Searching for "The Greatest Storyteller" in the (562)

Searching for “The Greatest Storyteller” in the 562 area code proved a pretty easy task. The Long Beach Playhouse and Gazette co-sponsored the latest talent search Sunday,  the second installment of four story slams co-produced by Naples resident author, Mariana Williams and Lauren Morris of the Long Beach Playhouse.

The first “story slam” in April surprised Williams with a crowd of 100 audience members to the modest gallery at the playhouse.  The playhouse had only set up fifty chairs.

Fortunately, audience members at the second story slam Sunday had the opportunity to watch storytellers in the very intimate setting of the theater of the playhouse. The house seats were filled with a varying crowd of onlookers including two judges.

“I talked to this gentlemen and asked him what he was into,” said the co-producer Williams. “He says taxidermy.” Williams goes onto tell the audience that the gentlemen she thought was a taxidermist was actually a tax attorney.

Williams’s comical story of miscommunication got the ball rolling for the actual contenders for the title of “The Greatest Storyteller.”

“My wife and I were sitting at the train station. All of sudden I notice that I don’t have my backpack with me. I turned around and then I realized that trains don’t move as slow as those cowboy movies,” said Michael Durack. He thought he could hop on as it pulled away from the station. He went on to tell his tale of being stranded in Kutna Hora while his wife continued on the train ride to Prague. Durack had to explain his situation to the train ticket clerk, who spoke limited English.

Second up to the stage was Pam Hummel, who told a heartfelt story of recently reading the obituary of her father's friend. The man was a prominent member of Orange County. In his death, he left his wife, a brother, two sisters, his parents (pre-deceased), son, and daughter were all mention in the article. However, it failed to acknowledge his daughter Trish. She had died twenty-four years ago because of her heroin addiction. After neglecting to pay her tab, the dealer and his friend killed her and left her in the closet. Although the family gave a wonderful funeral service for Trish, they were embarrassed by her addiction. Even though her death was twenty-four years ago, they were unable to acknowledge her in her own father's obituary. It was as if they were denying she ever existed.

Jeanie Frias told a story about her mother from the time when she was dying of brain cancer. Frias had moved in with her mother to tend to her needs. Her mother was unable to communicate her thoughts for several months. On one family trip, her mother finally spoke to her and said, “A gin & tonic would be good.”

Art Gottlieb told a story in the third person of his last days with his mother. His mother stayed at a nursing home and he frequently visited to take her on a stroll--until he suffered a stroke.  The stroke kept him away from his mother until one day he mustered the energy to return to visit. She broke her three-month long silence when Gottlieb returned to push her wheelchair.

After intermission, Elizabeth O'Brien told the audience about a story of living without electricity and water. Her daughter and son-in-law lived in a hand-built cabin while she lived behind them in a yurt. O’Brien explains, “It was a glorified tent to be exact.” O’Brien chose to lived this way to show her son how spoil people have become.

Melina Ell told an adventurous tale of her travels post-9/11. After her wedding, Ell took a six-week vacation in Southeast Asia. During her travels she had mistakenly slept 48 hours in a brothel. Following her trip back to the states, Ell travels alone to see her distraught friend. One slight problem was that she mistakenly packed an armed gun in her suitcase.

Finishing the night off, Bobby Lux told a story about ‘Nude Dudes.’ The story is about Lux’s trip with his three friends to a nude beach. They secretly wanted to see a Las Vegas pool party on the beach, but unfortunately they were met with very energetic senior citizens.

At the end of the night, Pam Hummel’s story about her friend Trish got the grand prize of one hundred dollars. The runner up was awarded to Jennie Frias’s story about her cancer stricken mother. Frias won two free tickets to the Long Beach Playhouse.

There are two more remaining “story slams” this year, Oct.9 and Dec. 29. For more information about “The Greatest Storyteller,” visit http://www.lbplayhouse.org/storyteller.

The public is invited to tell their own story.

Download the movie