True Stories Told Live Toronto

We’ll have full details up here soon, but just to let you know that the next show will be Monday September 29th at The Garrison, Dundas and Ossington, doors 7.15, show 8pm. Free entry as ever.

On a bit of a whim, I’ve decided to have a show around the fire pit at Dufferin Grove.

We’re only legally allowed 50 people there, so I’ve not put posters up, and am only announcing it now. As we’re a bit tight for space, I’d hold off holding your Staff Summer Party at this one. But I’d love to see you there. All the storytellers are seasoned and brilliant – I’ll remind you of which you’ve seen before:

TRUE STORIES TOLD LIVE – BY FIRELIGHT

Tuesday 17th June @ Dufferin Grove Fire pit

Gather 7.30pm. STORIES START 8PM SHARP

FREE

Sage Tyrtle
Becky Bays
Clare Farmer
Marilla Wex
Paul Hutcheson

Hosted by me, Marsha Shandur

BYOM
(Bring Your Own Marshmallows)

(and byot – Bring Your Own Tarpaulin. But don’t byob – we don’t want to get shut down. Thanks!)

Limit: 50 people!

Here are those reminders:

Sage Tyrtle recently told the story of living in the yurt with her two year old – and will here, be telling a kid-friendly story.

Becky Bays will be telling one of my favourite True Stories OF ALL TIME. She’s a very funny lady.

Clare Farmer a few months ago, played guitar and told us the HILARIOUS story about singing at the wedding of her room-mate and the room-mates husband-slash-professor

Marilla Wex is one of the best storytellers I know and, if she’s telling the one I hope she is, has ROYALTY in her story

Paul Hutcheson at March’s TSTL told the story about the first visit to his sweetheart’s parents, and how his stomach didn’t agree with the evening, that had the whole of The Garrison literally SCREAMING with laughter.

See you there!
x

(Photo to come!)

Stories not for the faint this month!

Bryan Spitz began with the astonishing story of how, aged 31 – and perfectly healthy – he had a heart attack. There were so many striking parts but the one that stood out for me was how surreal he found it, hearing distant ambulance sirens and knowing that they were coming for him.

Next, Rob Norman melted each of us (and made us snort laughing through our “aw”s) by telling us about his first big love crush – and how she reacted when he declared it to her. He’s now with someone else… though this first may have had an influence. You can find out more about his AMAZING comedy group, Mantown, at mantown.ca.

Our musical turn of the night was the magnetic Jeni Walls, who talked us through her first big musical crush and proper rock concert, and why Alanis is responsible for her current career choice. You can keep up with her shows by following her on twitter, here: @Jeni_Walls.

After the break, Erin Rodgers made the entire room simultaneously weep with laughter and fall wildly in love with her, as she relayed her attempts to haul herself out of depression by going to her first ever burlesque class. In sweatpants and two cardigans. While singing the Rocky theme song to herself. Erin runs AMAZING events and mixers, which you can learn more about at 42plusone.ca.

We topped the show with our first ever story that had a warning attached to it, for the squeamish or easily nauseated. Ted Morris told us the fascinating – and, let’s be honest, pretty gross – story about his summer spent working at a slaughterhouse. Thankfully, he avoided getting thrown in the blood pit. (There was a blood pit). Ted is also a WONDERFUL stand up – you can hear him telling more funny stories (many about his day job as a vet) here: tedmorris.ca.

The night, as ever, was hosted by me, Marsha.

Thanks so much to you lot for being such an awesome audience, truly the best one in Toronto. Thanks also for your game-ness when it came to taking part in one of my videos for YesYesMarsha.com. You can see yourself screaming about your Dork Goblin, here:

Next official show at The Garrison will be Wednesday July 30th at 8pm.

If you want to get notifications of the shows (and a reminder the day before), then you can join the (very infrequent) email list by clicking on this sentence.

You rule!

xMarsha

Last show until July!

True Stories Told Live
Tuesday April 29th @ The Garrison, Dundas St W @ Ossington, just a few steps West of it.

