Podcast – Ex Fabula: Story. Stage. You

A lingering polar vortex was almost a close encounter in itself, but it wasn’t enough to stop story fans from coming out to our first Story Slam of the year, “Close Encounters”! And boy did we start the year off with a bang – African lions, New Kids on the Block, Gen Con, and Mozart were just the beginning of our journey through nine tales of “Close Encounters”!

Missed out? Check out our recap below, or listen to our monthly podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes.

We begin with a then 12-year-old Stuart Rudolph, who is in eastern Africa with his grandma and two aunts on a self-directed safari in a VW station wagon. Between giving a ride to a rather well-endowed warrior and just barely avoiding a lion galloping toward the Land Rover Stuart was riding around in, his trip was fraught with close encounters! And, a lesson – before you ride around in the bed of a truck to study real-life lions, make sure it doesn’t still smell like last week’s zebra carcass!

Deserae Constantineau brought us all back to our own high school dreams when she told us about her own. Deserae and Donnie Wahlberg were going to fall in love at a bowling alley, and she and all of her friends were going to end up engaged to the members of NKOTB. Fast-forward to 2013 and Deserae’s erstwhile fantasy fiancé and the NKOTB are coming to Milwaukee! And talk about a twist of fate – Deserae and friends track them down playing pool and bowling at Landmark Lanes! As Deserae sits at the bowling alley bar, looking across the room at Donnie and trying to gather the courage to make old dreams reality, she realizes that some fantasies are better left as close encounters.

It’s 1990 and the tail end of the Cold War – the wall has fallen, the Soviet Union is changing, and USSR President Gorbachev is visiting...Minnesota? Michael Heider, working as a news cameraman, is sent to get the “DLA” – dreaded local angle. After walking for blocks trying to scope about a good place to see the motorcade, he eventually settles on a spot near some Latvian demonstrators, whose signs and chants aren’t exactly welcoming to Mr. Gorbachev. Michael can’t believe his luck as the motorcade comes to a stop and Mr. Gorbachev comes out and looks right at him! Unfortunately, Mr. Gorbachev also happens to notice the angry Latvians and their signs right behind him, and thus Michael’s once-in-a-lifetime scoop becomes a close encounter for the ages.

First time Ex Fabula story teller Matthew Poulson has had numerous close encounters with famous folk – and his attempts to be clever always seem to blow up in his face! Desmond Tutu ran right into him as he was leaving the bathroom at an event and all Matthew could choke out was, “I think you’re amazing!” before being whisked away by a security guard. And when he met Roger Ebert, he tried to remind him that he had hit on Matthew’s mother several times in the 1970s, only to have Mr. Ebert respond, “I hit on a LOT of women in the 70s!”

Milwaukee native and first-time story teller Philip Cruise Warren was a teenager working for the Wisconsin State Fair on the tractor team and all was well until one rainy day, when Philip had to go under a lift to hook a dumpster up to a chain. His lifelong fear of heavy objects teetering above ground came back to him when the lift going down wasn’t stopping, despite his pleas. As panic set in, the lift finally stopped, letting Philip escape with his life – and a haunting close encounter.

Our final newbie story teller, Aims McGuinness , took us back to high school again, where he was trying to impress a date by telling her about his summer abroad in Austria. Little did he know his date was about to throw him an all time one-up – she was married to Mozart in a former life! After they locked lips Aims asked the burning question: maybe he was Mozart? She said no, and from then on, whenever they went out Aims wondered whether his date was thinking of him or a certain legendary composer. Sadly, the relationship didn’t work out – because who can compete with Mozart?!

It all started at Gen Con when a buddy dared Andrew Steeves to challenge a guy dressed as Batman to a staring contest. After Andrew, a self-professed staring contest champ, won the match, he proceeded to start asking every costumed person he saw to a staring contest. Andrew had everyone he battled sign his tshirt: those who lost to him signed the back, those who beat him signed the front. Pretty soon the back of his shirt was full of names and the front was still bare. He even beat Felicia Day! But he met his match in his second close encounter, Wil Wheaton: Wheaton’s trash-talking successfully psyched Andrew out, and he is now the proud owner of a tshirt with Wil Wheaton’s name scrawled on the front.

