In what may have been an unprecedented event, the very first storyteller at last Tuesday’s “On The Road” StorySlam, George Dougherty, brought home the victory! His story was packed with just the right mix of anticipation, climax and transformation, and the crowd loved it. Check it out over at Uwishunu. And mark your calendar for the July 22nd StorySlam: “Caught”

Katonya Mosley will be hosting. Remember her? Of course you do:

Philadelphia’s premier serio-comic improv ensemble will perform at next month’s Salon, where they will create a spontaneous work of documentary theatre!

Tongue & Groove uses a unique first person-inspired format for improvisation: prompted by questions from the company, the audience anonymously writes honest personal information on index cards; these cards are randomly chosen throughout the show to inspire a series of reality-based scenes and monologues that reflect the spirit of the audience.

Tongue & Groove was founded in 2006 with the mission of creating theatre that has the dramatic integrity of well-crafted scene-writing and the playful tension of improv. Headed by artistic director Bobbi Block, (of Philly Fringe-favorite LunchLady Doris, and Barrymore Award-winning improv company ComedySportz) the company of talented actors includes Adam Gertler, finalist on the new season of The Next Food Network Star. Their work explores a wide range of relationships, evoking both humor and pathos as they improvise the human experience. Tongue & Groove performances include romance, comedy, drama…and lots of kissin’ and wrestlin’.

More on Tongue & Groove here.

Mark your calendars for the July 9th Salon at the Gershman Y (7-9pm)
Featuring:

• Documentary improv from Tongue & Groove
• Artist Rachel Fujita and her multimedia work, lovehateNYC
• Philadelphia writer Elisabeth Erickson

Please join us at the Gershman Y- 401 South Broad St. from 7-9pm

$5 minimum admission. All ages welcome!

The First Person Impressions 2008 Competitions are under way, and we’re already starting to receive some great entries in short memoir, documentary photography and film. Last year’s winners of the short documentary competition were Danielle Lessovitz and David Kessler with Anya and Her Spyglass:

Take your best shot at making a First Person Impression here!

Enter at impressions.firstpersonarts.org!

Okay, here we are on DigPhillyTV:

Doesn’t that look like fun? We had a huge response at the Kimmel Center on Saturday night, so tonight’s StorySlam–”On The Road”–promises to be a real barn burner! Join First Person Arts, hostess Kendra Gaeta, and guest storytellers Katonya Mosley and Sandy Beaches for the next round of competition to find the city’s best true storyteller at our festival in November! Bring your “On the Road” stories and get in on the action.

Thanks to our friends over at the Kimmel Center, you now have two chances to StorySlam this month! This Saturday night, as part of the Kimmel’s Summer Solstice event, host Madi Distefano kicks it off with a special “Summertime” slam at 10pm in the Rendell Room. And then the following Tuesday, the regularly scheduled slam “On The Road” gets moving back at L’Etage, hosted by our old friend and “Good Intentions” winner, Kendra Gaeta.

OPTION 1:

What: “Summertime” StorySlam
Who: Hosted by Madi Distefano!
When: June 21st @ 10pm
Where: The Rendell room in the Kimmel Center
How much: $10 for the whole 3pm-til-dawn extravaganza
See what else is going on to plan your evening!

OPTION 2:

What: “On The Road” StorySlam
Who: Hosted by Kendra Gaeta!
When: June 24th (Doors at 7:30 and the Slam begins at 8:30)
Where: L’Etage @ 6th and Bainbridge
How much: $5-$10

OPTION 3: Hit ‘em both!

The First Person Salon series continued last night at the Gershman Y, where three local artists presented provocative works of documentary and memoir. The night’s presentations centered around Philadelphia’s social and physical landscape, and offered stories of individuals from three very different groups finding their place within it.

Filmmaker Ron Kanter screened an excerpt from his recent documentary, New Cops, which follows a class of recruits in the Philadelphia Police Academy through their training process and returns five years later to chronicle their experiences on the job. An impassioned discussion followed the film, which questioned whether young recruits have the skills needed to navigate the socially complex and demanding work of being Philadelphia Police Officers. More information about New Cops, which aired recently on WHYY, can be found here.

Mural artist Donald Gensler discussed the process of creating “Independence Starts Here”, a new mural at Broad and Race Streets. For Gensler, a mural is primarily a way to connect with people, and “Independence Starts Here” is the result of a two-year series of community workshops. The result is a kind of collaborative documentary, representing the stories of individuals who worked with the artist throughout the process. With Gensler was Antonio Cancel, a graphic designer who is depicted in the mural. Together, the two are creating a website to accompany the mural and provide a forum for discussion about issues relating to disability. See more of Gensler’s work here.

The evening concluded with bestselling author Lorene Cary, who read a moving essay about her work with children from North Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate Youth Group. Cary’s personal struggle to reconcile the lack of resources available to these children with her own education at the elite Saint Paul’s School led her to the founding of Art Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing African American cultural and educational events to the North Philadelphia community. Cary’s essay is slated to appear in the September issue of O Magazine. Her website is here.