Doors 7.15pm, (come early if you want a seat), stories start 8pm sharp.
(latecomers admitted very quietly)

7.20pm-7.55pm: Story Discussion Group (optional, in a small corner of the room). We discuss storytelling and related things. Anyone welcome, at any point during that time! It’ll then run again during the intermission.

FREE ENTRY (no tickets required)

Turns for this month:

Rob Norman
Erin Rogers
Jenni Walls
Brian Spitz
Ted Morris

Hosted by me, Marsha Shandur, of www.yesyesmarsha.com.

Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/387532061386303

Please do join our  Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/truestoriestoronto

If you want to find out about each new show, I send emails no more than twice a month (and usually not that often). You can join the list for show reminders here: http://yym.ca/tstlto
See you there!

Marsha

I’m going to be totally honest – I thought this show would be less busy than the last.
Then the CBC got in touch and asked me to be Here & Now to talk about TSTL… and also, loads of wonderful people showed up. Thank you!

TSTLTO! L-R: Stephanie Fowler; Francis Brian Shaw; Raven Shields; Marsha Shandur; Paul Hutcheson; Sage Tyrtle

Sage Tyrtle was first on the stage, telling us, what was almost a true horror story, based in the time she, her husband and their baby lived in a yurt in the woods. To find out more about Sage, her upcoming show in the Soulo Festival, and her LIFE-CHANGING storytelling workshops, go to Tyrtle.com.

Next, Francis Brian Shaw confessed to having worked in McDonald’s in his youth, told us some of the pranks he got up to – and how he got to remind old friends of them when they least expected it. You can find him on twitter @FBSisnothere and on facebook HERE.

Our musician was Raven Shields. You know when you’re a music-obsessed kid and there’s one band you LOVE? Raven does, and she got to play with them – THE band – when she was still at school. A lovely story of a dream come true, and a beautiful song to seal it in. Find out more about her band, Dear Sister, on their site, dearsister.ca and their bandcamp page, HERE.

Stephanie Fowler spent years living in Hong Kong, in a Golden Handcuffs kind of job. Her story was about this, the good and the bad, and the point where she realised she didn’t have to base her decisions on what other people thought. The amazing company that she founded within her new-found freedom is here: www.sandcastletheatre.com.

Finally, Paul Hutcheson had us gasping and literally SCREAMING with horror and laughter. One of my favourite ever TSTLTO moments happened when, after he said, “and my stomach did this – double-flip“, a group of people in one corner of the audience all went, “UH-OH”. It was so awesome. I don’t know the last time I’ve laughed that hard and that long. You can find Paul on twitter @WogProductions and Facebook HERE. I recommend you do.

Finally, the video I asked you to help me make is up on my site. It features you lot, and George Clooney. (sort of)
Here:

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone that came. You were truly an AMAZING audience – those storytellers that do this a lot couldn’t get over how amazing.

Next show is Tuesday April 29th, then we’re off until July. So hopefully see you there!

xMarsha

PS If you’re interested to know what else I get up to – and see more silly videos like that one – you can take a look at my website, where I teach people how to do networking that’s actually FUN, here:
YesYesMarsha.com

What a show! If you came, THANK YOU for being the most incredible audience in this wonderful city. You RULE!

A full report will go up in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, here are all the links I promised you from last night’s show:

The Toronto Storytelling Festival, which starts this friday & runs to April 6th:
http://www.torontostorytellingfestival.ca
The show I’m doing this Saturday in the East end (Queen & Parliament) is here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/643090369078771
Sage Tyrtle (Bear; Yurt)’s site (including info on her LIFE-CHANGING storytelling workshops) is here:
http://www.tyrtle.com
You can find Francis Brian Shaw (MaccyD’s; Sauce Bros) here: https://www.facebook.com/FrancisBrianShawComic and on twitter here:

Raven Sheilds(School band; THE Band; Woodstock)’s band Dear Sister are:
http://dearsister.ca/
http://dearsister.bandcamp.com/
Stephanie Fowler(Honk Kong)’s company (one of the amazing things she was brave enough to do after the incidents of her story) is here:
http://www.sandcastletheatre.com/
Also, it was only the second time she’s ever told a story on stage EVER. Isn’t that amazing??
Paul Hutcheson (emergency bathroom need; new sweetheart sees it all) is on facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/WogProductions, and on twitter here:
https://twitter.com/WogProductions
Finally, my website where I show you how to do networking that’s actually fun and make the blogs that sometimes feature you lot is:
http://www.YesYesMarsha.com
And below is a video I made that featured a previous TSTL audience (the “open me!” bit).

