Storyteller Spotlight: Jack Scheer

Storyteller Jack Scheer
Jack Scheer has been telling stories with Better Said Than Done since 2015. Prior to that, he spent nearly three decades telling other people’s stories as an actor and director in community theater, performing with groups including the Vienna Theatre Company, McLean Theatre Alliance, Kensington Arts Theatre, Rockville Musical Theatre, and the Music and Drama Club (MAD) at NASA&’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Northern Illinois University, where he participated on the speech and debate team. Jack is one of the elite group of Better Said Than Done storytelling teachers. A native Chicagoan who bounced between Illinois and the DC area for many years, he now resides in Silver Spring, MD.

Watch a video of Jack’s true, personal storytelling here.

********SEE JACK NEXT IN******

Crazy 8s: 8 stories, 8 minutes each

The Auld Shebeen (DOWNSTAIRS)

3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

May 25, 2019

6:00 PM Doors Open/7:00 PM Show

Full drink and dinner menu available for purchase

Seating is on a first come, first served basis

$15 at the Door (Cash Preferred)

$12 Advance Tickets at bettersaidthandone.com/storytelling-shows/

 

JACK’S NEXT HALF DAY STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
June 15, 2019
1pm – 5pm
Silver Spring, MD
Details and Registration here

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Storyteller Spotlight: Sufian Zhemukhov

Sufian Zhemukhov is the Moth Champion and a winner at the 2018 National Storytelling Festival Slam. He tells stories about his first-generation immigrant experience that might be much funnier than you would expect. The July 2019 DC Fringe Festival will host Sufian’s hour-long solo show, Flirting Like An American.

Watch a video of Sufian’s true, personal storytelling here

********SEE SUFIAN NEXT IN******

Crazy 8s: 8 stories, 8 minutes each

The Auld Shebeen (DOWNSTAIRS)

3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

May 25, 2019

6:00 PM Doors Open/7:00 PM Show

Full drink and dinner menu available for purchase

Seating is on a first come, first served basis

$15 at the Door (Cash Preferred)

$12 Advance Tickets at bettersaidthandone.com/storytelling-shows/

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Storyteller Spotlight: Cyndi Wish

As a child, Cyndi Wish wanted to become a surgeon, a mob wife, and a roller derby athlete. As an adult she has been a teacher, a cook, a migrant farmer, a waitress, a book store retail clerk, a babysitter, a veterinary technician, a consultant, and a non-profit administrator. Cyndi currently lives in Baltimore where she tries to be a mother, wife, and dog owner, while maintaining a full-time job, being a contributing member of today’s complex society, and occasionally eating..

Watch a video of Cyndi’s true, personal storytelling here 

********SEE CYNDI NEXT IN******

Crazy 8s: 8 stories, 8 minutes each

The Auld Shebeen (DOWNSTAIRS)

3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

May 25, 2019

6:00 PM Doors Open/7:00 PM Show

Full drink and dinner menu available for purchase

Seating is on a first come, first served basis

$15 at the Door (Cash Preferred)

$12 Advance Tickets at bettersaidthandone.com/storytelling-shows/

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Storyteller Spotlight: Len Kruger

Len Kruger has performed stories on stage with local storytelling groups such as Better Said Than Done, Story District, and the Storyfest Short Slam, where he is a two-time first prize winner. Len is also a fiction writer. His short fiction has appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, The Barcelona Review, Boundoff, Gargoyle, and many other publications. He lives in Cleveland Park with his wife Cynthia and their Shih Tzu Toby.

Watch a video of Len’s first time performing true, personal storytelling here – from our first storytelling show as Better Said Than Done

********SEE LEN NEXT IN******

Crazy 8s: 8 stories, 8 minutes each

The Auld Shebeen (DOWNSTAIRS)

3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

May 25, 2019

6:00 PM Doors Open/7:00 PM Show

Full drink and dinner menu available for purchase

Seating is on a first come, first served basis

$15 at the Door (Cash Preferred)

$12 Advance Tickets at bettersaidthandone.com/storytelling-shows/

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Storyteller Spotlight: Miriam Nadel

Miriam Nadel is an aerospace engineer, craftswoman, blogger, and traveler. She is also the Virginia State Liaison for the National Storytelling Network and on the board of Voices in the Glen. For nearly 30 years, she has told personal stories, folk tales, and original fairy tales at venues ranging from a children’s art gallery to a Las Vegas night club. All of her stories are true, whether or not they happened that way.

