Tag: Crossing The Threshold

As part of every Drunken Telegraph show, after the featured storytellers, audience members are invited to take the stage and share their own five-minute story on the theme. Five minutes isn’t a long time, and sometimes people go a wee bit over. (If Megan Sukys, the timekeeper, is caught up in the story, she might forget the clock.)
 
Following our Crossing The Threshold show, we heard six totally different reactions to the six mainstage storytellers. Remember, most people are telling a story straight from their heart, with no practice or prep time.

 

Brook West, Working Title

With a little help from paper plate notes, Brook West shared a beautifully crafted story about her path her from secret doodles of Special Agent Dana Scully to a public declaration of love to her partner.

 

 Michael Smith, Mormon Mission

The Mt. Rainier backdrop reminded Michael Smith of a similar mountain in South America, a place where he came to grips with what he could change about his life – and what he couldn’t.

 

Pat “A” + B. Gallagher, Embracing the Second Rainbow

Our Mt. Rainier set also brought back memories for Pat, who started off by leading the crowd in an old Rainier Beer tag line. Then, Pat shared insight from living in-between the extremes of pink and blue, and thriving in the vast middle ground of purple.

 

Jarrette Bowen, How Many Times Does It Take To Come Out?

Jarrette’s story echoed a recurring theme from Crossing The Threshold, trying to reconcile his identity with his family’s religious beliefs.

 

Sandy King, Ask The Questions

A big rule for Drunken Telegraph is “No Notes”, but the audience response/story slam is a “No Rules” kind of time. Sandy King prepared a provocative, fast-paced account of coming to understand and empathize with a new transgender neighbor.

 

Sega Kaposi, The Incredible Life

Our youngest storyteller, Sega was moved to share how she came to understand her younger brother, who is transgender and currently transitioning to become Sega’s younger sister. It’s hard to translate intense emotion to words, and Sega showed bravery to publicly open up about her struggle and love.

PHOTOS: Scott Haydon

 

PHOTO: Scott Haydon

H.M. Z.’s grandfather told him that migration is the essence of Islam. That advice was comfort as H.M. Crossed the Threshold, leaving his home country for the United States. But, fourteen years after arriving, H.M. now knows migration requires transformation, everything from rainbow bracelets and hard ‘r’s to skinny jeans and road rage.

 

 ART: Britton Sukys

PHOTO: Scott Haydon

Once Lynn Goralski discovered it was possible to have the body of her dreams, she had to spend another five years reconciling her Catholic faith with the truth of her soul.

 

 

ART: Britton Sukys

 

 

PHOTO: Scott Haydon

Dana is the daughter of a minister and a wife-of-a-minister (which Dana says is an even stricter position). It wasn’t until college that she was finally able to Cross the Threshold and find a relationship with the Divine where she could be true to herself.

 

ART: Britton Sukys

 

PHOTO: Scott Haydon

As a Catholic seminary student, a reading from the Gospel set David Strong on his own journey across the Threshold, on his way to  Freedom.  David is pastor at Spirit of Christ Community Church and Executive Director of AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma.

 

 

ART: Britton Sukys

 

PHOTO: Scott Haydon

Backpacking and skinny-dipping at Flapjack Lakes, WA weren’t enough to heal Diane’s broken heart.
She needed a big sign from The Great Spirit… and she got it.

 

 

ART: Britton Sukys