A for Effort

Wednesday, June 5, 8-10pm, $8

Black Fox Lounge, 1723 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
 202/483-1723

 

 

Each month, Bare! brings together storytellers, comedians, sex educators and others to share true tales from their own experiences of sex, desire and romance. With stories as diverse as the people telling them, Bare! opens doors to bedrooms, back seats and dungeons to tell what your mama left out about the birds, bees and in-betweens.

This month, our striving storytellers try to make the grade with their best efforts:

Hosted by Jefferson (One Life Take Two, Spill!)

Natalie Illum (National Poetry Slam)

Chuck Na (Story Collider, SpeakEasy)

Victoria Roche (Vagina Monologues)

Chelsea Shorte (Little Spoons)

Jennifer Tress (You’re Not Pretty Enough)

. . . and more! You’ve tried your darnedest and damned your failed attempts. Put your name in the hat for a chance to bare all on the Bare! stage.

. . . and still more! One lucky audience member will win a sex toy courtesy of Adam & Eve.

Jefferson

Jefferson is the curator and host of Bare! A sex educator and writer, Jefferson keeps a pseudonymous blog, One Life, Take Two, that details his life as a parent and pervert. He is a storyteller frequently seen on stages along the East Coast and elsewhere, including The Moth, where he is a StorySlam winner. He is also host of the monthly series Spill! True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance.

Natalie E. Illum

Natalie E. Illum is a poet, activist and storyteller. Her work has appeared in the anthologies Word Warriers: Thirty-Five Women of the Spokenword Revolution and Full Moon on K Street, as well as in Feminist Studies and on NPR’s Snap Judgment. She has competed on the National Poetry Slam circuit since 2008, and has performed with many artists across the US, including Michelle Tea, Eileen Myles, Buddy Wakefield and Andrea Gibson. Her writing centers around disability, identity and autobiography. She has an MFA in creative writing from American University, and teaches workshops in a variety of venues.

Chuck Na

Chuck Na is a technology transfer professional working with government bioscience inventions. He earned a Masters degree from the Johns Hopkins University and has professional experience as a teacher, industry research and development and biotech operations. Chuck currently lives in Columbia, Maryland, with his wonderful wife and their pet hedgehog, Mochi. In his free time, Chuck is a baseball card blogger trying to avoid becoming a parent.

Victoria Rocha

Victoria Rocha is an emerging raconteur as she navigates the storytelling waters of DC, including her first storytelling performances at Speakeasy DC and Story League in February—both, not-so-shockingly, about sex, one her favorite topics. Still, Victoria is not new to performing, with her first role at age eight in Young Chautauqua as General George Custer. The company’s only female to portray a male, Victoria just loves the facial hair—it’s like bonsai of the face. Her collegiate theatrical training included acting, improv and stage make-up. Since moving to Washington, DC from Nevada, Victoria was in The Firm’s production of the Vagina Monologues in 2010 and 2011. Victoria has fallen in love with storytelling and is hoping, with some encouragement, to attempt stand-up in the near future.

Jennifer Tress

Jennifer Tress is a writer and storyteller based in Washington, DC.  She’s a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and xojane and in 2010 she chronicled Oprah’s final season forBitch Magazine.As a storyteller, she’s performed in DC and NYC, telling many stories from her upcoming memoir You’re Not Pretty Enough. An earlier version of her first chapter “Sex Education,” appeared in the Pinchback Press anthology, Tarnished: True Tales of Innocence Lost. In August 2012, Jen re-launched her website with all new content modeled after the It Gets Better Project, but speaking to beauty norms and their impact on the individual and is on the speaking circuit working to empower women and girls.

Email and mailing list barestories@gmail.com

Bare! True Stories of Sex, Desire and Romance takes place on the first Mondays of the month at The Middle East in Boston, first Wednesdays of the month at Black Fox Lounge in Washington, D.C. and monthly at Drom in New York City. Also visit our monthly companion show Spill! True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance at Public Assembly in New York City and Black Fox Lounge in Washington, D.C. Try your hand at sexy storytelling at the biweekly Foreplay: A Sexy Open Mic, alternate Mondays at The Three of Cups in New York City.

Ingenuity

Wednesday, April 3, 8-10pm, $8

Black Fox Lounge, 1723 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
 202/483-1723

Each month, Bare! brings together storytellers, comedians, sex educators and others to share true tales from their own experiences of sex, desire and romance. With stories as diverse as the people telling them, Bare! opens doors to bedrooms, back seats and dungeons to tell what your mama left out about the birds, bees and in-betweens.