A particular thanks for everyone who got involved in the Story Discussion Group – we’ll definitely make this a regular thing! You’ll even get your own chairs assigned next time.

And thanks to my amazing Story Commander Olivia Rafferty, who holds the whole event together at the seams, and reduces my stress-level by about 40,000,000 %.

And of course all the ridiculously talented storytellers!

But mostly to you, for being literally the best audience in Toronto. I’m so happy you’re in the True Stories Told Live family

Next show Tues April 29th @ The Garrison!
xxxx

This coming Tuesday (25th) let’s cosy up away from the last of winter with five true stories at The Garrison.

It’s FREE ENTRY. Doors are at 7.15pm, show starts at 8, but get there a bit earlier than that if you want a seat. Also this month, for people coming alone, or people who like to discuss things, we’re starting the

STORY DISCUSSION GROUP. It’ll run 7.30-7.55pm, then again during the intermission. Anyone is welcome, at any point of the evening.

First of all WOAH! I have to confess, I kind of fronted to the lovely gent who books The Garrison that I could bring 50 people. In honesty, I thought we’d be lucky to get 30 (dead of winter, two months off).

Then 140 of you showed up!! It was rad! And you were an AWESOME audience. Thank you so much to everyone who came for being so enthusiastic and respectful in the stories. You were quiet in the quiet bits, loud with your laughing, and gasped in all the right places!

L-R: Robert Keller, Claire, Marsha Shandur, Anto Chan, Ashley Sirianni, Phil Lortie

Our first storyteller was Anto Chan, whose story started with him being mean to a girl he liked (who doesn’t recognise that move?), and ended with her rescuing him from the cops – and becoming his long term love. He was followed by Phil Lortie, who took us deep into the thick of some horsefly-infested creek waters – and taught us that, sometimes, you have to ignore how far you’ve already come and just turn and go back.

Our musical guest was the incredible Claire. Claire was asked to sing at the wedding of her old room-mate to her MUCH older former professor. She didn’t tell us what the song was in advance – and the point where our audience recognised that it was Don’t Stand So Close To Me was one of my favourite in TSTL history. There were horrified squeals of recognition.

After the break, Ashley Sirianni took us to my home country, on a visit to Stone Henge that had her meeting a shaman, who gave her mystical wisdom – and made her miss the bus back to London. You can find Ashley on twitter at @followthetrizzl, or find out about her upcoming stand-up shows at ashleysirianni.com. The show was finished by Robert Keller, telling a story I’ve now heard five times and STILL find gripping, about how he managed to gatecrash not one, but TWO Saturday Night Live VIP After Parties – and convince a member of the cast that he and she are old friends. I was up the back of the room for this, and one audience member spent almost the entire story with his head clutched tight in his hands. Robert’s on twitter at @TheRobertKeller and his website (which includes a list of his stand-up shows, plus news about his award-winning web series Gay Nerds) is roberthkeller.com.

Thanks again if you came. For being a wicked audience for the stories, for bearing with my giddy excitement at how many of you there were, AND for paying your ‘entry fee’ in the form of helping me put away chairs, keeping an eye out for the senior citizen I’ve lost and want to find (Julie, Polish, 6’2″, bitter, hilarious), and letting me record you for my YesYesMarsha.com videos. In case you didn’t yet see it – here’s your starring role:

The next show is this Tuesday 25th March, 7.15 for 8pm at The Garrison. More in the post after this, or you can find the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1412254282364007

Thanks!

Marsha

PS if you want out more about what I do when I’m not running and hosting this show (which includes making videos like that one, but usually with more practical how-to advice on how to do networking that’s actually FUN, and more wigs), you can have a look here: YesYesMarsha.com