As it so happens, your humble correspondent is writing this blog post from a lovely bed and breakfast a few miles north of Baltimore. There’s just something about the homey, laid-back atmosphere of a lodging that’s run by people doing it for the love of providing hospitality that invigorates the sense of adventure and openness to new things.
Better Said Than Done wants to whet your appetite for such pleasures. This Saturday, July 23th, we’re presenting a hybrid show, both at the Auld Shebeen in Fairfax, VA, and online entitled “Bed and Breakfast and Beyond: Stories About Where We Sleep, Eat and Travel.” Your guides into these invigorating areas are storytellers Jenn Ameena, Mylinda Butterworth, Catherine Calvin, Vijai Nathan, Lou Novak, Dr. Antwan Perry, and Sufian Zhemukhov. Get your tickets now!
As an enticement to join us on this journey, let’s take a moment and meet these esteemed tellers…
Jenn Ameena is a policy analyst by day and an absurdity magnet by night. She has performed on the stages of Story District and Risk! with stories that include the Worst Job and the Worst Date. Originally hailing from Long Island, Jenn struggles with pronouncing words like “coffee” and “water.”She earned her MPP from Pepperdine University and her BA in Africana Studies from Cornell University.
MyLinda Butterworth is Totally Stories or that is what she claims as she brings stories to life as an award-winning author, performing artist, or in the virtual world where she proclaims herself the queen of alliterations as she has recorded and posted nearly 900 of them on her YouTube channel Totally Stories. She encourages her listeners to enjoy the journey as she stokes the fires of imagination as she shares a plethora of stories.
Catherine Calvin attended two workshops with BTSD before taking the stage for the first time in 2015. A graduate of GMU, she enjoyed collecting stories through her own experiences and those of the customers and guests she served over years doing sales in the hotel industry. Today, she serves the NoVA community as account executive with restaurant technology company Toast. Catherine shares a few stories here on stage but Bogart, her cat, hears them all.
Vijai Nathan is an Indian-American comedian and storyteller making people laugh across America and internationally too! She’s been featured on NPR, and is a contributing writer for Washington Post Magazine’s Date Lab. She’s currently workshopping her latest one-woman show, “I’m Not Racist, But…” She’s one of the few South Asian artists to be invited to perform at the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian, Library of Congress and Constitution Hall. She lovingly and hilariously talks about growing up as an Indian in America, dating, cultural clashes with her parents, and the racism she dealt with as a child and now as a comedian.
Lou Novak was born abroad into a military family. There was always American TV available on the bases and lots of storytelling took place under street lamps on base. Lou joined scouts and enjoyed hearing tales around the campfire. As an adult he went to sea and learned a whole different genre called sea stories. After some classes with Story District provided by the Armed Services Arts Partnership he was able to perform on stage.
Dr. Antwan Perry is an enigma. Learn more about him at Saturday night’s show!
Sufian Zhemukhov is an award-winning author and performer. He received The JJ Reneaux Emerging Artist Award from the National Storytelling Network. Sufian’s solo shows have been featured off-Broadway and nationwide. Sufian’s stories are based on his personal experience as a first-generation immigrant and political analyst, which might be funnier than it sounds. His recent book won The Best Book Award from the International Studies Association.
With those introductions to let you know who will be telling us about their adventures seeking slumber, food, and the road previously untaken, come join us to find out what they found! The downstairs entrance doors to the Auld Shebeen open at 6:00 P.M. and the show kicks off at 7:00. Tickets being at $5 for the online stream and $15 for the in-person show. Grab your tickets now!
