For every person wondering how a woodworker becomes a storyteller, curiosity and over-zealous caution will be conquered Oct. 30 under the Big Top tent at Radium Runway. “Runway Stories: The Side Show” lands courtesy of Radium Presents at the waterfront arts center in Alameda Point. The two-hour show is flavored with humor, humanity and tears; all arriving via wildly diverse strategies for finding the funny buried in spooky-weird tales.
Curated and MC’d by JP Frary, maker of exquisite wood furniture and sculpture, and secret sorcerer of far-from-wooden storytelling, “Runway Stories” features four wordsmiths: Glynn Washington, Holly Shaw, Don Reed and Gina Stahl-Haven.
In an interview, Frary described the storytelling roots that began in his childhood home, journeyed with him to his woodworking space in Alameda where they reached his client’s homes and businesses, and eventually resulted in his live appearances in the Bay Area.
“The first thing to know is that I’m predominantly Irish,” Frary said. “My grandfather would always hold court at the dining room table. He’d tell stories and was in charge of the floor. If someone hadn’t spoken in a while, he’d point at them [to indicate] it was their chance to tell a story. If you were shy, it was awful, but if not, it was opportunity.”
As a woodworker, Frary uses primarily recycled materials—objects that already have their own stories. When he makes furniture or sculptures, he listens to clients’ stories. Picking up their words and extending them into tangible objects has Frary whittling and winging on narratives he hopes provide a sense of place and time.
“I hope there’s a vibe, just like when I tell a story in public,” Frary said. “When my wife and I went to The Moth on a wedding anniversary, I put my name in a hat and was lucky enough to get picked. That’s how I got hooked.”
Frary said the public forum and atmosphere is completely different than when he is alone in the studio. “The shared experience in storytelling has an instant, direct feedback loop,” he said. “The best thing you can do as an audience member is to clear your head and let other people take you somewhere, drive the bus. It’s a great thing when you touch somebody enough that they are reminded of something similar in their lives. I’m the luckiest person in the world to get to do that.”
Frary is also fortunate that the Bay Area is a bevy of funny folks. He provided quick snapshot descriptions for each of the artists he selected.
“Don, from watching him onstage, has become my professor,” Frary said. “I learn so much from him. Holly is a conundrum. Sometimes, she’s literally trying to seduce the audience—like date me—and other times, she’s breaking up with them.”
Washington hosts the podcast Snap Judgment, a format that requires keeping the banter flowing fluidly from start to finish. “Glynn on stage is a miracle worker with silence,” Frary said. “He leaves big, mesmerizing times—long, long moments—when he’s not talking. He puts something in audiences’ heads and then becomes the master of the pause.”
Stahl-Haven’s routines frequently press into everyday topics: romantic partnerships, marriage, motherhood, sleep habits, body image and, inevitably, the bumpy road she’s traveled ever since blood clots changed the geography of her life’s map. “Gina is warm, genuine, real and hella funny,” Frary said. “She puts you in her shoes and lets you see how absurd things are. Only someone who’s been through a health issue that could have killed her and who has courage can use humor that is almost gallows and has gravity.”
Each storyteller will have about 15 minutes, with Frary ushering the audience through the diversity of their voices with his own stories. An added thread weaving the show into a complete tapestry includes prompts given to members of the audience. “From those, the best, weirdest stories will be told live,” Frary said. “The first prompt is, ‘Have you ever had sex with a ghost?’ I won’t tell all of the prompts now, but that’s one to get anyone started.”
‘Runway Stories: The Side Show,’ 7:30pm Thursday, Oct. 30, Radium Runway, 2151 Ferry Point, Alameda. radiumpresents.org
