The Narrators

Today’s story comes from long-time favorite of the show Rachel Weeks. Rachel is a comedian, cast member of the wonderful D&D show Better Than Heroes, and co-host of The Commander Sphere podcast. She told this story in front of a live audience at Buntport Theater; the theme of the evening was "Ghosts." Special thanks to Kyle James Hauser for this episode's outro music! LINKS Follow Rachel on Twitte...

Your next storyteller is Shelsea Ochoa. We first met Shelsea a few years ago through a collaboration with Playback Theatre West, and she’s become an instant favorite of our show. She’s the creative director of Soul Stories, a wonderful storytelling organization here in Denver, and she’s one of the mad geniuses behind all that howling that we were doing every night at 8pm last year. In this story,...

Your next storyteller is comedian and musician Gabby Gutierrez-Reed. In this story, Gabby tells the story of her move to Denver and her first day of culinary school. This was her first appearance at The Narrators back in August 2018; the theme of the evening was "Guts."  Special thanks to TIQ TOK for today's outro music! Join our mailing list for early access to info about our live events and visi...

Our next story comes from writer, storyteller, and fellow podcaster Amanda Hergott. In this story, Amanda explains how a teenage dalliance into drugstore thievery helped her hide a difficult but fundamental truth about herself. This story was shared in front of a live audience at Buntport Theater in Denver; the theme of the evening was "Nailing It."  Special thanks to The Milk Blossoms for today's...

Today's story comes from Jamie Brickhouse. Jamie is an author, performer, and a four-time Moth Slam Champion who's been featured on PBS's Stories From The Stage, RISK!, Story Collider and more. In this story, Jamie talks about his first boyfriend and how a small mind interfered with big love. He told this story live at Buntport Theater on May 15, 2019. The theme of the evening was "Alter Egos." Sp...

Today’s story is as fresh as you can get—it’s the most recent story told at The Narrators. Last week we celebrated our 11th anniversary, outdoors in the parking lot of Buntport Theater. It was our first time performing anywhere near the theater in over a year and we were definitely a little rusty, but it felt great to be home. We want to take a moment to thank everyone who’s supported the show ove...

Our next story comes from Hayden Kristal. A national touring comedian, public speaker and disability rights activist, Hayden is also mom to two disabled dogs (and a whole farm of other critters). In this story, she gives voice to Bitsy, her deaf and blind cattle dog and the tales Hayden imagines her spinning. She told this story live at Buntport Theater on 15 January 2020. The theme of the evening...

On today’s episode, we’re sharing a story from Miriam Suzanne. Miriam is the author of Riding SideSaddle, a novel written on 250 shuffleable notecards, and a musician in the band Teacup Gorilla. She's also a performer, designer, web developer and so much more. Miriam told this story in front of a live audience at Buntport Theater in June 2019. The theme of the evening was “Framed.” Special thanks...

Our next story comes from Brice Maiurro. Brice is the Editor-in-Chief of the South Broadway Ghost Society, the Poetry Editor for Suspect Press, and the author of two poetry books, including one called "Stupid Flowers." In this story, Brice talks about his paternal grandmother—a woman who loved her family, trinkets, and the color blue—and about the questions that were never answered during her life...

Your next storyteller is Laura Condi. Laura is a recovering standup comedian turned storyteller and writer who’s performed at Ignite Denver, Denver Open Media, and, because she’s from Southern California, she’s one of the only people to have performed at The Narrators in Denver and our former sister show in San Diego. She told this true story about having life totally figured out back in October 2...

Our next story comes from actor, author, The Moth Denver Grand Slam Champion, and storytelling teacher Matthew Taylor. Matthew is also the author of the fantastic book, Goat Lips: Tales of a Lapsed Englishman, which tells stories of him moving from his tiny sailing village of Itchenor, England to this side of the pond. In his most recent appearance at The Narrators, Matthew shared this true story...

Today's story comes from Debbie Scheer. Debbie is an entertainer, storyteller, auctioneer, MC, Costco enthusiast, and long-time favorite of the show. As you're listening to her story, keep in mind that it was recorded live at Buntport Theater in December 2019—almost sixteen months ago. The theme of the evening was "Ritual." Special thanks to The Milk Blossoms for this episode's outro music! Follow...