David Hendrickson decided to use his recently...

by Ex Fabula blogger Kimberly Ousley

Ex Fabula’s Spectacular show at Turner Hall Ballroom featured veteran storytellers sharing various tales of Bad Company. Megan McGee and Dasha Kelly shared emcee duties for the evening, delighting the crowd with their charms and sharing some fun facts about our storytellers.

Recreational sports enthusiast Andrea Hoeschen tells the audience how last year she volunteered to assist in coaching her son’s elementary school basketball team. Rosters in tow, practices and games underway Andrea began to notice that the teams were structured quite differently. Her team, the B team, was considered less than stellar when compared to the other team. “I’ll play the hand I was dealt”. The team’s movie moment came during the final game of the season. Surviving regulation time, triple overtime, and the loss of two players finally leads to...a shoot out. “Who does a shoot-out?” Andrea asks. Volleying between misses on both sides, resentful but superb player Danielle, steps up to their free throw line and... “Swish”, says Andrea. The opposing team’s final shoot out member stepped up for his shot...and missed. Andrea’s bench erupts with glee. The kids rush towards one another, placing their hands together and proclaimed “Badger Wolves!”

Donte McFadden was trying to concentrate on completing his dissertation while also dealing with a particularly uncomfortable living situation. While at his uncle’s funeral, his mother bumped into her childhood crush. An observer commented on the pair and stated to Donte’s brother, “That’s going to be your future step-father.” At the time he simply brushed the words off but admits, “I should’ve been paying more attention.” The gentleman starts coming around more and more, causing feelings of awkwardness from Donte and his brother, who weren’t quite used to this addition to their trio. The relationship continued to progress and eventually his mother & her beau begin to look for new housing, causing Donte to question, “Hey, what about me?” Donte & his brother assist with their move. His brother ends up disappearing to a Halloween party, leaving him high and dry. The gentleman attempted to bond with Donte on a car ride back to the new residence but he wanted to be elsewhere. Fast forward to 2013, Donte has moved out and successfully completed his dissertation in, making himself and his mother proud. He revealed that while he was finishing his dissertation his mother had began untangling herself from the gentleman, and eventually ending the relationship.

Lifetime Milwaukee resident Michael Heider’s tale takes us up to northern Wisconsin. He fondly recalls a memorable spring night of firsts as a nine year old boy: his first time going with family members packed into the back of a ’54 Chevy. The kids enjoyed activities like catching bluegills, while the adults enjoyed fishing, for walleye in particular. Jumping ahead to the late eighties Michael is working as a cameraman. He was going to cover a story up north regarding spear fishing methods. Michael recalls much controversy and feelings of unfairness, causing riots to break out near the boat landings and ice fishing holes. “At one point every available cop in the state of Wisconsin was sent up North, to these boat landings”, he says. Protective barriers were created to separate the opposing sides and the media. Neither side would concede. Michael had serious concerns about his safety & well being, being stuck in that middle ground. Looking into the viewfinder of his camera Michael recalls eerie looks in the eyes of the individuals present at these riots. “Suddenly things became personal, and that was the worst company I was ever in.”, he says. He has only been up north twice since covering that story.

Ever try to get something done and, well, can’t? A few years ago while working at an outreach event at a small town library, Cindy Grover recalls needing to make a visit to the ladies room. She entered, only to find a young gentleman shaking the door on the stall at the end of the row. Unsure if he is trying to help or harm the young woman inside, she decides to intervene. He indicates that something is wrong so she attempts to check on the female herself, receiving no response. She instructs the young man to call for help. He panics and Cindy goes to alert the front desk of the situation. Returning to the restroom Cindy finds that the young man has begun to pull his friend from underneath the stall. Cindy abruptly stops him. Another gentleman, who had overhead Cindy earlier, enters the restroom. He offers to help and calls 911 while the young man takes the female’s purse and leaves. The paramedics arrive soon and the young woman is eventually taken to the hospital. Relieved to finally be alone Cindy again proceeded to go about her business but is yet ag...

by Ex Fabula bloggers Kimberly Ousley and Hanna Gichard

Season five continues to thrive. This month Ex Fabula returned to the Times Cinema to uncover what exactly defines a ‘Bonus’. The always lovely and delightful Leah Delaney served as emcee for the evening.

