"The Moth Mainstage," A Captivating Two-Act, Unscripted Storytelling Event

KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS PRESENTS THE MOTH MAINSTAGE, A CAPTIVATING TWO-ACT, UNSCRIPTED STORYTELLING EVENT, OCTOBER 21, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 13, 2023) –– The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents the return of The Moth Mainstage at the Miller Theater on October 21, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. Through live and virtual shows, storytelling workshops, a podcast, Peabody Award-winning Radio Hour, and The New York Times best-selling books, The Moth brings the power of personal storytelling to millions of people each year, creating community and building empathy around the world.

The Moth was founded by novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate in New York the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the porch where he and his friends would gather to spin spellbinding tales. The first New York Moth event was held in George’s living room and the events quickly spread to larger venues throughout the city.

The Moth Mainstage is their curated flagship program, a staple of the literary scenes in New York City and Los Angeles. Storytellers at the Mainstages include renowned personalities, past StorySLAM and GrandSLAM winners, and average people who may have submitted their stories through The Moth Pitchline. The Moth Mainstage tours internationally and has featured stories by Elizabeth Gilbert, Hasan Minhaj, Kathleen Turner, Malcolm Gladwell, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, John Turturro, Molly Ringwald, Boots Riley, Mike Birbiglia, Roseanne Cash, as well as an astronaut, a pickpocket, a hot dog eating champion, and hundreds more. 

The Moth is true stories, told live and without notes. The live tour presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the U.S. and abroad. Live shows are dedicated to the art of unscripted, first-person storytelling. Hosts and storytellers for this show in Philadelphia will be announced at a later date.

“We are delighted to present this unique performance celebrating the importance of personal storytelling,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. “Audiences will be enthralled as The Moth weaves a tapestry of human experiences, reminding us of the power and beauty of our shared narratives.”  

In 2009, the organization launched a national public radio show, The Moth Radio Hour, and won a Peabody Award in 2010. Now, 500 public radio stations host The Moth Radio Hour, which has over one million weekly listeners. The Moth Podcast is a free weekly podcast featuring stories told across their programs. Since its launch in 2008, it has been regularly ranked in the top ten podcasts on iTunes, alongside such mainstays as This American Life, Radiolab, and The TED Radio Hour. The Moth Podcast is downloaded more than 90 million times a year.

To date, The Moth has published four critically acclaimed books: The New York Times Best Seller The Moth: 50 True Stories; All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown; Occasional Magic: True Stories of Defying the Impossible; and How to Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth.

Other featured upcoming performances on the Kimmel Cultural Campus include Eddie Izzard – The Remix: The First 35 Years (September 14 – 15, Miller Theater); Tony Hinchcliffe: Fully Groan Tour (September 29, 2023, Miller Theater); Sir Patrick Stewart: Making it So (October 3, 2023, Perelman Theater); Aunty Donna: The Magical Dead Cat Tour (October 7, 2023, Perelman Theater); My Brother, My Brother and Me (October 11, 2023, Miller Theater); Nurse Blake: Shock Advised Tour (October 14, 2023, Miller Theater); Loreena McKennitt: The Visit Revisited 30th Anniversary Tour (October 20, 2023, Miller Theater); Tribute to Jerry Blavat (October 21, 2023, Academy of Music); An Evening with the Late John Cleese (October 25, 2023, Academy of Music); Steve Martin & Martin Short: You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today! (October 27, 2023, Academy of Music); Golden Girls – The Laughs Continue (October 27 – 28, 2023, Miller Theater); The Wait Wait Stand Up Tour (November 10, 2023, Miller Theater); Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny (November 11, 2023, Miller Theater); Ira Glass and Etgar Keret (November 15, 2023, Miller Theater) and David Spade: Catch Me Inside (December 2, 2023, Miller Theater).

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In-person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.

The Moth Mainstage

Miller Theater on the Kimmel Cultural Campus

Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

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KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS

Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and SEI Innovation Studio), the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) – representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and esteemed Resident Companies: Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, coworkers, and programs here.

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For photography, please visit https://kcccpress.smugmug.com.

For a PDF version of this press release, click here.