I’ve been pulling together a new project for a little while now, and today I’m pleased to announce Homebrewed, a night of true stories. 4 people telling 10-minute tales.
I’ve been really interested lately in true stories and what makes them compelling, what can make them theatrical and why I love hearing them so much. I’ve been obsessed with The Moth and Risk! for awhile. Listening to those podcasts and hearing people tell true stories has made me laugh out loud, shed a little tear or make cringey faces on public transportation many times. So I thought it would be awesome to organise a night where a bunch of people got together and heard some brilliant people tell true stories.
I’ve been to a few other true storytelling events in London, and found that while they were very nice, they weren’t quite what I saw in my head. Some of them felt a little stagey, at some it felt like the storytellers were verging a little too far into Performing and self-promotion for my liking, and at some I just didn’t feel very welcome.
The aim of Homebrewed is to build an evening out of those awesome nights at the pub where you have a few too many pints and start telling stories. You divulge things, you have a laugh and learn a little about other people. I want to give us all an excuse to have one of those nights. Homebrewed is relaxed, supportive and friendly. And importantly it will never take place in a traditional performance space.
Here’s the vital info:
When: Thursday, 23rd February (18.30 for drinks, 19.00 event starts)
Where: LXV Books on Roman Road.
Tickets: Buy one secondhand book in the shop that evening and that will admit you to Homebrewed.
I’m pleased to announce the terrific people telling true stories at Homebrewed:
Anne Langford
Ryan Millar
Tiffany Charrington
Stephen Connery-Brown.
Please do come out and support them, it will be all kinds of awesome. RVSP on Facebook here or just show up on the night.
One more thing. Why is it called Homebrewed, you ask? Well, it’s for a few reasons. The first one is that the word implies a sense of DIY; of cobbling something together and concocting something with a few ingredients and a little elbow grease, but also taking care to mix things just how you want them and making it with a little of yourself thrown in. That’s how stories at Homebrewed should be.
The other thing is that my dad used to brew beer with his friends when I was a kid (there was a very fizzy root beer option for my sister and me), and they would have these nights where they would work on the upcoming batch while drinking the previous one. Everyone would sit around the kitchen table laughing and telling stories, and when I think of what I want for the feel of Homebrewed, that’s it.
Hope you can make it.
EDIT: Catriona James will now be joining us to tell a true tale. LUCKY YOU.
