The first show of season two of “Long Beach Searches for the Greatest Storyteller” will kick off Sunday, April 29 at 7pm at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., where the audience and judges will vote. A cash prize of $100 will be awarded each show to the storyteller with the most votes. The summer, fall and winter shows will follow, culminating on Dec. 30 when the top two storytellers from prior shows compete for the title.
This season, six stories will be pre-selected from email entries, and four stories will be chosen by the audience. There is still time to enter and the rules are simple: Tell a five-minute true story that happened to you on any subject.
“When we started out, I didn’t know whether to have two categories, one for the stories read and a separate category for people who told their tale,” said producer Mariana Williams. “I’m a writer, so I wanted to encourage people to use something they wrote. The audience loved both styles, and in the end it never mattered. Read or said, everyone is entertained, and the two-hour show flies by.”
With the $5 entrance fee, each audience member receives a ballot to choose their top two favorites. Each judge’s vote counts as five. Judges will be: women’s surfing pioneer Jericho Poppler Bartlow; Long Beach City College literature instructor Char Howard; editor and author Harry Saltzgaver; and community activist/educator Jonathan Schnack.
Wine and beer will be available during intermission in the gallery. All ages are invited.
To submit a story, go to lbplayhouse.org/mainstage/special events .
More Information
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