Write Club at the Bootleg. A few of the award winning plays Killen has directed/developed include: Lepricano by Antonio Sacre (“Best Of” the Fringe NY and LA) and Kimleigh Smith’s international mega-hit, Totally Kimleigh.
Currently lives in Los Angeles with her son, Zion, who is captain of the East Valley High Varsity Basketball team— hence she spends her time screaming from the sidelines and driving around a lot—listening to the radio and pondering her fate. Since becoming a screenwriter in 2009, Killen has sold 12 feature scripts to major studios including Paramount, Fox, Disney and Lionsgate. Her comedy feature, Fully Loaded, was produced by Adam McKay and distributed by STARZ after winning numerous awards at film festivals. Killen went on to develop two more comedy features for Gary Sanchez Productions (Adam McKay/Will Ferrell) and win a coveted spot in the Fox Writers Studio, headed by Nicky Weinstock. Having recently begun her transition into television, Killen’s worked closely with showrunner, Adi Hasak @Adi TV, helping to develop the NBC hit series, Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez and Eye Witness for the USA Network and she most recently sold an original MOW to USA entitled, Xmas Carol. Currently, she has numerous projects in development, that feature contemporary women and girls in real world situations, who (by proxy) struggle with age-old issues like race, sex and politics, but with humor – because her goal is to make people laugh while telling significant stories of female survival, empowerment and destruction that advance the conversation and contribute to social change. Killen has a national reputation as an actor, playwright and monologist; her hit solo show, The State I’m In, premiered at the Goodman Theater in Chicago and the later remount at La Mama in NYC, was collaborated on and produced by David Sedaris. She created The Big Goddess PowWow with Lisa Buscani and performed numerous times in Brigid Murphy’s, Milly’s Orchid Show. Her original musical, Music Kills a Memory, ran intermittently for 10 years, and toured nationally. Killen has returned to Chicago over the years to teach and premier new works including: Still Life with Blue at the MCA, Since I’ve Been Gone at the Prop Thtr and Sweet Ride, (directed by Susan Messing) at the Annoyance. Killen’s commentaries/ essays have been heard on NPR and in LA at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Improv, The Taper (to name a few). She was a regular guest at Jill Solloway’s, Sit and Spin and long-time host of Write Club at the Bootleg. A few of the award winning plays Killen has directed/developed include: Lepricano by Antonio Sacre (“Best Of” the Fringe NY and LA) and Kimleigh Smith’s international mega-hit, Totally Kimleigh.
Arlene Malinowski
Arlene was the featured guest at the first ever performance of This Much Is True.
As actor, playwright, educator Arlene views her solo work as an artistic extension of the social justice work she has been committed to for the last 25 years. Her 5 award winning solo shows have been produced nationally and abroad. She is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists Theater where she teaches, a recipient of a 3 Arts/UIC Fellowship. Her newest solo show “A Little Bit Not Normal” chronicles her journey through mental illness and naming it, claiming it and standing to be counted.. arlenemalinowski.com
As actor, playwright, educator Arlene views her solo work as an artistic extension of the social justice work she has been committed to for the last 25 years. Her 5 award winning solo shows have been produced nationally and abroad. She is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists Theater where she teaches, a recipient of a 3 Arts/UIC Fellowship. Her newest solo show “A Little Bit Not Normal” chronicles her journey through mental illness and naming it, claiming it and standing to be counted.. arlenemalinowski.com
Jeremy Strozer
Jeremy was a participant in the original workshop, and a member of Horse 2 Water, the performance group which eventually became This Much Is True.
Jeremy Strozer is a military history buff writing first-person historical flash-fiction of The 20th Century’s War. He trained in international security policy, improvisational acting and story-telling to become a Fulbright Fellow, a Presidential Management Fellow, and work with people around the world to remove unexploded ordnance from war-ravaged countries; stem the flow of the world's most dangerous weapons; and reduce the likelihood of war between the world’s most powerful countries. Jeremy lives in Falls Church, Virginia with his family where he works to reduce the human cost of war through writing his Threads of The War series.
