Improvisational storytelling

Join the bravest of the Better Said Than Done storytellers on October 29, 2016 for our 3rd annual Night at the Improv. Unlike other improv and storytelling shows, we offer improvised storytelling. The storytellers in the show will not have stories prepared but, rather, will tell stories on the spot based on audience prompts.

better said than done storytelling
A Night at the Improv 3: Improvisational Storytelling
October 29th, 2016
7:00PM Show/Doors Open at 6:00PM
The Auld Shebeen, downstairs
3971 Chain Bridge Rd.
Fairfax, VA
Full Dinner and Bar Menu
Purchase $15 Admission at Door or $12 Through Paypal Link Below
(Please note, no tickets are issued. Your advance purchase gets your name on the guest list.)





Seating on a First Come, First Served Basis

Join host Anna Marie Trester and storytellers Richard Barr, Peter Gorman, BN Heard, Ellie Klein, Robert Lovejoy, Liezel Munson, Mel Pine, Jessica Robinson and Mary Supley Foxworth for a night of true, personal, improvised storytelling.

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Wild Storytelling Videos

At our annual fundraiser for Friends of Reston for Community Projects, at the Walker Nature Center in Reston, VA, Better Said Than Done storytellers shared some wild, true stories about what it means to lead a, or observe the, wild life.
Better Said Than Done storytelling
The storytelling show, “Wild Life,” was hosted by Friends of Reston Board President Jessica Piscitelli Robinson. If you missed the show, you can watch some of the videos of the fabulous storytellers below.

Watch Restonian Bill Burton’s story about what happens when a bear and a moose walk into the woods.

Catherine Calvin’s tale of HOA woes.

The story of Miriam Nadel’s mom – and her expectations.

Go to summer camp with Elinor Klein.

Watch Richard Barr discuss how to protect against bear raids.

Fanny Crawford’s childhood had a wild streak.

Watch Mel Harkrader Pine discover that living your dream isn’t always a good thing.

The storytellers were wild, the night was lively, and the fundraiser was a success. If you feel like you missed a great night out – you’re right. Don’t despair. Join us in Fairfax, at The Auld Shebeen on October 29th.

Don’t miss our improvisational storytelling show – “A Night at the Improv 3” – on October 29th. Find out what stories the storytellers will be telling at the same time that they do!

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Wild Storytelling

The first of our two storytelling shows in September was our annual fundraiser for Friends of Reston for Community Projects, at the Walker Nature Center in Reston, VA.

The show, “Wild Life,” was hosted by Friends of Reston Board President Jessica Piscitelli Robinson.
Friends of Reston
Restonian Bill Burton started the night with a story about a bear and a moose, and it wasn’t a metaphor.
Restonian Bill Burton
Catherine Calvin appealed to a few of the Restonians in the audience with her story about serving on an HOA Board and dealing with a crappy issue.
Storyteller Catherine Calvin
Miriam Nadel shared how she was not the perfect little lady her mother wanted her to be.
Miriam Nadel
Elinor Klein took us camping with her and a bunch of little girls, and maybe a few unexpected guests.
Storyteller Ellie Klein
Richard Barr discussed his various encounters with bear, among other things.
Richard Barr
Fanny Crawford led a slightly more wild life than she likes to admit.
Storyteller Fanny Crawford
Mel Harkrader Pine finally found himself exactly where he thought he wanted to be.
Mel Harkrader Pine
Another great fundraiser. Another great storytelling show.
Better Said Than Done Storytelling
Don’t miss October’s show – “A Night at the Improv 3.” It’s sure to be even more wild, since none of the storytellers know the stories!

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Free storytelling events next week

fall-leavesFall in love with storytelling with Better Said Than Done at Fall for the Book.

We are thrilled to be hosting two free storytelling events for this regional, week-long literary festival. (Be sure to check the festival schedule for more details.)

Character Building Workshop
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
4:30-5:45 PM
George Mason University
Johnson Center, Meeting Room F
4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
free (No registration necessary.)

Jessica Piscitelli Robinson and Mary Supley Foxworth will lead a one-hour storytelling workshop on writing your origin story.

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The Impossible Dream: stories about quests, dreams, and doing the impossible
Thursday, September 29, 2016
7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
The Auld Shebeen, downstairs
3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
free

Featuring true, personal stories from Ann Cavazos, Fanny Crawford, Sandra Hull, Jack Pelar, Jessica Piscitelli Robinson, Jack Scheer, and Mary & David Supley Foxworth.

Full dinner and bar menu are available at The Auld Shebeen. Seating is first come, first served.

Save the date for our future shows this fall!

A Night at the Improv 3: Improvisational Storytelling — October 29, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), $15

Tradition: stories about the way things are done — November 26, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), $15

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A wild night of storytelling

Facebook_Banner_09_16Do you know where the wild things are? Lean in and I’ll let you in on the secret.

It’s Reston. That’s right. Here, in the suburbs, you can hear all sorts of true, personal, wild stories.

