¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp

Everyone has a story and that is the idea behind Vail Valley Voices, an event presented by the Vail Valley Theatre Company to share stories and build community.  

Vail Valley Voices is modeled after “The Moth Radio Hour,” a popular program launched over two decades ago that shares stories from an eclectic array of storytellers — from astronauts to hot dog eating contest winners — while reaching more than 1 million global listeners each week. Vail Valley Theatre Company member Beth Swearingen-Kuntz suggested the idea of hosting a local version of “The Moth Radio Hour” featuring locals and their stories. The idea gained traction and the Vail Valley Theatre Company featured a dozen storytellers at an event last spring and is bringing it back this Saturday.

“Our audience last year was so engaged with the unexpected stories from their neighbors and friends and they told us they were looking forward to hearing more,” said John Tedstrom, a longtime performer with the Vail Valley Theatre Company who has been in charge of guiding this year’s storytellers. “It was so entertaining, and I think people were surprised by what they learned about people they thought they knew, and what they learned from some new folks.”

---

---

The Vail Valley Theatre Company has cast the net out wide to find this year’s speakers.

“We put the word out through our normal channels like posters, emails and social posts, ads in the Vail Daily, word of mouth and we asked our Vail Valley Theatre Company members to reach out to friends,” Tedstrom said.

---

---

Each storyteller will have five to seven minutes to share their story. The common theme is their connection to Vail. Why is Vail important to you, how did you get to Vail, etc. Some points are funny, some are more poignant, but all are worth listening to. Tedstrom said he hasn’t revealed too much about anyone’s story, but the list of storytellers has been revealed and they come from vast backgrounds and many topics will be covered.

• Alex Brady — Robotics engineer at Steadman Philippon Research Institute
• Michael Curry — Managing director of Curry Company
• Liz Ferron — Local television and podcast personality
• Helmut Fricker — Local celebrity and entertainer
• James Guthrie — Teacher at Stone Creek Charter School
• Ollie Holdstock — Owner of Route 6 Café and Lounge
• Lisa Isom — Regional Development Director at Colorado Mountain College
• Justine Ovalle — Youth pastor 
• Kelli Rohrig — Humanitarian, guide, landscape professional
• Ciza Swanson — Youth mentor
• Beth Swearingen-Kuntz — Local entertainer
• Elizabeth Sullivan — Local real estate agent

Some of the topics will be shared through stories, some through poems and others through music.

“Storytelling is so much fun and it actually creates empathy and increases our understanding of each other, unlocks creativity and imagination and has great mental health benefits, relieving stress and anxiety by giving people an outlet to talk things out,” Tedstrom said. “Storytelling can improve listening skills, imagination, memory retention and helps people get in touch with their positive emotions. We believe everyone has a story to tell and that we can create a lot of positive change simply by asking ‘What’s your story?'”

---

Never ask “What should we do this weekend?” again. Get a weekly rundown of all the best happenings in the Vail Valley sent to your inbox every Friday. Sign up here: VailDaily.com/newsletter

---

Vail Valley Voices will take place at the Route 6 Café on Saturday, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and performances starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 plus fees and can be purchased at . The proceeds will go to the Vail Valley Theatre Company.