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2nd Thursday of Every Month Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro 3905 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago 7:30 PM (Doors at 7:00) FREE |
This Much Is True is the longest running monthly storytelling show in Chicago, IL. (Since 2008). Every month, we come together 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.
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.
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.
February 13th Cast
Lisa DeSantiago
Lisa DeSantiago follows in the footsteps of her island ancestors, whose stories of resilience and survival offered her life lessons, love, and hope. As a non-formal educator, she shares stories from the past and the present with urban youth, so that they might learn to acknowledge and respect the power of their ancestors. The power that offers these teens the choice to work for positive change. A proud crone and purveyor of peace, Lisa pictures herself sitting in a peace circle on a Caribbean beach trading stories for coconuts and conversation.
Louis Greenwald
In 1985 or so, Louis Greenwald was dragged to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, by his teacher wife, Susie. She promised he would love storytelling because she knew no one had ever told Louis stories when he was young. She also promised that if he didn’t like the stories, they would be in the Smokey Mountains the next day. Susie was right. Louis has promoted 6 storytelling festivals in his home town of Highland Park and for the last 5 years took a giant step and started telling stories himself. He has told at Short Story Theatre in Highwood, This Much is True, Story Lab, Soul Stories Live, Filet of Solo in Chicago; and has won a Moth 1st place in Chicago and told at other Moth venues. Louis also has coached other tellers and is continues to travel to Jonesborough, to hear and watch the greatest storytellers in the world. He has been known to steal other tellers’ techniques. Louis said, "Storytelling is how we understand the world, as we are always telling a story to ourselves, whether we realize it or not.
Lauren Kee
Lauren has been telling stories since the summer of 2021. It all began when she took an intro to storytelling workshop with Scott Whitehair. She remembers feeling uncertain as she pushed her bike past a gate, entered a backyard sanctuary, and sat around a fire pit with five other women, equally eager to learn this beautiful and reflective artform. Lauren has told stories at This Much is True, Pour One Out, Tenx9, the Moth, Is This a Thing, Story Sessions, and countless Do Not Submit events across the city. She always practices her stories with her cat, Logan, and by sending voice memos to friends across the country. Lauren gets inspiration from her fellow Chicago storytellers and from Taylor Swift. You can check out her stories on Instagram at _laurentellsstories. Lauren works as a project manager at Braven, where she helps low-income college students find fulfilling career paths.
Amy Meadows
Amy is a designer, artist and educator living in Chicago. Enjoying her now-empty nest, she also spends time gardening, cooking and correcting other people’s grammar (with or without their permission)
Jeremy Van Kley
Jeremy Van Kley is a lifelong Midwesterner who grew up around corn and football. He’s worn numerous hats in his life—from teaching to preaching to sales—and in 2024 he added storytelling to that list. In the past year Jeremy has had the privilege of performing at Yarn Factory Listeners in Kankakee and the Westside Improve in Wheaton. Husband to Stacey and father to 3 incredible adult children, Jeremy loves a lot of things in addition to his family, most notably food, coffee, live music, reading cookbooks, watching the Cubs, walking in the woods, looking at art, and making new friends. Regarding that last one, he enjoys just about anything that involves connecting with others. So, if you’re up for it, there’s a pretty good chance Jeremy will want to grab a drink with you (and watch the Cubs).
Katherine Eid Wild
Katherine Eid Wild was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to her American mother and Lebanese father. At 18, she visited Lebanon for the first time, where she met her grandmother and connected with the place she had only known through her father's stories. At 20, Katherine set off on a solo adventure with a one-way ticket to Hawaii, where she began writing. In 2022, at 33, she earned her BA in Cinematic Arts and New Media from Maharishi International University. Her work is shaped by the practice of dreamwork, time spent in nature, and the rich tapestry of her family’s stories. Known for her poetic style and ‘stories within stories,’ Katherine’s intergenerational work invites audiences right into the heart of her inner world. Her film, A Spring for Ali, has been screened at festivals from the Arab American Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, to Beirut, Lebanon. Recently, she was named a finalist in the International Storytelling Festival story slam. Her story podcast, Wild Storytelling, debuts December 2024. Katherine’s love of travel has taken her all over the world, but nowhere does she feel more enlivened than in Lebanon, where she now spends time regularly. She currently resides in Fairfield, Iowa, with her husband, where she sings, writes, and takes to the stage at every opportunity.
Scott Whitehair
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 850+ 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. He is a 2024 Meier Achievement Award winner.
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 850+ 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. He is a 2024 Meier Achievement Award winner.