SpeakeasyDC is recruiting new Board members! It’s springtime and everywhere around us is new growth and energy – SpeakeasyDC is no exception!  As an organization, we are thriving and we are looking for new Board members to support our growth! We’re looking for people from our community of storytellers, volunteers, and devoted audience members to join our Board and actively contribute to taking SpeakeasyDC to the next level.

Here is a look at the teams as they enter the final stretch. The race continues to shift as we enter the final stretch! And everything could change with "Free for All for $500!" This is a big one! SpeakeasyDC SUPER supporter/volunteer Joan Susie will contribute $500 to the team that raises the most funds between now and the Closing Party. Every dollar teams raise from their current totals could earn you a $500 bonus. With the race as close as it is, $500 could leap-frog teams over all the other competitors. much as the teams over all the other competitors. Please RSVP today for the Closing Party and Silent Auction May 18 at the Boardroom, 1737 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Week 4 still has Tattle Tales solidly in the lead, but the other teams are building on their surges from last week. Find out the latest in #2014TDT.

On a tough series of climbs #TDT2014 teams are rallying forward. From brunches to U-street Gala's find out what our teams are doing to get themelves over the top.

Week three brings more excitement as the Tattle Tales continue to DOMINATE the competition. Other teams are hot on their heel. Kratos and the Enforcer brought in nearly $500 with a single event. They have a bit more work to do but with moves like that in their back pocket it is still very much anyone’s race to win!

Week 2 is rapidly coming to a close, and we're ready to give out another prize to this week's highest donor, which will go to Rosie Tong, with a $250 donation made to the Tattle Tales! Rosie has won a $25 gift certificate to Mad Hatter, which pairs nicely with the $25 gift certificate that he son John Tong won on Monday he's the captain of the Tattle Tales who remain solidly in the lead. Read 

We are starting the second week of Tour de Telling and the Tattle Tales are holding firm on the lead with $1960 raised so far! And that means that they are once again the recipients of this week's prize, provided by this week's Tour de Telling sponsor: Mad Hatter. The Tattle Tales will receive a $25 gift certificate to Mad Hatters, to add to their $25 gift certificate to Lillies that they won last week.

The first week of Tour de Telling has been really exciting as the teams start to schedule their events and the trash talk heats up on Facebook. The best part has been the donations just flowing in, and we wanted to take a second and reward the week's highest donor with a prize! Anne Thomas, a member of the Tattle Tales is our highest donor in our opening week with a donation of $500!! That was not only a great kick start to her team's success, but to the whole race as well. Thank you for your donation Anne!!

Former Board Member, Storyteller extraordinaire Jeffrey Brady reflects on his experience with Tour de Telling You are invited to meet Jeffery and learn all about Tour de Telling at the launch party April 2nd, 7pm at Acre 121 (1400 Irving Street NW near the Columbia Heights Metro). Please RSVP via Facebook here or non Facebook users click here. Here's what Jeffery had to say about his experience as part of TdT  READ MORE

We are excited to launch our second annual Tour de Telling (#TdT2014) spring fundraising campaign on April 8, 2014. So what’s the deal with Tour de Telling? The short answer is it's a friendly team competition for storytellers and friends to raise money to support SpeakeasyDC. Structured as a virtual bike race. Teams of up to six people compete to raise money pretty much anyway they want, including, but definitely not limited to, bakes sales, happy hours, five-course sit-down dinners, pledge drives, gold fish eating contests (Ok not so much that last one. There are some limits!). Read More...

Our first ever Tour de Telling - our virtual bike race fundraiser - kicked off with much fan fare and fun at April’s Second Tuesday show at Town. In addition to a bake sale to support the teams, each team gave a 60 second pitch for support. There were costumes, there were props, there was even flying candy. The efforts of the teams paid off – in less than 48 hours the teams have raised a combined total of more than $1600! Read more

April 9th is the National Arts Advocacy Day and on that day, we will let the Council members know that we need them to increase the Mayor’s budget for the arts. SpeakeasyDC has applied for eight grants this year and has yet to receive any funding from the city despite the fact that we were one of five nominees for the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts. Read more

I give to SpeakeasyDC because of Amy Saidman.

In case you don’t know, Amy is the Executive/Artistic Director of SpeakeasyDC. She’s also often a stage manager, a catering manager, a director, an administrative coordinator, an emcee, a grant writer, a teacher, a volunteer coordinator, a mediator, a (somewhat reluctant) blogger, and a general pick-up-the-slack-er. Read more

I give for the love of three things that SpeakeasyDC has and perpetuates: authenticity, diversity, and community.

I give because I value the authenticity that SpeakeasyDC brings to entertainment.  Because the storytellers get up and tell their own stories – funny stories, poignant stories, weird stories, true stories.  I value that truth, unvarnished, frankly because it is rare.  And I so admire the guts of the tellers to get up and share their truth. Read more

I believe Speakeasy is successful because of its vibrant community. This community includes the talented tellers, hard-working staff and instructors, willing volunteers and an appreciative audience. Read more

Why do I give?  SpeakeasyDC asked me to write a few words about why I give to them.  There is more than one way to give to an organization. Read more

Why do I give to Speakeasy DC?

Because I can’t imagine being without Speakeasy DC in my life.  Because when I buy tickets for a Speakeasy DC show, I know I’m going to be seeing some of the best storytelling anywhere in the country.  And because this organization has done more than any other to invite you and me to dare—yes, to dare!—to make great art out of our lives. Read more

I’m about to say all the wrong things. Read more