Jeremy Strozer is a military history buff writing first-person historical flash-fiction of The 20th Century’s War. He trained in international security policy, improvisational acting and story-telling to become a Fulbright Fellow, a Presidential Management Fellow, and work with people around the world to remove unexploded ordnance from war-ravaged countries; stem the flow of the world's most dangerous weapons; and reduce the likelihood of war between the world’s most powerful countries. Jeremy lives in Falls Church, Virginia with his family where he works to reduce the human cost of war through writing his Threads of The War series.
Dan Terkell
If anyone exemplifies the spirit of the city's storytelling community, both as a performer and constant audience member, it's the one they call "Dan, Dan, The Chicago Man."
A lifelong city kid, Dan has been an eyewitness to, and sometime participant in the urban circus that is Chicago since the 1950s. For all his lengthy work life, he's held straight jobs including budget analyst and planner, copywriter, teacher, and CTA bus pilot. A shameless bleeding-heart liberal, Dan also publishes a politically-fueled blog, Hardwired to Reason. Incidentally, that candelabra in the photo is not an optical illusion. It really is implanted in his skull. He believes in spreading the light by being the light (with all due respect to Yoga Bhajan).
A lifelong city kid, Dan has been an eyewitness to, and sometime participant in the urban circus that is Chicago since the 1950s. For all his lengthy work life, he's held straight jobs including budget analyst and planner, copywriter, teacher, and CTA bus pilot. A shameless bleeding-heart liberal, Dan also publishes a politically-fueled blog, Hardwired to Reason. Incidentally, that candelabra in the photo is not an optical illusion. It really is implanted in his skull. He believes in spreading the light by being the light (with all due respect to Yoga Bhajan).
Nadine Warner
Founding member of This Much Is True
Nadine C. Warner is an award-winning writer and storyteller. She has performed with 2nd Story, SKALD, This Much Is True, WBEZ’s Vocalo, and OutSpoken. Her work as appeared in The Huffington Post, MsFit Magazine, and the anthologies, Windy City Queer and Listen to Your Mother. She draws inspiration from her completely exhausting – yet thoroughly entertaining – family.
Nadine C. Warner is an award-winning writer and storyteller. She has performed with 2nd Story, SKALD, This Much Is True, WBEZ’s Vocalo, and OutSpoken. Her work as appeared in The Huffington Post, MsFit Magazine, and the anthologies, Windy City Queer and Listen to Your Mother. She draws inspiration from her completely exhausting – yet thoroughly entertaining – family.
Scott Whitehair
Founding member and current host/producer of This Much Is True
Scott Whitehair is a storyteller, teacher, and producer living in Chicago, IL. He is the producer of This Much Is True, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 500+ new storytellers on stage since 2011, and director of Do Not Submit, a grassroots network of open mics across the city bringing people together to connect with each other. Scott tells anywhere someone will listen, including The National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place, Steppenwolf Theater, the historic Green Mill, and on NPR, the Risk podcast, and Siruis XM. He is a frequent guest instructor at the city's top universities, and his personal narrative class has been selling out every month since 2012. Scott is in demand as a coach and trainer, spending his days helping individuals, companies, and non-profits develop their voices as storytellers. In 2014, he was the featured instructor at Hong Kong Story Worthy Week, headlined by David Sedaris, and in 2015 taught an intensive at All Hallows College in Dublin.
Scott Whitehair is a storyteller, teacher, and producer living in Chicago, IL. He is the producer of This Much Is True, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 500+ new storytellers on stage since 2011, and director of Do Not Submit, a grassroots network of open mics across the city bringing people together to connect with each other. Scott tells anywhere someone will listen, including The National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place, Steppenwolf Theater, the historic Green Mill, and on NPR, the Risk podcast, and Siruis XM. He is a frequent guest instructor at the city's top universities, and his personal narrative class has been selling out every month since 2012. Scott is in demand as a coach and trainer, spending his days helping individuals, companies, and non-profits develop their voices as storytellers. In 2014, he was the featured instructor at Hong Kong Story Worthy Week, headlined by David Sedaris, and in 2015 taught an intensive at All Hallows College in Dublin.