Monday night I attended the fourth of four sold-out evenings of True Theatre, an innovative spoken word program that's been happening at Know Theatre since last October. Organizers Dave Levy and Jeff Groh have found considerable success inviting people (usually five per evening) to speak at these quarter gatherings about some real, personal event — usually on a theme, such as Monday night's "True Independence," inspired by last week's holiday. —-
Speakers described a surprising array of experiences: Walking away from third grade and a teacher who failed to be encouraging; walking away from a strictly conservative religious life at the age of 36; mishandling adolescent responsibility and "big brother-hood" with fireworks and matches, nearly causing family disasters; observing the drive in Egypt for independence earlier this year; and traveling to Thailand as a single woman and coping with some serious disruptions in returning home. Each was fascinating and meaningful.
Groh and Levy have announced their plans for another year of this innovative concept. The quarterly dates are all on Mondays; programs happen at Know Theatre's Underground Bar. Since all have been sold-out, you might want to order your tickets in advance at www.truetheatre.com.
True Hunger — Nov. 7, 2011
True Love — Feb. 13, 2012
True Mom — May 14, 2012
True Grit — July 23, 2012
At the group's website you can also indicate your interest in being considered as a speaker for one of these programs.