Our next story comes from a self-described blerd—"black nerd"—our dear friend Stephen Brackett. As a lyricist, poet, activist, member of The Flobots, founder of Youth on Record, and Colorado's Music Ambassador, Stephen has long used his intelligence and powerful writing to draw attention to the causes he believes in. In this story, however, he recounts a few times when his physicality and athletic...

Your next storyteller is Adrian Mesa. Adrian is a comedian, chef, and actor originally from Hollywood, Florida. He shared this story about his family and their beloved mango tree way back in February 2016, but his experience feels especially relevant these days, as we peek our heads out of the pandemic’s shadow and ponder how we’re going to recover from this year of tragedy—and where we’re going n...

Our next story comes from Bethany Hernandez. Bethany is a `Colorado Springs-based performer and artist who we are lucky enough to sometimes coax back up to Denver, a former home of hers. She's a favorite of the show and just a treat of a person. For this story, Bethany presents a triptych of "no"—three small stories where she spoke up for herself and felt more powerful for doing so. Bethany told t...

Your next storyteller is Laura Bond. Laura has been telling stories at The Narrators since its inception in 2010 and it’s always a treat when she joins us. In this story, Laura talks about her move to Denver, her years as the music editor of Westword, Denver’s alt weekly newspaper, and her brief foray into waiting tables at the Satire Lounge on Colfax Avenue. Laura shared this story in front of a...

Our next story comes to us courtesy of a long-time favorite of The Narrators, Corey Rhoads. He’s a once—and hopefully future—mainstay of the Denver comedy scene, and most folks around town know Corey as a sweet man with a big heart and open arms. In this story, though, he talks about the seemingly cruel world that we live in and how he struggled to feel a sense of belonging—until a kind stranger g...

Your next storyteller is Greg Salvesen. With an anniversary coming up soon, we’re feeling a little nostalgic—so today we’re sharing this story from all the way back in 2013. Greg is an astronomer, ultra-marathon runner, and long-time favorite of the show who now lives and works in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He shared this story in front of a live audience at the Deer Pile in Denver, Colorado; the the...

Your next storyteller is Karla Rodriguez. Karla’s story is a throwback to 2015, back in the days before social distancing, when we would snuggle up together at Buntport Theater. A lot has happened to Karla since then—she moved to NYC, got hitched, and became a proud mom of two—all while slaying dragons as a corporate social responsibility expert in the film industry—but her story feels like it cou...

Today we’ve got a story from our own Erin Rollman. Along with the other members of Buntport Theater Company—Sam, Eric, Brian, and Hannah—Erin has been making original live theater for more than two decades, and through her stories at The Narrators over the years, Erin has given a master’s level course on stagecraft to our audience, one true story at a time. Today we're going to hear one of those s...

Your next storyteller is Lucy Roucis. We are heartbroken to say that Lucy passed away this week, after a decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease. Lucy might be best known by a broader audience for her appearance in Love & Other Drugs, but in Denver she's been a force on and off stage for years, a wickedly funny and talented actor and comedian who will be deeply missed. Lucy told a couple of s...

Your next storyteller is Adrian Holguin. Adrian is a high school math teacher with 29 years of experience in the classroom and an improviser with 30 years of experience making stuff up on stage, but he assured us that this story stuck to the rules and was totally true. Adrian shared this story in front of a socially distanced outdoor audience at EXDO Events Center—while wearing a mask, which you m...

Your next storyteller is Rae Moore. Rae is a longtime favorite of the show, a seamstress, and a proud Denver native. She shared this story of sibling shenanigans in front of our first virtual audience back in May 2020; the theme of the show was “Gray Area.”  Special thanks to Tanx for this episode's outro music! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your next storyteller is Jim Hunt. Jim has been acting in Denver theatre for over 50 years, including a run as Zeus in Buntport Theater's The Zeus Problem. He shared this story in front of a virtual audience last month and then was kind enough to re-record it with us because we had technical difficulties. The theme of the show that night was “Hindsight.”  Special thanks to Jobless for this episode...

Your next storyteller is Shelsea Ochoa. Shelsea is an improviser with Playback Theatre West and the creative director of Soul Stories, another wonderful storytelling organization here in Denver. She shared this story in front of a live audience at Buntport Theater in October 2019; the theme of the show was “Fake.” Special thanks to Mega Gem for this episode's outro music! Learn more about your ad...