A Show About Story Slams

Sarah Beth Nelson, Shannon Turner, and local performers tell a story about story slams. “Slammed!” is a performance based on ethnographic research of American open mic storytelling. The show is partly scripted and wholly entertaining. 

Why Slammed!?

We are excited about this collaboration, bringing together our combined knowledge and skills to create a meta-performance. We are telling the story of what one of the most popular forms of oral storytelling in America is like today. This is part of the research and dissemination process, and it is entertainment. Open mic storytelling is referenced and sometimes poked fun at in popular culture, such as the TV shows Girls, Casual, The Sex Lives of College Girls and Difficult People. Even those who don’t participate in open mic storytelling themselves, may know something about it, and the stereotypes associated with it. We are having fun. We are spilling the tea. Ironically and mind-bendingly, we are also doing it through storytelling. 

On a more serious note, open mic storytelling has great potential for building community and helping participants feel less alone in their life’s struggles. However, as stages become hotter and shows expect more from amateur storytellers, they may do unintended harm. This is a message we would like to get out there, to help producers think about how they are designing their open mic shows, and help storytellers think about where they want to share their stories. In our increasingly divided society, we need places to connect and to be heard without judgement.

Header photo by Ex Fabula