Close to Home: in Santa Monica

FRI / OCT 4 / 7:30 PM

Jon Goode HOST Bushra Al-Fusail, Ruby Cooper, Samuel James, Omar Qureshi, and Carol Spencer STORYTELLERS

MOTH STAFF Catherine Burns ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Sarah Haberman EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dayren Santamaria MUSICIAN Sarah Austin Jenness DIRECTOR Chloe Salmon PRODUCER Gary Buchler ASSISTANT PRODUCER Jennifer Birmingham MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Catherine Burns Sarah Haberman Sarah Austin Jenness EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Jenifer Hixson SENIOR DIRECTOR Meg Bowles SENIOR DIRECTOR

Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Charitable Trust for making this show possible. Photo by Denise Ofelia Mangen Mangen Ofelia Denise by Photo PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 6 ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kate Tellers Greg Ayres BOARD MEMBERS DIRECTOR OF MOTHWORKS MANAGER, COMMUNITY PROGRAM Deborah Dugan Marina Klutse Delia Bloom CO-CHAIR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND PROGRAM MANAGER, Ari Handel ADMINISTRATION HIGH SCHOOLS CO-CHAIR Suzanne Rust Juan Rodriguez Serena Altschul SENIOR CURATORIAL PRODUCER PROGRAM MANAGER, Lawrence C. Burstein Brandon Grant COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Joan D. Firestone DIRECTOR OF MARKETING L Fiorelli Neil Gaiman ASSOCIATE ARCHIVIST Adam Gopnik Inga Glodowski Alice Gottesman DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Emily Couch Eric Green Sarah Jane Johnson ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, Tony Hendra CHIEF OF STAFF THE MOTH RADIO HOUR Courtney Holt Aldi Kaza Amanda Garcia Anne Maffei ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, Dr. Alan Manevitz PRODUCTION MOTHWORKS Joanne Ramos Hanna Campbell Quinn McNeill Melanie Shorin SENIOR MANAGER EDUCATION DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT Roger Skelton PROGRAM Julio Chavez Carmen Rita Wong Maggie Albert ASSISTANT PRODUCER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE INSTITUTIONAL GIVING Zora Shaw Sarah Cole Regina Spann ASSISTANT PRODUCER Eric Green HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Adriene Z. Montalvo Mia Jung Larry Rosen ASSISTANT PRODUCER Bonnie Levison MASTER INSTRUCTOR Amanda Low Nina Patterson Michael Guerra PART TIME MOTHS Bonnie Levison Joanne Ramos MEDIA AND ARCHIVE MANAGER Michael Rothman Michelle Jalowski SENIOR INSTRUCTOR, CORPORATE PROGRAM Melanie Shorin PRODUCER Meryl Weinsaft Cooper Stephanie Torre Patricia Ureña PUBLICIST PRODUCER ARTISTIC COUNCIL Miles Smith Jen Lue Neil Gaiman EVENT RECORDING SUPERVISOR BOOKKEEPER George Dawes Green Ari Handel Chloe Salmon Suzette Burton PRODUCER Tony Hendra VIDEO EDITOR Courtney Holt Jodi Powell Catherine McCarthy PRODUCER Nicole James EDUCATION CONSULTANT Chenjerai Kumanyika Jessica Cepeda Isabel Levey-Swain Molly Ringwald MANAGER, MEMBERSHIP & INTERIM ASSISTANT PRODUCER, Kathie Russo SPECIAL EVENTS GLOBAL COMMUNITY PROGRAM Joe Sabia Julia Purcell Taylor Norton Joshua Wolf Shenk PRODUCER, THE MOTH PODCAST ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST Melanie Shorin Jano Tantongco Andrew Solomon DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCER Alli Bennett, Aleeza Kazmi, Judy Stone Ignacia Delgado Saipriya Valoth, Taylor Washing Jenna Weiss-Berman GLOBAL PRODUCER INTERNS Melissa Brown MANAGER, EDUCATION AND There will be one 20-minute INSTRUCTOR PROGRAMS intermission.