Wild Life: stories about living or being wild
Saturday, September 17, 2016
8:00 PM (Doors open at 7:30 PM)
Nature House
11450 Glade Drive, Reston, Virginia 20191
$15 per person (Buy your tickets online or at the door.)

Taking to the stage to share their wild tales will be Richard Barr, Bill Burton, Catherine Calvin, Fanny Crawford, Elinor Klein, Jay Krasnow, Miriam Nadel, Mel Pine, and host Jessica Robinson. All proceeds from this show benefit Friends of Reston.

Snacks (popcorn, cookies) and drinks (wine, beer, cocoa) will be available for purchase. Seating is first come, first served.

And mark your calendar for our upcoming shows and workshops, including a second show in September!

Workshop on true, personal storytelling — September 27, 2016, George Mason University’s Johnson Center Room F, 4:30-5:45 PM, Fall for the Book, free!

The Impossible Dream: stories about quests, dreams, and doing the impossible — September 29, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), in conjunction with Fall for the Book, free!

Spotlight on You: telling the story of your life — storytelling workshop, October 1, 2016, Reston, Virginia, 1-5 PM, $75, read more

A Night at the Improv 3: Improvisational Storytelling — October 29, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), $15

Tradition: stories about the way things are done — November 26, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), $15

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You Chose the Adventure

In the first ever “You Choose the Storytelling Adventure” show, the audience decided which road the storytellers would take in their true, personal stories. We made the audience work a little – although not as hard as the storytellers who all had to prepare at least two distinct stories with at least two different possible endings. We were fortunate to have a reviewer in the audience at The Auld Shebeen in Fairfax, VA. Read David Siegel’s review for the Fairfax Connection here.

Since the show, as a brand new format, was a success – many audience members telling me it was fantastic – we will be performing another “You Choose the Storytelling Adventure” show in the future. Since I don’t want to give too much away, I won’t be sharing any videos from the night of storytelling adventures. If you missed the show, you’ll just have to live vicariously through the following photos until we perform it again.

Anne Thomas began the night of storytelling adventures by explaining that her work often took her to exotic places like Rwanda and Madagascar.
storyteller Anne Thomas
That’s when the ever entertaining Derek Hills stepped in, as the night’s host, and asked the audience to make a tough choice – of which location to visit.
storytelling adventure
Mary Supley Foxworth and David Supley Foxworth told a joint story that could’ve been about their love of entertaining, but the audience decided to hear about their travels. And when given the choice between Paris or Iceland, Iceland won.storytelling show
The audience were definitely in the mood for traveling because when Jessica Robinson offered the choice between her trip to Montana or her pregnancy scare, the audience once again wanted on the plane.
storyteller Jessica Robinson
Jessica’s trip to Montana was for work, but the audience chose to hear about the road trip she took while she was there, instead of the video she flew there to produce.
Derek Hills storytelling hos
Jack Scheer’s choice was between buying a microwave or using a microwave. Very tricky – but using won out.
Better Said Than Done storytelling
You would think the audience would like to hear about Stephanie Garibaldi’s elementary school, but they chose instead to go to the Mayan peninsula. storyteller Stephanie Garibaldi
Len Kruger ended the night with a choice between his time as a camp counselor or his time spent attending a socialist summer camp. The audience picked socialism. Don’t tell McCarthy!better said than done storyteller

I’m sorry if you missed the first ever “You Choose the Adventure” storytelling show. We’re pretty proud of ourselves for pulling off this brand new format. Like I said, we’ll take the adventure again some day.
storytelling show
In the meantime, we have 2 storytelling shows in September. On September 17th, check out the “Wild Life” at the Reston Nature House. On September 29th, we’re downstairs at The Auld Shebeen for “The Impossible Dream,” as part of George Mason University’s Fall for the Book Festival.
Also, for Fall for the Book Festival we are leading a mini 1 hour storytelling workshop called “Your Origin Story” on September 27th. Information here.

If you’d like to take one of our half day storytelling workshops, we have two coming up – September 17th in Arlington, VA and another on October 1 in Reston, VA. More on our storytelling workshops here.

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Campy Storytelling Videos

In Better Said Than ‘s July storytelling show “Camp: stories of camping, tents, and summer,” storytellers shared true, personal stories about all things campy. If you missed a great night out at The Auld Shebeen in Fairfax, VA, then there are two things you need to do:
1. Come to our next show on August 27th in which “You Choose the Storytelling Adventure”
2. Watch videos of the July storytelling show below

Watch Brent Heard’s story about a critter.

Catherine Calvin shares her tale of a summer road trip.

Check out Dustin Fisher talking about running a day camp.

Find out what Sandra Hull learned from hanging out with a prisoner.

Watch Jack Pelar’s story of camping know-not-how.

Check out Anna Marie Trester’s tale of an early internet booked trip gone awry.

Watch Jack Scheer handle a deadly weapon – or at least talk about it.

Miriam Nadel brought down the house – and the evil capitalists – in this weird tale of an even weirder summer camp.

