“One of the hottest events in town… The Moth is an evening of
unashamedly old-fashioned storytelling…
the performances are enthralling,
funny and moving, with a typical New York intensity.”
- The Times (London)
The Moth Mainstage, the original Moth series, began as an informal gathering of storytellers and listeners in the living room of our founder, George Dawes Green, in 1997. When 100 people showed up to the third "Moth" evening in George’s living room in 1997, the series moved to larger venues in downtown Manhattan. Today we produce monthly "Stories at The Moth" shows in New York City and numerous special events both in and outside New York every year. The events begin with a cocktail hour, and after the show storytellers and audience members continue swapping stories over dinner and drinks. Beyond a mere theatrical performance, "Stories at The Moth" is a community experience where enlightenment, entertainment and festivity merge.
Every mainstage show has a theme and features five or six storytellers who tell a ten-minute story. The stories are true stories from the storytellers' lives and they must be told live, without notes. Past themes have included "Call of the Wild: Tales of the Untamed," "Nuclear Meltdown: Families in Fission," "Last or less Stories about Endings," "Art Attack: Stories About Wrestling the Muse," "Gotta Have It: Stories about Compulsions," and hundreds more. Themes and storytellers are proposed by The Moth's Curatorial Committee, as well as audience members, storyteller alumni and volunteers. Individuals whose theme ideas are selected serve as curators for the particular show and help find unique stories from the community. Each show typically features one or two celebrated writers, actors or artists along with other unique individuals with a story to tell on the given theme. Past storytellers have included an astronaut, a voodoo priestess, a neurosurgeon, a car salesman, a New York City cop, a former pickpocket and hundreds more. Notable headliners have included Melissa Bank, Margaret Cho, Neil Gaiman, Ethan Hawke, Malcolm Gladwell, Salman Rushdie, Sarah Jones, Garrison Keillor, Moby, Rosie O’Donnell, Richard Price, Lauren Slater, Julia Stiles, Lili Taylor and many others. The Moth’s directors work closely with each storyteller to help them develop and deliver their stories. The very best of these stories are compiled as Moth Mainstage stories on CD.