Join storytellers Jacoby Cochran, Lynette Ford, Tim Lowry, Len Kruger, and Kim Weitkamp for “Party of Five,” October 8, 2020, at 8pm EDT. This virtual storytelling show party will be hosted by Better Said Than Done’s own hostess with the mostest, Jessica Robinson.
Contribute what you can. It’s a $5 minimum to cover the chips and salsa. Feel free to contribute more, as proceeds are split between the party planner and our partytainers!
Read all about the night’s professional entertainers below!
Jacoby Cochran is an award-winning performer, educator, and aspiring cannabis chef from the South Side of Chicago. His work often explores the juxtaposition of paranoia and beauty inherent in Black life and has been featured at The Silver Room, Laugh Factory, and the Museum of Contemporary Art to name a few. Prior to quarantine, you could catch him hosting The Moth In Chicago & Gizmodo’s, “What’s Next In Tech!”
Fourth-generation Affrilachian storyteller Lynette Ford is a teaching artist with the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, a Thurber House mentor to young writers, and a great-grandma. She has provided stories in diverse venues: centers for education, correctional facilities, libraries, conferences, and storytelling conferences and festivals in the United States, Australia and Ireland. The recipient of two National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Awards, she’s also an author with five books and numerous articles to her credit, and was the first storyteller to be nominated for an Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts.
Len Kruger has performed stories on stage with local storytelling groups such as Better Said Than Done, Story District, and the Storyfest Short Slam, where he is a two-time first prize winner. Len is also a fiction writer. His short fiction has appeared in Zoetrope All-Story, The Barcelona Review, Boundoff, Gargoyle, and many other publications. He lives in Cleveland Park with his wife Cynthia and their Shih Tzu Toby.
As a theater major in college, Tim Lowry studied Shakespeare and romantic opera, but when he took an elective class in storytelling he found himself. After college, Tim taught English language arts for five years. Drawing on his love of show business his teaching methods were often considered “unorthodox and disruptive.” In 2000, Tim left the classroom to pursue a career as a professional storyteller. (Ironically, he is now hired as an educational consultant to bring creative and innovative programs
to schools across the country and is approaching his 10,000th performance!)
In 2012 Tim began touring the National Storytelling Festival circuit and has shared stories on stages from Connecticut to California. Occasionally, Tim
provides applied storytelling workshops for corporate and non-profit groups. His client list includes the North Carolina County Commissioners (Raleigh, NC), Dollywood Dream More Resort (Pigeon Forge, TN), and Daramic LLC (Charlotte, NC).
In her work as a humorist, storyteller, singer and songwriter, Kim Weitkamp has taken home an armload of awards. She has performed at major theaters throughout the US and Canada and has toured the country for the last 5 years as 1/3 of the successful comedy group, The Uncalled for Trio, featuring Bil Lepp (of Comedy Central) and Andy Offutt Irwin (of Disney). She’s created peace projects including the Peace by Piece Project, which was in collaboration with the Taubman Museum of Fine Arts and resulted in a nomination for the Governor’s Award for the Arts. Her list of accomplishments is lengthy, but what she is most known for is the characters, comedy and songs she brings to the stage. A pleasingly quirky mix of Garrison Keiller, Carol Burnett, and Martina McBride. Kim has mastered the craft of blending humor and heartache, seriousness and silliness…all linked together by music. One reviewer stated, “Hard to explain but oh, so easy to enjoy.” She currently has 8 award winning audio collections, the latest one, A Wandering Mind, a much anticipated collection of personal stories and songs that has received rave reviews and airplay on NPR affiliates and Sirius XM. Kim has made numerous television appearances, hosted a successful morning show and has authored numerous articles for periodicals and magazines.
The show will be recorded and all ticket holders will receive a link to view the show approximately 48 hours later. This is a courtesy in case you miss any part of the live performance. The recording will not be made public. It is only for ticket holders. Tickets here.
