Named the “gold standard” in storytelling by the Washington Post, voted one of the top 3 open mics in DC by the Washington City Paper, and nominated for the 2012 DC Mayor's Arts Awards for Innovation in the Arts, SpeakeasyDC has been selling out concert halls and theaters and  blazing a trail for contemporary autobiographical storytelling in the DC area since 1997. 

At SpeakeasyDC, our mission is to turn good stories into great performances. We believe that the experience the shared experience of telling and hearing well-crafted and well-performed personal stories promotes compassion and community, and deepens an understanding of the self, the other and the world.

We strive to increase the frequency, quality, impact, and reach of these story-exchanges through a continued commitment to: pursuing excellence in the craft; developing world-class performances; offering extensive coaching and training; creating opportunities for new voices and emerging artists; and serving as a platform for diverse perspectives and challenging topics. Through our shows, classes, coaching, and community events, we hope that we create opportunities for you to reflect on your own life, connect with other people in a meaningful way, embrace different perspectives, flex your creative muscles, listen and be heard, and explore what it means to be human.

Performances

Each year, SpeakeasyDC (SEDC) produces more than twenty-five unique shows including a monthly series and signature annual partnerships including SpeakeasyDC's Top Shelf, Sucker For Love, My So Called Life (with Sixth & I), Born This Way, Speakeasy Shorts Film Contest (with DC Shorts), Unraveled: A storyelling-improv mash-up (With Washington Improv Theater); and more.  SEDC also creates performance opportunities for more than 150 new and seasoned storytellers, provides intensive coaching for every person who gets on the SpeakeasyDC stage. Typically, a SpeakeayDC show features six to ten storytellers performing heartfelt and humorous true stories on a common theme in a conversational style. A big part of our mission is to get more people telling stories, so most of our shows have an open call for the general public to pitch a story on a given theme. We welcome everyone to give it a try knowing they will be supported through the process. All of the stories that end up on our stage are workshopped with a SpeakeasyDC story coach in advance, from one to several rehearsals. Note that your story must be autobiographical and have a complete narrative arc.  See upcoming events | Pitch your story

We pride ourselves on our special shows that give voice to particular populations andperspectives --- such as Born This Way: Stories about Queer Culture in America (with Human Rights Campaign), Bad Mommy Moments: A Storytelling Play-date for Moms; Crank & Groove: A Go Go Love Story; After-School Special: Stories by and about educators for Teacher Apprecation Week (with Teaching for Change); and Wetbacks, Aliens, & Towelheads: Stories from the First Generation; and SpeakeasyDC's Story Showdown: A Storytelling Game Show that parodies the Price is Right. 

You can book a show that we have already created or hire us to customize a show that meets your goals. A customized show may include a cast of seasoned storytellers that we choose, a cast of members within your own community or company that we coach, or a combination of the two. For instance, we have remounted First Generation at Montgomery College and Born This Way at Reston Community Center. We have been commissioned to develop two shows for Patagonia on outdoor-related themes with a combination of SpeakeasyDC storytellers and members of the environmental activist community. The Peace Corps commissioned SpeakeasyDC to coach Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to perform stories for a 50th anniversary event; two events for synagogues around the themes of Purim and Passover; and we have been contracted by Washington Regional Area Grantmakers and Humanities Council of Washington to coach individuals they selected to present for an Annual Meeting and a special event. 

Classes

SpeakeasyDC's signature style of storytelling focuses on helping you identify meaningful narrative events in your life and turning them into entertaining "performance-ready" stories.  With seven years in the field, a unique curriculum, and seven talented teachers, SpeakeasyDC is a leader in teaching the art of contemporary autobiographical storytelling. We offer ongoing educational opportunities that accommodate different levels of experience, interest, and time contsraints including our comprehensive five-week Storytelling 101 course and our acclaimed one-day Storytelling Boot Camp. Both classes maintain a ration of 6:1 and allow for a significant amount of personal attention. Our teachers are experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate and will do their best to meet the needs of each student. New classes are added regularly. Go to upcoming classes to what is currently scheduled and stay informed by joining our mailing list or following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Trainings & Consulting

SpeakeasyDC's trainers are experts in the art of storytelling. We have been invited to design and lead on-site storytelling trainings and presentations for companies and organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank, American University, Georgetown University, Peace Corps, Meyer Foundation, and Deloitte &Touche. We have also coached individuals identified by an organization to prepare them to present a story at an event. For instance,  Washington Regional Area Grantmakers hired us to coach three of their grant recipients for their Annual Meeting; and the Humanities Council of Washington hired us to coach four people being honored at a special event.  We can also be hired to curate and direct a show from scratch that relates to your brand and/or mission for a fundriaser, conference, or special event. 
 

Youth & Community

SpeakeasyDC has designed and led programs for  youth at the SEED School, DC FLY program, and the Dream Project and for patients at St. Elizabeths. We have led workshops for Young Nonproift Professionals Network, Nonprofit Rondtale, Stone Soup Films, Docs in Progress, and Feeding America, among others, and we have raised money for other non-profits such as Potomac Riverkeepers and the Rock Creek Conservancy. 

Podcast and Video

We publish a free podcast called The Speakeasy Storycast and host video channels on Vimeo and YouTube. On these, you will find recordings of our live performances, promotional videos, and a handful of produced “radio-style” stories (not performed live).

Our history

In 1990, a small group of storytellers and storytelling enthusiasts–-spearheaded by Linda Fang and Ann Mesritz–-got together to form the Washington Storytellers Theatre (WST). Their goal was to bring professional storytellers from around the country to the Washington, DC area to perform and teach the art of storytelling. Favorites like Donald Davis, Connie Regan-Blake, Charlotte Blake Alson, and Jon Spelman, who could be seen at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, TN, built a storytelling fan-base in the region.

Inspired by The Green Mill poetry slam in Chicago and Stories at the Moth in New York, then Executive Director Robert Revere, along with the help of performer Leslie Sapp, began The Speakeasy in 1997 as a complement to WST’s mainstage programming. The intent was to give locals and non-professional storytellers a space to tell stories.

The Speakeasy was thriving, so in 2006, Washington Storyellers Theatre changed its name to SpeakeasyDC, discontinued  programs that featured out-of-town performers, and focussed entirely on the cultivation of local talent and the development of personal, true stories (as opposed to a combination of personal stories, fiction, and folktale).  The new direction brought new programs such as coaching, multi-level classes, curated annual and holiday performances, partnerships with theaters and festivals, corporate trainings, and a podcast. Significant financial support has come from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

In 2012, SpeakeasyDC was nominated for the Mayor's Arts Awards, voted one of top 3 open mics by the Washington City Paper, and named the "gold standard" in storytelling by the Washington Post.

The monthly show was held first at the old Black Cat Club (1997-2000), then moved to HR-57 (2001-2006), then to Cada Vez in 2006 which was remodeled and changed to Station 9 where the event took place until August 2009. Currently, the open mic -- now known as SpeakeasyDC's 2nd Tuesday monthly Series --  takes place at Town Danceboutique at 8th and U Streets, NW, Washington, DC. Our curated shows have taken place as part of Capital Fringe Festival and the Atlas Intersections Festival and we have performed at Sixth & I, Dance Place, Woolly Mammoth,  the 9:30 Blub, The Birchmere and more.