While show producers work with the storytellers to format plot arcs, pithy punch lines and memorable endings, the most important thing is that the stories are true, according to Kennedy. They are true stories, told live, in front of an audience. 'I think for the first ten years I did this my parents thought I was going around to elementary schools with puppets or something,' said Kennedy.įor the most part, the stories are told by average citizens, though the odd famous person is thrown in the mix. That's a big leap from the show's early days in front of audiences of roughly 60 people. The brand now includes open mic competitions, education programs, community and corporate storytelling workshops, an hour-long public radio show and an annual fundraising event that has been hosted by the likes of Louis C.K.

It has produced over 26,000 original stories and has a podcast which has 44 million downloads each year. These days, the show fills theatres across the U.S. Green moved to New York City in 1997 and started hosting storytelling nights at his apartment, but the events grew too big to fit in his home. 'There was a little hole in the screen and moths would get in and flutter around the porch light, so they started calling themselves 'The Moths,' ' said the show's host Dan Kennedy.

Creating a Montreal community through real-life storytelling.

The Moth comes from humble beginnings in a rural region of the state of Georgia where founder George Dawes Green would gather his friends on his screened-in porch to swap stories.

Tonight, the popular live performance show hits the stage in Vancouver. For 20 years, The Moth has championed the art of storytelling.

Download moth storytelling