First Person Arts' Story Slam: The Awkward Pause, L'Etage, April 22

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First Person Arts' Story Slam: The Awkward Pause, L'Etage, April 22

POSTED: Thursday, April 24, 2008, 7:45 PM

Filed Under: Arts

photo | aly semigran

Storyteller Michael McCarry on groin injuries and practical jokes gone awry.

The discomfort of strangers

photo | aly semigran

Mount Airy resident Katonya Moseley proves that awkward silences aren't always a laughing matter.

The awkward pause has made quite a comeback over the past few years. Ricky Gervais set the gold standard for uncomfortable silence with "The Office" and "Extras," but some of our fellow Philadelphians have had equally squirm-worthy moments.

Now celebrating its second year, First Person Arts' Story Slams allows regular folks to share various stories (the theme changes every month). The storytellers have five minutes to tell their tale and are graded on theme and performance value.

This being my first Story Slam, I decided to sit on the sidelines (a move I later regretted, as I have some truly horrific awkward encounters under my belt) and listen to what painful moments others have endured.

The evening featured some profoundly good storytellers (it was a mix of First Person veterans and newcomers) with tales of unfortunate last names, mistaken sexual identities, inappropriate first-date requests and drug trips gone terribly awry.

My personal favorites came from Michael McCarry, whose story of a groin injury and a cruel prank was so sharply funny you'd think he was a pro, and Katonya Moseley (both pictured) from Mount Airy, who stopped the crowd dead in their tracks with a painfully truthful tale of racial divide.

The most telling thing about the whole evening, though, was the camaraderie among Slammers and listeners. The space is far too small to host all the people who show up, but it feels just right. Nothing awkward about it at all.

—Aly Semigran

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