This month, our plucky McGivers rig together stories of ingenuity:

Hosted by Jefferson (One Life Take Two, Spill!)

Natlie E. Illum (National Poetry Slam)

Nate Johnson (Story League)

Victoria Rocha (The Vagina Monologues)

Shawn Westfall (DC Improv, ShawnMikael(s))

. . . and more! You have ingenious stories of your own ingenuity. Put your name in the hat for a chance to bare all on the Bare! stage.

. . . and still more! One lucky audience member will win a sex toy courtesy of Adam & Eve.

Jefferson

Jefferson is the curator and host of Bare! A sex educator and writer, Jefferson keeps a pseudonymous blog, One Life, Take Two, that details his life as a parent and pervert. He is a storyteller frequently seen on stages along the East Coast and elsewhere, including The Moth, where he is a StorySlam winner. He is also host of the monthly series Spill! True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance.

Natalie E. Illum

Natalie E. Illum is a poet, activist and storyteller. Her work has appeared in the anthologies Word Warriers: Thirty-Five Women of the Spokenword Revolution and Full Moon on K Street, as well as in Feminist Studies and on NPR’s Snap Judgment. She has competed on the National Poetry Slam circuit since 2008, and has performed with many artists across the US, including Michelle Tea, Eileen Myles, Buddy Wakefield and Andrea Gibson. Her writing centers around disability, identity and autobiography. She has an MFA in creative writing from American University, and teaches workshops in a variety of venues.

Nate Johnson

Nate Johnson was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and suffered brain damage as a result. Despite that, he’s gone on to become a lawyer, lifeguard (two saves), actor, improvisor, and comedian. As a comedian, he’s performed at the Lincoln Theater (Washington, D.C.), State Theater (Falls Church), Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, and a litany of other venues on the east coast. He has an unusual perspective and a wealth of varied life experience.

Victoria Rocha

Victoria Rocha is an emerging raconteur as she navigates the storytelling waters of DC, including her first storytelling performances at Speakeasy DC and Story League in February—both, not-so-shockingly, about sex, one her favorite topics. Still, Victoria is not new to performing, with her first role at age eight in Young Chautauqua as General George Custer. The company’s only female to portray a male, Victoria just loves the facial hair—it’s like bonsai of the face. Her collegiate theatrical training included acting, improv and stage make-up. Since moving to Washington, DC from Nevada, Victoria was in The Firm’s production of the Vagina Monologues in 2010 and 2011. Victoria has fallen in love with storytelling and is hoping, with some encouragement, to attempt stand-up in the near future.

Shawn Westfall

Shawn Westfall is an improvisational comedy instructor and performer, as well as a producer of improv-based shows throughout the DC area. This year, he’ll celebrate ten years as the exclusive teacher of improvisational comedy at the DC Improv, where he teaches classes in beginning and advanced short-form and long-form improv comedy, as well as improv workshops focusing on character, long form, and non-traditional improv techniques. His classes (and the numerous performances they’ve generated) have been featured in The Washington Post, The Washington Post Express, Washingtonian magazine, Washington Post Radio, DC 101, WTOP Radio, Mix 107.3’s “The Jack Diamond Morning Show,” The Food Network’s “Dinner: Impossible!,” K Street Kate’s video weblog, WeLoveDC.com, among many others. He’s also a founding member, along with Mikael Johnson, of the award-winning comedy troupe ShawnMikael(s), which performs frequently at festivals and theaters throughout the country. By day, Shawn works as an ad agency creative: he’s a senior copywriter for Proof Integrated Communications, a division of Burson-Marsteller, where he writes, directs and produces print ads, radio spots, TV spots, as well as online and social media advertising.

Email and mailing list barestories@gmail.com

Bare! True Stories of Sex, Desire and Romance takes place on the first Mondays of the month at The Middle East in Boston, first Wednesdays of the month at Black Fox Lounge in Washington, D.C. and third Tuesdays of the month at The Bitter End in New York City. Also visit our monthly companion show Spill! True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance at Public Assembly in New York City and Black Fox Lounge in Washington, D.C. Try your hand at sexy storytelling at the biweekly Foreplay: A Sexy Open Mic, alternate Mondays at The Three of Cups in New York City.