The 9th Annual Verses Festival of Words happens from April 25th to May 4th at a variety of locations in Vancouver. This is 10 day event is Canada’s largest alternative literary festival which features spoken word, storytelling and music. The event celebrates poetic artists, including spoken word and page poets, storytellers, singer-songwriters and improvisers. This is where activism and art take centre stage. You are invited to come experience the transformative power of words. If you are interested in checking out 3 or more events, you may wish to consider a Festival Pass which is $75 but gets you full access to all shows happening throughout the festival. There are a number of locations in East Vancouver playing host to the Verses Festival including the Wise Hall, The Cultch, Havana Theatre, York Theatre and Storm Crow Tavern. For a full rundown of events, visit Verses Festival. Take note if you are on a budget, there are a couple of free events you are invited to participate in titled Talk The Talk one is on the Climate Crisis May 4th and the other Decolonizing the Arts May 2nd.
9th Annual Verses Festival of Words April 25th to May 4th
23 Apr
VoiceStory Live: The Power Of Your Voice, The Power Of Your Story – A Series At The Cultch
3 Apr
Winston Yeung brings VoiceStory Live to the stage at The Cultch in a series of presentations. What is VoiceStory Live? “VoiceStory is about creating a safe, empowering space free of judgement, ridicule and fear. So those that had to swallow their words and hide their stories from the world can finally have a place to share, a place to breathe, a place to unfold your wings and be!”
Winston is passionate about giving a voice to those who may not otherwise have one. They aren’t famous, they aren’t rich, they are us. Every day people trying to live a good life, do the right thing, make a difference in their own lives for themselves or for others.“It’s about people telling authentic stories of facing their fears, overcoming adversity, accomplishing achievements, and experiencing great adventures. People empowering people through storytelling!”
Voice Story Live will tackle a few subject matters which we’ve set out below along with the dates they will be happening at The Cultch.
April 22
Mental Health in the Workplace and the Impact on Self
May 13
Curiosity
June 10
Vulnerability
VoiceStory Live does mean putting away your cell phone, forgetting that to do list and other places you should be and things you should be doing. You are invited to be in the moment with others. Advance tickets are $15 until April 8th after which they are $25. To purchase tickets, visit The Cultch.
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Oh Man! Is Coming To The Drive Coffee Bar March 1st & 3rd, 2019
13 Feb
Jo Dworschak, creator and producer of Story Story Lie, has put together a multimedia monologue about a mom trying to overcome her fear of men before having one. With some assistance from TJ Dawe, a respected playwright, actor and director, Jo Dworschak has put together this autobiographical production which features some problematic relationships with men in her family life, to learn she’s pregnant and having a boy. Her Production Oh Man! has won Best Solo Show at the Montana Fringe Festival. Jo bills this show as “humorous, heart warming and the perfect night out for the parent”. The production is coming to an intimate venue this March at The Drive Coffee Bar on Friday, March 1st and Sunday, March 3rd. Tickets are $12 and available through Eventbrite or at the door. Show kicks off at 8:00 pm.
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Story Story Lie Fool For Love At The Rio Theatre February 13th
29 Jan
Story Story Lie is back at The Rio Theatre February 13th with A Fool For Love. Story Story Lie is an interactive show where some of Vancouver’s best entertainers share intimate, funny and often embarrassing stories about themselves. One of them is lying and telling you a tall tale. But which one? The audience gets to take part in the interrogation to reveal who the liar is. And the first audience member to guess the liar, wins the grand prize as well as bragging rights. The upcoming show on February 13th is a Valentine’s Day Special featuring love stories from the funny to the darn right foolish. Of course, one of the contestants is telling a lie. Spot the liar right and you could win some lavish lingerie from Your Open Closet. The line up of storytellers include:
★ Julie Kim (Canadian Comedy Award Nominee)
★ John Cullen (Just for Laughs)
★ Lola Leaf (French Model)
★ Johnny Trinh (Regina Poetry Slam Champion)
★ Lindi Nolte (Spoken Word Artist)
This is a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. For tickets to Fool For Love, visit the Rio Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 pm and fun gets under way at 7:00 pm. Warning for those that have never been, the show WILL certainly contain strong language, somewhat mature and immature subject matter.
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Story Story Lie Will Be Hot and Heavy At The Rio Theatre January 9th
2 Jan
Story Story Lie kicks off the New Year with Hot And Heavy at The Rio Theatre January 9th. If you are not familiar with the premise of Story Story Lie, it is an interactive show where some of Vancouver’s best entertainers share intimate, funny and often embarrassing stories about themselves. One of them is lying and telling you a tall tale. But which one? The audience gets to take part in the interrogation to reveal who the liar is. And the first audience member to guess the liar, wins the grand prize as well as bragging rights. The upcoming show on January 9th promises to be scandalous with unbelievable stories by a burlesque dance, a rather handsome actor, a comedian and improvisor. The line up includes:
★ Tristan Risk ( Caravan of Curiosities)
★ Cory Thibert (Awkward Hug)
★ Shirley Gnome (604 Records)
★ Claire Pollock (The Dirty Betty Show)
★ Montana Roselle (Dyck Spacee)
★ Anjie Mittelholtz (Stand up comedian)
Start your year off with lots of laughs and if you are the one that can spot the liar, you have the opportunity to win a tantalizing toy from local business, Womyn’s Ware. Tickets are available in advance online at Rio Theatre for $10 online or $12 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 pm and fun gets under way at 7:00 pm. Warning for those that have never been, the show WILL contain strong language, somewhat mature and immature subject matter.
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Story Story Lie At The Rio Theatre October 23rd For Halloween Themed Fun!
1 Oct
Back again for its third season is the hit storytelling game show “Story Story Lie”. In its season premiere on Wednesday, September 5th the show took on a back to school theme and showcased hilarious and cringe-worthy stories from the comedians school days. This show is a riot and different than any other kind of show you’ll see in Vancouver. Basically, it’s stand up comedy but where the audience gets fully involved. If you’re looking for something new and fun to do you have to check out the next Story Story Like at the Rio Theatre.
How it works is that each comedian gets five minutes to tell their story. Afterwards, the audience gets to interrogate them to try to figure out if the story is real or a lie. In the end, you text in your best guess as to which story was a lie and bust the liar! There are also prizes for those who guess right. The show is created, produced and hosted by Jo Dworschak and promises to entertain.
There are two shows coming up at the Rio Theatre, including a Halloween themed one on October 23rd. Tickets to the shows can be purchased online or at the door. If you think you have what it takes and have a good story to share, you can apply to actually be on the show! For more information, visit Story Story Lie.
By Contributing Writer: Nicole Alivojvodic
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Weekly Stories Are Back At The Drive Coffee Bar Starting September 19th
17 Sep
If you love storytelling, whether watching or listening to them in an intimate setting, then you may wish to check out Weekly Stories at The Drive Coffee Bar, 1670 Commercial Drive located near 1st Avenue. This 1 hour storytelling show which took a hiatus over the summer is now back weekly starting Wednesday, September 19th. Weekly Stories is hosted by storyteller and organizer extraordinaire Jo Dworschak of Story Story Lie and Coop Radio’s Fruit Salad. You will hear tales from some seasoned storytellers, but each week they do try and get a new face up to take a turn. The venue is a favourite of ours for the great coffee, selection of Cartem Donuts and some of the best sandwiches in the City by La Grotta del Fromaggio plus they also serve wine and beer. Event runs from 7:00 pm every Wednesday night. Admission is by donation. If you have a story to share, stop by and sign up or email Jo in advance at e: storystoryshows@gmail.com.