While searching for items at a second-hand store Lisa Erin Brown stumbled upon a pouch. Realizing that it was a forgotten treasure of childhood past she searched inside, discovered contact information and contacted the previous owner. Her bonus? The gentleman returned her phone call and during their conversation, Lisa learned he was a famous musician. The two set a date & time to meet. Upon meeting he thanked her for returning the childhood item to him. He was so impressed with Lisa that he gave her a first pressing of one of his band’s records.

Mark Steidl worked at a horse ranch when he was in high school. One day he learned that the horse ranch was going to get rid of some bunnies. He decides to keep one and use it to prank his vice principal, whose nicknamed happened to be ‘rabbit’. Early one morning, with the help of his best friend, the orphaned rabbit is placed in his office, complete with a sad but cute note. Later in class instead of hearing the usual daily announcements, the school is treated to a somewhat unamused vice principal. He reads the note and offers up the bunny to whoever wanted it. The bonus? Mark’s best friend was blamed for the entire incident, leaving him in the clear.

Sometimes a bonus finds us even in the midst of heartbreak. In 2001 Adam Carr’s father learned he had a brain tumor. In spite of the diagnosis his father surpassed expectations and went on to live for another year. Adam shared the positive and negative moments that were experienced during that time. From the family cruise to playing ping-pong and attending basketball games with his father. Planting tomatoes and holding his father close after a seizure occurred. The memories made and the quality time the family enjoyed during that year was the best bonus Adam could ever ask for.

Tom Shanahan‘s bonus was right here at Times Cinema! As a youngster he and his buddies used to sneak in after hours to chow down on candy and hang out in the projection room. One particular day, while sitting in the projection room they heard a knock on the door. The person on the other side of the door requested that they step out. Not taking things so seriously Tom and his fiends decided to sneak out the opposite door and ran right into the police. Unbeknownst to the teens they had set off a silent alarm that had been installed due to a safe burglary in the neighborhood. The group was taken into custody. Double bonus: while being escorted outside Tom notice a familiar face looking on; his mother, who had witnessed everything from across the street.

Rob Harrington is not your typical party guy. During a ski trip to France with a friend, they encounter a pair of beautiful women while drinking in a bar. The four dine together and the women invite them to go dancing. The two men happily agree. They can’t believe their luck that these women want to hang out with them. Dumbfounded by their luck and quick ascension into popularity, Rob and his friend continue to party long into the night with strangers and beautiful women. The next day the two men decided to go skiing, only to discover that they do not care for it nor were they good at it. Rob and friend decide to go to a club that evening, only to be turned away. Back to reality.

What does it take to become an American citizen? According to Paul Lewis it all boils down to forms and money. Having been in the States for some time Paul decided to obtain citizenship. He was amazed, baffled and amused at the process. The immigration office was similar to that of a local department of motor vehicle. He compared the citizenship tests questions to those on the green card application questions. Paul reviewed the written test, sharing how he was required to answer questions like if he was an habitual drunkard or a sexual deviant. Paul concluded that any ‘D’ student with sufficient knowledge of American history could become an American citizen, provided that person also has the funds. He is now a proud citizen.

Linda Muza shared a very touching, mindful tale. As a child her family shopped at thrift stores. Linda enjoyed picking up books and came across a happiness guide with a girl’s name scrawled inside. She never could have been prepared for the “bonus” she found: a sad tale of abuse documented in the back pages. Horrified and saddened at what she had read, Linda almost put the book back on the shelf but decided to keep it. Something about the unknown girl’s bravery & perseverance struck a chord in Linda. It made her question what exactly what life was a...

