So we found an awesome new babysitter and took her out for a test drive Sunday. We had ourselves a little date night and went to see
Bring Your Own, which is described as "New Orleans pop-up storytelling." I know, sounds weird but intriguing right? Let me tell you, this was easily one of the most enjoyable experiences we've had in this town. Here's the premise, a theme is chosen and people volunteer to tell their stories that are in some way related to this theme. These people may or may not have ever stood on a stage before, they may or may not have practiced their story, and they may or may not have had a bit of liquid courage. They are also timed (7 minutes) and judged, and the best told story is recorded and played on the radio. My mom would love it, public speaking is her thing, but I dare her to keep any story to 7 minutes. I digress...
The backdrop for this event is behind a nondescript door on Magazine that I have literally gone past hundreds of times. The door opens to a dimly lit stairwell and at the top there's a couple selling...BBQ! Turn a corner and the space opens into a massive loft with twenty foot ceilings made of ornate and decaying copper tiles. The walls are bare and exposed brick except in places where the hand painted wall paper desperately clings still. The floor is turn of the century milled hardwood and remains dusty and unfinished. There were large art installations sporadically and reasonably placed around the room, chairs for guest and god bless her, a girl "trading" beer for donations.
Lost In The Holler was playing on the stage in the front corner of the room. They set the tone of the night and played the intermission. Dear reader if you have a chance to see them play please do so.
The stories were great, and ran the gamut of hilarious, pleasant, heartbreaking, shocking and even political. They also kept to the theme of the night, "Labyrinths", spectacularly. I wish I had written every ones names down but instead I tried to get my favorite plots and summarize them. As follows in no particular order:
-The story of getting lost in the Jersey woods at night with a sibling and being chased down by a bunch of townies.
-Dave- Being lost in the Tennessee farm land, at night, in the snow, as a child. Relying on two dogs to get you home safe and sound...spoiler alert he lived. It was a sweet story.
-Getting job as an intern and being able to rub shoulders with personal heroes at a company party. Accidentally eating meat after abstaining for over a decade....which led to defecating in public on the Duke University campus. Vegetarians be warned. She was hilarious.
-Soul searching in Lao after being left by a spouse of 5 years, lover of 12. Impressive on stage presence and a captivating story.
-Emily- I remember her name because I nearly cried. If she had cried on stage I would have lost it for sure. She has very recently made the discovery that a loved one is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. This was a heart wrenching story. She displayed true bravery in just telling it, on top of the fact that she had volunteered that night to fill in for a no-show.
There were a few other stories that were told and each was good in it's own respect but these were the ones that stood out for me, for whatever reason they struck a cord. I admire these people for speaking from their hearts in a room full of strangers.
Bring Your Own did a great job of making the event really awesome and powerful. From what I understand this was their first time holding the event indoors, I think this as a result of the collaboration with
Prospect New Orleans ( P.3).
"Prospect New Orleans was conceived in the tradition of the great international exhibitions, such as the Venice Biennale and the Bienal de São Paulo, to showcasenew artistic practices from around the world in settings that are both historic and culturally exceptional, and contribute to the cultural economy of New Orleans and the Louisiana Gulf region."
I am pretty excited to see what other interesting events P. 3 has on the schedule. Hopefully more to come on that.
Anyways a great time was had by all and when we got home there were no signs of chaos or havoc and both kids were sleeping. Heaven. If you are in New Orleans try and make it out to a
Bring Your Own event.