Watch a video of Miriam’s true, personal storytelling here

********SEE MIRIAM NEXT IN******

Crazy 8s: 8 stories, 8 minutes each

The Auld Shebeen (DOWNSTAIRS)

3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

May 25, 2019

6:00 PM Doors Open/7:00 PM Show

Full drink and dinner menu available for purchase

Seating is on a first come, first served basis

$15 at the Door (Cash Preferred)

$12 Advance Tickets at bettersaidthandone.com/storytelling-shows/

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Storyteller Spotlight: Nick Baskerville

Nick Baskerville has had the honor of serving in the United States Air Force for 10 years, followed by 4 years in the United States Air Force Reserves. Nick has 19 years of fire service time, with 16 years of that being in a career department in Northern Virginia.

Nick is a member of the public speaking organization Toastmasters. He holds an Advanced Competent Bronze (ACB) certification. He also tells personal narrative stories that have been featured on shows for Better Said Than Done, The Moth, Storyfest Short Slam, Secretly Y’all, and The Story Collider. To help others in the DC, MD, and VA area find out about these shows (and more) Nick started the blog Story Telling On Purpose. There you can find more shows, storytelling workshops and other storytelling insights for storytelling and public speaking purposes at www.stop365.blog

Watch a video of Nick’s true, personal storytelling here

********SEE NICK NEXT IN******

Crazy 8s: 8 stories, 8 minutes each

The Auld Shebeen (DOWNSTAIRS)

3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030

May 25, 2019

6:00 PM Doors Open/7:00 PM Show

Full drink and dinner menu available for purchase

Seating is on a first come, first served basis

$15 at the Door (Cash Preferred)

$12 Advance Tickets at bettersaidthandone.com/storytelling-shows/

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A Climate Change in Storytelling

Better Said Than Done’s April storytelling show at The Auld Shebeen in the City of Fairfax, VA was called “Climate Change.” Storytellers Bill Burton, Barbara Fornoff, Robert Lovejoy, Jack Pelar, Jessica Robinson, Margarita Rozenfeld, Sarah Snyder and Sufian Zhemukhov shared true, personal stories about nature, science, and big changes.

Sufian Z (as we like to call him) hosted the night of spoken word storytelling, bringing his own brand of dry humor as he introduced the storytellers.

First up was Bill Burton, with his story of a volcanic wasteland and the epiphany it inspired. Watch Bill’s story here. Better yet, listen to it, as the beginning of the video is a touch blurry.

Margarita Rozenfeld joined our stage for the first time, sharing a heart-felt story about how she’s been inspired by the late, great storyteller Anne Thomas. Watch the video of Margarita’s story here.

Not a stranger to our events, Jack Pelar brought us back to his childhood. Watch his story of abuse and a kind of redemption here.

Jessica Robinson was inspired enough by the theme to share her own tale about global warming. Watch her climate change story here. And then read and share this article about leaf blowers, please.

Sarah Snyder brought a lovely work of art (all the way from Scotland, I’m sure) to give away as a prize. Our favorite Fairfax County librarian, Kate Panetti, brought home the gold!

Sufian Z took the stage as storyteller extraordinaire, sharing a tale about coming to America. Watch his cultural adjustment story here.

Returning to our stage for the 4th time, Barbara Fornoff share a true, personal story from her work as a grief counselor. There are no words to prepare you so – watch here.

Robert Lovejoy took us on a journey of religious exploration. Watch his story here.

Sarah Snyder ended the night on a story about the importance of feeding your volunteers, especially when you’re trying to grow a forest! Watch her story of tree planting in Scotland with a bucket of your favorite snacks in hand.

I am always blown away by the variety and quality of the stories I get to hear each month at our storytelling shows in and around Fairfax, VA. “Climate Change” was another great night out and I feel honored to have shared the stage with these amazing people – sharing their stories of the ways they have changed and grown over the years so that those of us lucky enough to hear their stories can perhaps learn and grow as well.

Don’t miss our next appearance. On May 25th, Better Said Than Done will be celebrating our 8 year anniversary with “Crazy 8s: 8 storytellers sharing 8 minute stories.” Advance $12 entry and details about our storytelling shows here.

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Climate Change is Real

Climate Change is not just the name of our most recent storytelling show. It’s also a big, scary thing happening to our planet that is already effecting all of us. One of the storytellers from our “Climate Change” show, Sarah Snyder, has a few tips for us below.

