Just Do It

Generating

by Brian Howard

Mon., June 4, seating at 6:30 p.m., first story at 7:30 p.m., $12, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-407-0556, www.gasandelectricarts.org

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

On March 26, I got behind a microphone in front of a roomful of people — most of whom I did not know — and told them a story. The "six years ago I quit my job and moved to Egypt to be with a girl who, it turned out, had already moved on to the next guy, but hey, at least I got to spend a few months in Cairo" story. It was scary as hell. That's some personal shit, right there. But it was also kind of hilarious. Sure, I played it for melodrama, but I also played it for laughs and got them, which was totally cathartic.

When my 15 minutes were up, I passed the mic to juggler Nick Gregory, who told about nearly drowning while scuba diving on his honeymoon; he passed it to Aldo Magazzeni, who recounted tales of relief work in Afghanistan and Kenya; he passed it to actress Grace Gonglewski, who relived saving her capsized mother on a mother-daughter canoe trip; she passed it to comedian Sharon Geller, who ad-libbed on being stalked by Jackie Mason.

And that's the kind of night Gas & Electric Arts' Generating urban storytelling is: people you may know for doing one thing telling stories about something harrowing/hilarious/cathartic. The second installment moves upstairs from Serrano to Tin Angel with playwright/poet Magda Martinez, actress Cathy Simpson, children's book author/illustrator Alexander Stadler (pictured) and life coach Davia Rivka on the docket.