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 7 ABOUT THE ARTISTS

JON GOODE is an author, poet and OMAR QURESHI is a comedian published three critically acclaimed playwright who hails from Richmond, and lawyer based in , books — international bestseller The Virginia and currently resides in CA. Omar’s one man show “Mad Moth: 50 True Stories (2013), All These Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Metaphysical” has played to sold out Wonders: True Stories about Facing featured performer on HBO’s Def audiences in LA, New York, the Unknown (2017) and The New Poetry, TVOne’s Verses & Flow and and . He has performed at York Times Best Seller, Occasional BE T ’s Lyric Café. His stage play comedy clubs across the country, and Magic: True Stories About Defying the Khalas was showcased in the 2013 in 2016, he took first place at the San Impossible (2019). International Festival of Arts and Francisco Funny Fest competition. Ideas. In 2006, Jon’s work with Omar is also an accomplished The Moth Mainstage in Los Angeles is Nick @ Nite earned him an Emmy® storyteller—he has won several Moth generously supported by the Hollywood nomination alongside the Promax Gold StorySLAMs. You can find out more at Foreign Press Association Charitable for best copyright North America. omarq.co. Trust. Jon’s debut collection of poems and short stories, Conduit, was published CAROL SPENCER built a 35+ year Additional funding for The Moth in 2015; has received, to date, 45 career as the designer of Barbie’s Mainstage series includes The Kresge five-star reviews; spent 12 weeks as fantastic fashions that impacted Foundation, Educational Foundation of the #1 title in its category on Amazon. style while it thrilled children and America, Department of com and is the best reviewed book of adults. Her new book, Dressing Cultural Affairs, the National poetry on Amazon.com for 2015/16. Barbie, is more than pretty pictures Endowment for the Arts and Amazon He is the host of The Moth StorySLAM of her amazing Barbie collection: Literary Partnership. in Atlanta, GA. it offers behind the scenes stories and a historical record of influences BUSHRA AL-FUSAIL is a storyteller & that made their way into Barbie's Yemeni Photographer based in New style. Carol now speaks at schools York City. Her photographs seek and museums nationwide, inspiring to trigger questions of social and students to embrace a growth political injustice faced by women. mindset and dream of what they can Inspired by resilient women from her achieve through commitment and country, Bushra creates photographs hard work. that speak to the livelihood of Yemeni women. Her works have been THE MOTH is a nonprofit dedicated exhibited in Yemen, Brussels, Paris to the art and craft of storytelling. and The Hague. Since launching in 1997, The Moth has presented over 35,000 true personal RUBY COOPER grew up in an Irish bar, stories, told live, without notes, to is a mother, grandmother, activist, standing-room-only audiences around teacher, writer, comic, (was) a go the globe. Renowned for showcasing go dancer and has traveled to much a broad range of human experiences, of the world alone, first class on The Moth produces approximately a buddy pass. Over the decades, 600 live shows each year and has she has survived war, pestilence, an ongoing presence in 30 cities austerity, deceit ... No wait, those worldwide. Additionally, The Moth were her marriages. Her book, runs storytelling workshops for high Irish Mongrel Child, is available on school students, teachers, adults and Amazon. She is currently writing a advocates from around the world. solo show—Old White Bitch, the Early Through its Education, Community Years—stories about being a liberal and Global Programs and MothWorks, Yankee in the south during the civil which uses the essential elements of rights movement in the early 60s. You Moth storytelling at work and other can find her at rubycooper.com and unexpected places. The Moth Podcast storytellingmadefunandeasy.com is downloaded over 61 million times a year, and each week, the Peabody SAMUEL JAMES is a journalist, Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour, filmmaker and world-touring produced by Jay Allison at Atlantic musician. You can find him at Public Media and presented by PRX, therealsamueljames.com The Public Radio Exchange, is heard on 500 radio stations. The Moth has

8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE