Stories About Disco Moms, Googling Yourself, Crumbling Walls, and Frightening Moments

Short Story Theatre presents an evening of warm, wise and wonderful true stories on Wednesday, November 29th at 7:30 p.m. at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave. in Highwood. Tickets are $10 at the door. For pre-show dinner reservations (mention Short Story Theatre): 847-433-1078. Drinks are available during the show.

Comedian and playwright Scott Woldman, a Wilmette resident, shares a story from the 1970's when he had to choose between competitive dancing and Tae Kwon Do. His story: "Disco Mom." In "Latte Story" Anne Shimojima of Morton Grove learns that you never know what you're going to find when you google yourself. Highland Park's Jonathan Plotkin recalls a journey he took post-college, which was cut short by international politics and crumbling walls.

His story: "November 1976." Lake Forest resident Elizabeth Brown ruminates on a frightening experience on a lovely spring day in her story "That Moment in Time." Short Story Theatre was founded in 2012 and is dedicated to promoting storytelling as a vibrant, contemporary art form. Co-founder Donna Lubow says, "Stories are creative non-fiction, based on personal experiences. Our troupe of more than thirty members from Chicago and the northern suburbs melds writing skills and performance skills to entertain and inspire audiences." Short Story Theatre is always on the lookout for new storytellers.

For story submissions, contact donna@shortstorytheatre.com. Guidelines for submission are on the website: www.shortstorytheatre.com.

Scott Woldman has performed as an actor, performance poet, storyteller and comedian for over 15 years in venues across the United States. He is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists (most recent play: Beautiful Autistic), Redtwist Theatre, and the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. Scott's drama Beaten was produced at The Artistic Home and several of his late-night comedies-including Dates From Hell, Drunk and Ready, and Men Exposed-were produced at Redtwist Theatre as part of their Luv Cycle.

Anne Shimojima, a retired school library media specialist, has told stories for 30+ years at festivals, schools, libraries, conferences, and museums. Some past venues include: Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center, the Exchange Place at the National Storytelling Festival, Illinois Storytelling Festival, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Storytelling Arts of Indiana. Anne also gives workshops on the use of storytelling in education and the creation of family history projects. Her family story about the Japanese-American incarceration camps in World War II is available at www.byuradio.org.

Jonathan Plotkin is a nationally published editorial cartoonist and illustrator whose art can be found on the pages of the Chicago Tribune and other national and regional publications. In 2015 Jonathan received the Highland Park Mayor's Award for the Arts. Over the past 2 years Jonathan has been at work on his memoirs entitled "Yellow Jacket Blue" which consists of various hitchhiking and other travel encounters he experienced across the United States, Europe and beyond. Jonathan lives with his wife and best buddy Robin a mile from where they met on the same street as 3 year olds in the fall of 1957. They are proud parents of 4 exceptional children....all of them artists in their own right! Elizabeth Brown is a pathologist who has recently turned her attention to the infinitely more lively field of creative nonfiction.

Her essays range from memoirs to curiosity-driven explorations of whatever catches her fancy, including a discussion of what it was like to retake the SAT exams after a 45-year hiatus. Her essays are all posted on her blog site www.fanagrams.net, and podcasts can be found on iTunes filed under "fanagrams." Other interests include racquet sports and birdwatching.

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