During her adolescence, Bonnie Levison was humiliated by her height. She stood taller than practically all of the boys in her grade during middle school, and she could rarely shake the feeling of discomfort and insecurity. Although a moment of spontaneity would change everything for her, when she decided to take part in a nude photoshoot on a beach in Nantucket.
On stage at the Tabernacle, Levison’s relatable, comical and at times moving story was told during The Moth’s event Saturday evening. Four other stories followed, each illuminating the space with inspiring words.
Running for about 27 years total, The Moth has come to the Vineyard every couple of years, according to co-producer Chloë Muñoz. In addition to live shows, The Moth has a global radio presence with The Moth Radio Hour, produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole.
Bliss Broyard, a previous director and storyteller with The Moth, said she brought it to the Vineyard a little under 20 years ago, knowing the Vineyard community would have plenty of their own stories to tell.
The Tabernacle’s benches were filled, and the audience listened, laughed, and even shed a couple of tears over the course of the two hour event.
“Everyone has a different approach to storytelling. The styles are different,” said host and Emmy-nominated author Jon Goode. “Some people will be animated, some people will be more laid back.”
Yuliana Kim, among the more animated of speakers, began her journey in navigating her chronic depression after having her son. She was frustrated and tired, especially with her own consistent overachieving and competitive tendencies. She was burnt out . . . yet on stage at Saturday’s live show her quick wit and humor lit up the audience.
The Moth stories follow a personal narrative style with an arc which ties memories and life together. Larry Rosen, current director of and instructor with The Moth, said a good story always has a story arc.
“This is different from stand up, it’s different from a political rant,” he said. “It starts somewhere, and ends somewhere else. These people work to share these memories, but also to share with you the impact that these events had.”
Janet Messineo, a longtime Islander who currently suffers from ALS, had dreams of becoming a fisherman since she ran away from home at age 18. She made her way to the Vineyard, and her determination and grit led her to teaching herself how to fish. Sitting in a wheelchair just below the stage, her words and retelling of her passions visibly moved the audience.
In a momentary break, Goode delivered a brief short story of his own, a comical retelling of his experience transitioning from accounting to writing.
Storytellers and audience members mingled in a 10 minute intermission. When asked about her experience with The Moth, Levison said she also teaches storytelling workshops with The Moth. According to Rosen, workshops are held for all ages, including high schoolers, across the country.
“I’ve been teaching with The Moth for 15 years, but it’s still really hard to get your story up here,” she said, referencing the stage.
The storytelling continued until about 9:30 pm. Islander John Maloney honored his uncle who he idolized, looked up to, inspired by the life he lived as a Franciscan priest, a free and passionate spirit.
Bisi Alimi, originally from Nigeria, said his acting background has helped in his confidence when it comes to telling a 10-minute story on stage. He’s struggled with his queer identity for much of his life thus far, although in a heroic moment of publicly coming out as gay in his conservative community, he inspired growth within himself and is now working on a queer centered film project with money from the British Film Institute.
Even though he’d done a story with The Moth 10 years prior, Alimi said it’s still a scary experience getting up on stage.
“Every time you get up to tell a story, it’s not just the story. It’s the audience,” he said. “But the beautiful thing about The Moth is that they’re very welcoming, and very open.”
By the time the storytellers had left the stage, the audience glowed.
“I shed tears to them,” said one audience member nearby about The Moth stories. “Every time, I shed tears.”
Did anyone else think it amusing that the headlines today said that there was a brief shark sighting on the island and then later said that the sharks made an early exit from the playoffs. Maybe if the sharks had hung around longer, they could have advanced to the next round…
Comments are closed.