Five Things You Can Do to Save Your Own Skin
by Sarah Snyder

Climate change is real, and it’s happening even faster than scientists originally predicted. It seems our goose is well on its way to being cooked, but we can still slow — maybe not entirely reverse — the negative effects. Here is a short list of easy-peasy things you can do now to save your own skin and begin healing the planet:

1. Ride a bike or walk instead of driving, especially if the distance is less than a couple miles (you might even drop a few pounds!).
2. Eat less meat and more vegetables (you might even drop a few pounds!). The meat and dairy industries contribute as much as 50% of greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Wash clothes in cold water (it takes energy to heat). Also, forego the dryer if possible. Both of these planet-saving hacks have an added benefit: your clothes last longer so you won’t have to buy new ones so frequently.
4. Unplug electronics when not in use because, even in off mode, most devices still draw energy from the outlet. Too much hassle? Plug your TV and its accessories into a power strip, and turn off the power strip when you’re done watching. Same goes for your computer, monitor, and printer.
5. Set your thermostat to a lower temperature in winter (you have a sweater, right?) and a higher temperature in summer. Programmable thermostats are the bomb.

Bonus tip: reduce, reuse, and recycle — everything.

For more local information, visit the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Find out more about storyteller, and soon to be famous memoirist, Sarah Snyder on her blog!

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Found: Storytellers’ Photos and Videos

Better Said Than Done’s last Saturday of the month March storytelling show at The Auld Shebeen was called “Lost and Found.” Hosted by Jessica Robinson, storytellers Erin Benbennick, Denise Bennett, David Foxworth, Sandra Hull, Joff Infante, Robert Lovejoy, Miriam Nadel, and Sarah Snyder shared true, personal stories of getting lost, and being found. There are links to videos of each of the personal narrative stories below.

Find Sarah Snyder’s story of a long walk here.

Watch Joff Infante get lost in a vision of beauty here.

Hear Erin Benbennick’s story of her changing path.

Find David Foxworth’s story of a hike here.

See how Denise Bennett found her path here.

Watch Miriam Nadel’s story of an other worldly trip here.

See Sandra Hull find her way out of a bad situation here.

Watch Robert Lovejoy take us on a trip to the emergency room.

Through the power of storytelling, we found commonalities in each other. We lost ourselves in stories, and found community.

I hope you find your way to our next storytelling show. Sufian Zhemukhov hosts “Climate Change: stories of nature, science, and big changes,” at The Auld Shebeen, in Fairfax, VA  on April 26th, 2019.
Details and advance $12 tickets here.

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Storytellers Heed the Call

On March 9, 2019, our Northern Virginia audience got a real treat – they got to see me perform!

Oh, yeah, and also, they got to see Anne Rutherford and Norm Brecke perform. I guess, technically, that’s a little bit more of a treat than seeing me – seeing as how I perform in this area all the time and Anne and Norm traveled all the way from Oregon just to entertain us. But whatever.

I met Anne and Norm in Jonesborough, TN, where Anne was a New Voice Featured Performer at the National Storytelling Festival. The show I saw her performing was not our usual Better Said Than Done true, personal storytelling. It was more of an adventure story – a tall tale. So when Anne and Norm and I were planning this show together, the title, “Adventure Calling,” seemed like a perfect fit. Also, we thought it would be fun to mix styles – the personal narrative style Better Said Than Done audiences are familiar with, and the tru-ish style Anne and Norm often work in.

And what a successful mix it was. Anne Rutherford blew everyone’s socks off with her singing and storytelling. Norm Brecke put slippers back on everyone with his singing and storytelling. And I made all the men in the audience cross their legs trying my hat at telling a made up story for the first time!

It was such a fun night. We had a rollicking good time at The Auld Shebeen, taking the audience along on a storytelling adventure they won’t soon forget.

You can watch videos of all the stories from the “Adventure Calling” storytelling show in this video playlist. However, I’d like to suggest the following videos as a good sampling of the night.

Norm’s true story about being a working dad. Watch Norm Brecke here.
Anne’s tru-ish story of her personal vice. Watch Anne Rutherford here.
Jessica performing a modern day story of magical realism. Watch Jessica Robinson here.
Anne and Norm performing together – a mix of true and folk tales. Watch Anne and Norm here.

The audience told me, several times, that this was the best show ever. If I didn’t run this show, I might agree. I will say that I had such a great time. Not only working with Anne and Norm – and watching their wonderfully entertaining performances – but also getting to try out writing and performing a tru-ish story of my own. Such a great night. It is going to be a hard one to follow!

Better Said Than Done returns to our usual night of true, personal storytelling at The Auld Shebeen on March 30th, with “Lost and Found: stories of getting lost, missed opportunities, and finding your way.” Tickets for the March 30th show, and information on all our upcoming storytelling shows here.

Now we just need to convince Anne and Norm to move to Northern Virginia so we can have this much fun all the time! In the meantime…
Keep up to date with Anne Rutherford here.
Keep up to date with Norm Brecke here.
Keep up to date with Anne and Norm here.

And we here at Better Said Than Done will do our best to continue to entertain you with true, personal storytelling shows until they return!

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