Former US Olympian Nick Fairall Tells His Story On STORIES FROM THE STAGE Following Series Marathon

Stories of reflection, triumph and life with disabilities are in the spotlight this June as Stories from the Stage, the WORLD Channel original series that features ordinary people telling extraordinary stories, airs a national 24-hour binge-a-thon of episodes this month. The public television series features masterful storytellers from every walk of life, highlighting both our differences and our shared sense of humanity. Several of the storytellers featured are living with disabilities and share their stories. The Stories from the Stage marathon begins on WORLD Channel on Saturday, June 22, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, June 23, at 7 p.m. The day after the marathon, Monday, June 24, a new episode entitled Game On!, featuring former U.S. Olympian Nick Fairall recounting the ski jump that changed his life, will premiere at 9:30 p.m.

During the marathon viewers will meet storytellers including Mahboba Akhtarzadah, a young woman from Afghanistan who recounts her fight against discrimination in her homeland that said as a girl and a person with physical disabilities from polio she could not go to school (Fresh Start episode airing on Sunday, June 23 at 4:30 p.m.); Lina Coral, who details how the love of two dogs enriched her LIFE AFTER a congenital eye disorder left her blind (In The Dog House, airing Sunday, June 23 at 3:30 a.m.); and Ruth Phipps, who remembers how she and her intellectually disabled daughter helped their neighbors rethink their ideas on love, humanity and inclusion (Tennessee Backroads, airing Sunday, June 23 at 7 a.m.)

Nick Fairall, current USA Adaptive Water Ski Team member and former U.S. Olympic ski jumper will share his story on the jump that left him paralyzed ,forever altering his Olympic dreams but not his athletic resolve, the day after the marathon event as episode Game On! premieres on Monday, June 24 on WORLD Channel.

In addition to the broadcast marathon, viewers can also catch a 24-hour livestream of the binge event on WORLD Channel and Stories from the Stage Facebook pages; on both sites, users can connect with series hosts, humorists and storytellers Theresa Okokon and Wes Hazard, as they comment live during primetime episodes.

With more than 40 episodes, the Stories from the Stage binge-a-thon will give viewers a chance to catch up on the series dedicated to bringing real stories - whether humorous or poignant, commonplace or astonishing - to American homes. Each 30-minute episode spotlights a trio of raconteurs - some experienced, some novices - sharing short anecdotes related to the episode's unifying theme. Love, loss, family, food, immigration and celebrations are among the topics explored in episodes including "Lost & Found," "Welcome to the Neighborhood," "It's All Relative" and "Holidays: The Good, The Bad." Although each story is unique, audiences everywhere will be able to connect and relate with storytellers from a mosaic of backgrounds, ages, cultures and abilities.

On the first night of the marathon, viewers can be the first to watch the newest episode in the series. Produced in association with WCTE Tennessee, new episode Rocky Top Remembers brings Stories from the Stage to Tennessee where, with a mix of SOUTHERN CHARM and candor, storytellers will reflect on topics ranging from breaking social barriers (as one teller recounts being the first Black baseball player at Tennessee Tech University) to family matters (as one follows a parent's passion for carnival games while another gets an important lesson on the pecking order in her family). Rocky Top Remembers premieres at 1o p.m. Eastern/ 9 p.m. Central on Saturday, June 22.

Stories from the Stage is a collaboration of WORLD Channel, WGBH Events and Massmouth. Showcasing the communal art form of storytelling, the series reflects WORLD Channel's commitment to bringing fresh and compelling voices to public media audiences on all platforms, while reflecting the diversity of modern America and the global community.

"Personal stories rich in human experience and emotion can create understanding, empathy and appreciation for people very different from us," said Liz Cheng, General Manager for WORLD Channel and co-executive producer of the series. "With Stories from the Stage we hope to prove how much we all have in common and inspire community dialogue about our differences."

Viewers can get in on the conversation this June during the broadcast marathon on WORLD Channel. (Check local listings.) Stories from the Stage episodes, original digital content, and more can be experienced on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and on the WORLD Channel website. Follow the hashtag #StoriesfromtheStage to hear every word.

Stories from the Stage is co-executive-produced by Cheng and Patricia Alvarado Núñez, with lead camera/director/editor Michael Rossi and Chris Hastings, executive in charge of production.

WORLD Channel tells stories that humanize complex issues. WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and fact-based informational programming that helps us understand conflicts, movements and cultures that may be distinct from our own. WORLD's original content offers a national platform to makers examining issues too often ignored by mainstream media. These emerging and master filmmakers spotlight a diversity of voices, telling stories not heard elsewhere. WORLD has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award and numerous national honors - including an RTNDA Kaleidoscope Award, a Media for a Just Society Award, two National Lesbian & Gay Journalist Association Awards, a Gracie and an Asian American Journalists Award. Carried by 159 partner stations in markets representing nearly 66% of US TV households, WORLD can also be experienced via WORLDChannel.org and social media platforms.

Photo: Mahboba Akhtarzadah on Stories from the Stage

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