Thanks to the audience who decided to spend their great night out inside with us. Thank you to the ever amazing storytellers. So long as they keep trying, and mostly failing, to play in the great outdoors, we’ll be sure to have a steady supply of great camp stories. Thanks to Capture Video for videotaping just about all of our shows. And thanks to The Auld Shebeen for providing a great venue, great food and wonderful service.

Don’t miss our storytelling show in August.

You Choose the Adventure: a Storytelling Adventure in which the audience chooses the story’s direction — August 27, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM)

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The choice is yours

JackChooseWe want your vote! How many times a day are you hearing that?

Well, we want your vote, too, at our next show, where your vote will determine how the stories progress. Join us for this unique and sure-to-be-unforgettable night of true, personal storytelling!

You Choose the Adventure:
A Storytelling Adventure in which the audience chooses the story’s direction

Saturday, August 27, 2016
7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
The Auld Shebeen – downstairs
3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
$15 per person (Buy your tickets online by 6 PM on August 26 for $12 each.)

JessicaChooseOur fearless line-up of storytellers – Stephanie Garibaldi, Len Kruger, Jessica Robinson, Jack Scheer, David & Mary Supley Foxworth, and Anne Thomas – are handing the reins over to you! Each story will stop at a couple of points and host Derek Hills will present you with two choices. The storyteller will then continue his or her story based on what our audience wants to hear by majority vote.

Full dinner and bar menu are available at The Auld Shebeen. Seating is first come, first served.

We’ve got more great shows and *workshops coming up this fall:

*Spotlight on You: telling the story of your life — September 17, 2016, Arlington, Virginia, 11:00 AM-3:30 PM (with ½-hour brown bag lunch), $75, read more

Wild Life: stories about living or being wild — September 17, 2016, Nature House, 11450 Glade Drive, Reston, Virginia, 8:00 PM, fundraiser for Friends of Reston, $15

*Workshop on true, personal storytelling — September 27, 2016, George Mason University’s Johnson Center Room F, 4:30 PM, Fall for the Book, free!

The Impossible Dream: stories about quests, dreams, and doing the impossible — September 29, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), in conjunction with Fall for the Book, free!

*Spotlight on You: telling the story of your life — October 1, 2016, Reston, Virginia, 1-5 PM, $75, read more

A Night at the Improv 3: Improvisational Storytelling — October 29, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), $15

Tradition: stories about the way things are done — November 26, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM), $15

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Camping Stories

The fantastic Better Said Than Done storytellers proved that they would be awesome around a campfire! In “Camp: stories of camping, tents, and summer,” the audience at The Auld Shebeen in Fairfax, VA got to hear true, personal stories about nights and summers outside.

Brent Heard shared a story about sharing food with what must have been a bear.
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Catherine Calvin found more than just some rocks on a geology road trip.
storytelling show

People actually trusted Dustin Fisher with their kids when he ran a summer camp!
storytellers

Sandra Hull learned about life from her friend at a sleepaway “camp.”
storytelling

Jack Pelar is great at many things. Camping? Maybe not.
Better Said Than Done storytelling

The sleepy retreat Anna Marie Trester took her parents on turned out to be a little more “Friday the 13th” than “Enchanting April.”
storytellers

Jack Scheer hasn’t always been the best at everything, but hand him a tomahawk and watch out!
Better Said Than Done

The only words I can use to describe Miriam Nadel’s camp story – aside from hilarious – are Zionist and socialist. Really.
storytelling show

Thanks to the audience who decided to spend their summer night indoors, with us. I think we made it worth their while with another great night out.
Better Said Than Done storytellers

Don’t miss our storytelling show in August. With its unique format, you won’t want to miss it!

You Choose the Adventure: a Storytelling Adventure in which the audience chooses the story’s direction — August 27, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM)

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Gather ’round the campfire

merit badgeAh, summertime. Relaxing on those long, sunny days. Leisurely swims to cool off. Evenings spent roasting marshmallows and singing songs around a glowing fire. Friends, places, romances, and routines both familiar and new. Maybe throw in some macrame, archery, homesickness, or family vacations. Relive all of that at our upcoming show!

Camp: stories about camp, youth, and summer
Saturday, July 30, 2016
7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
The Auld Shebeen – downstairs
3971 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
$15 per person (Buy your tickets online by 6 PM on July 29 for $12 each.)

Join host Jessica Robinson and storytellers Catherine Calvin, Dustin Fisher, Brent Heard, Sandra Hull, Miriam Nadel, Jack Pelar, Jack Scheer, and Anna Marie Trester for a night of true, personal stories about campy things!

Better Said Than Done StorytellingFull dinner and bar menu are available at The Auld Shebeen. Seating is first come, first served.

And mark your calendars for our show in August. With its unique format, you won’t want to miss it!

You Choose the Adventure: a Storytelling Adventure in which the audience chooses the story’s direction — August 27, 2016, The Auld Shebeen – downstairs, 7:00 PM (doors at 6:00 PM)

 

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