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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.
August 14th Cast
Rebecca Anderson
Rev. Rebecca Anderson is a co-pastor at Bethany UCC, a 129-year old neighborhood church. She's one of the founding pastors of Gilead, a queer storytelling bar church that lived for 8 years on the north side. As the founder of Earshot Stories she also speaks, leads workshops, and creates events across the country. She’s a storyteller, weaver, gardener, fair-weather cyclist, starry-eyed pessimist, and is always looking for the least crowded forest preserves. Her biscuits are unparalleled, and she knows the best places to pick juneberries. She almost certainly wants to have coffee with you.
Rick Hall
After seeing Rick’s one man show, “Pigboy”, based on his life growing up on a pig farm in Illinois, Second City producer, Joyce Sloane, dubbed him “a modern day Mark Twain”. The New York Times described his storytelling as “spellbinding.” Rick has performed his stories at countless small venues as well as corporate conventions and was chosen by HBO to perform at the Comedy Arts festival in Aspen. Rick continues to take audiences on a ride with his newest stories about his journey from farm boy to actor in Los Angeles and now back to his roots in the Midwest. You can check out more of Rick’s stories on his podcast, “So Sez Rick."
Marcia Kittler
At age 14, Marcia discovered the magic of storytelling in freshman year Speech, when her spider stories garnered satisfying squeals from her classmates. A member of Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations community, Marcia has performed dozens of personal narratives for the Goodman including Citywide and Lobby Stories, for Story Lab, and at open mics. She has been onstage in two Fillet of Solo Festivals and at Voicebox. An Illinois Extension Master Naturalist, Marcia tells stories in the woods. A retired national sales executive, Marcia finds storytelling a relaxing counterpoint to 20 years of using this gift to compete for contracts. Indeed, entertaining audiences is more fun! Marcia is delighted to be invited to participate in “This Much Is True.”
Muteeat Lawal
Muteeat Lawal began her storytelling journey a long time ago. as a young girl growing up in the Baptist church she quickly overcame her fear of public speaking. When she joined Toastmasters International in 2005, her goal was to learn how to effectively deliver a speech in the time frame allotted ... And well, she’s still working on that! It was in Toastmasters however, that she discovered her storytelling voice. She’s currently a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers as well as ASE (ah-shay) the Chicago affiliate of NABS. In December of 2019, she completed training under TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation) Chicago, and she currently works as a racial healing practitioner. Stories are the vehicle she uses to connect with people within their heart space.
Ursa Miles
Ursa Miles is an Ozark-born and Chicago-based storyteller. She spent her early years playing on the dusty floors of her grandparents’ boat shop taking in the tall tales of fishermen and boat builders. Her love of stories led her to pursue a degree in theatre and speech education followed by another degree in storytelling performance. She now passionately works to encourage variety and innovation in folk telling. She is currently touring her solo show, Ozark Phantasmagoria. Her book, Passive Aggressive Fables for Adults, is available wherever books are sold. She also loves cheesecake.
Matt O'Leary
Matt O'Leary loves his cat and loves telling stories. If there's anything else you want to know, find him after the show and ask him.
Diamond Tucker
As the youngest of seven children, Diamond has found herself with many stories to tell, and she has learned that there are always multiple versions of the same story. A true lover of music and
personal narrative, Diamond makes it a practice to listen to the voices around her. She has traveled the world collecting diverse perspectives and has made a career out of hearing the stories of others. Despite the pushback, she still believes that Oreo cookies are better without the cream filling.
personal narrative, Diamond makes it a practice to listen to the voices around her. She has traveled the world collecting diverse perspectives and has made a career out of hearing the stories of others. Despite the pushback, she still believes that Oreo cookies are better without the cream filling.
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 900+ 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 900+ 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.