We’ve got a double scoop of sweet ALL STARS goodness today – not only do we have Q&A with Virginia Pothier, the ALL STAR who stole the show at April’s “Fool Proof” StorySlam, but we also have a brand new podcast of stories from past ALL STARS shows to get you even more excited about Friday’s show.

Dig in!

Virginia Pothier at April’s “Fool Proof” StorySlam. Photo credit: Artemio Photography

All About Virginia

How did you learn about Ex Fabula?
Megan McGee is a friend of Jonathan and Sarah Jackson. I think that is how we first heard about Ex Fabula...through them.

What is your favorite Ex Fabula memory?
I loved the story told by the winner of the All-Star event two years ago.

Give us a random fact about you that most people don’t know.
I danced on stage with MC Hammer.

What’s one thing you love about Milwaukee?
Lake Shore Drive

...and what would you like to see change about Milwaukee?
Pot holes fixed

How do you like to spend your down time?
Movies, dinner and the Rep

Finish this sentence: Wouldn’t it be cool if....
There was a high-speed train to Madison

Tell us something you would NEVER do
Appear naked in public

What’s it like to be on stage, sharing a part of your life with a room full of strangers?
Exhilarating and terrifying, at the same time.

In your opinion, what are the key components to a great story?
Ease of storyteller, unusual story line

Who are some of your favorite storytellers?
Dasha Kelly

What’s the best thing about the neighborhood you live in?
Easy access to lots of things within walking distance

Can’t get enough? You can subscribe to our podcasts on iTunes! Search for “Ex Fabula”

by Ex Fabula bloggers Kimberly Ousley and Megan McGee

Ex Fabula returned to Hot Water Wherehouse this month for a story slam that was “Off the Hook’. The lovely Dasha Kelly served as emcee for the evening, welcoming a few first timers to what clearly became the male story hour.

To start the night, Joel Dresang shared a tale of how a deer saved him from a speeding ticket. Michael Heider’s story also involved avoiding a speeding ticket; in this case, the police were busy guarding the roads for the Vice Presidential candidate. Then, newbie Jonathan Brostoff told of the most incredible party ever and the great lengths he and his friends took to find it.

After a beer break, we welcomed 3 more first time storytellers to the stage. Michael Mangan’s story about running for office involved a gorilla suit and several arrests – although fortunately, his cases were eventually dismissed. Tiodolo Delagarza’s gripping tale took us through different stages of his life when different things were “off the hook”: joining a gang and beating a lifelong prison sentence, but later getting an education and giving back to his community.

Tim Higgins then took the stage with a story of Summerfest, public nudity, confession, and forgiveness. Mark Steidel followed the second beer break, talking of skydiving with his nephew, and then Phillip Cruise Warren shared a tale of sailing the seas on a mighty vessel with a huge anchor. Finally, Dave Hendrickson shared the rise and fall of his career as a pool shark.

While votes were counted, guest teller Avi Lank wove together stories of wedding rings, including an episode with the Canadian border guards. At the end of the evening, Tim Higgins was crowned Audience Favorite.

Thank you storytellers for sharing a piece of yourselves with us! Thanks also go to Dasha Kelly for being such a wonderful emcee, to Hot Water Wherehouse and their staff for welcoming us to their space, and to all our wonderful volunteers and sponsors for your time, efforts, and continued support.

Stay connected with Ex Fabula. Check out our podcasts on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ex-fabula). Tune into WMSE 91.7 for our radio show, broadcasted on the last Friday of every month at 12pm. Check out www.exfabula.com and sign up for the mailing list to receive Ex Fabula updates. Visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ExFabula) and follow us on Twitter (@ExFabula, www.twitter.com/ExFabula).

https://exfabula.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/exfabula_podcast_march2014_offthehook.mp3

Ex Fabula: Story. Stage. You.