Saturday night was quite different from a normal production at Lincoln County On-Stage.
Half the chairs were taken out, allowing for tables. They were grouped together more like a cafe or bistro with little signs on each, displaying a name. In the back, someone worked on pouring wine. Teenagers in chic black pants and crisp white shirts dispersed among those seated, taking drink orders.
There was laughter and chatter. Folks were dressed up a bit more and leaned over to catch up with their neighbors.
The stage was simple. A small backdrop made up of a vintage map of Lincoln County with “Indivisible” written across the top. A piano to the side. A single mic and mic stand in front of the backdrop.
It felt as though one was seated at Cafe Carlyle, waiting for a Broadway great to take the stage. However, it wasn’t the likes of Sutton Foster or Megan Hilty taking the stage that night, but rather local members of the community.The audience had gathered for a night of storytelling, wine and good food.
“Same Sky” is a storytelling series that started at LCOS in December of 2022, according to board member Mandy Myers. They were doing a oneact production of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” and needed a second act to fit the bill. Three members of the cast plus long-time board member Larry Lenora stepped up to be the first group of storytellers, and from there, “Same Sky” has been a bonus feature of every season since then.
Theeventinvolvedstorytelling, yes, but has evolved to also feature live music performances that weave into the theme.
Myers said she loves the NPR podcast “The Moth Radio Hour,” which features people from all over the country and a variety of backgrounds telling true, first-person narratives from their own lives. This podcast helped to form the foundation of “Same Sky.” Myers said she first started mulling over the idea of it in 2018 while involved in a regional one-act competition. The production had to travel and was sharing stories one night over dinner.
“I was fascinated by the richness and complexity of the company’s family histories and thought, ‘People need to hear these stories!’,” she said. “While the entire board was supportive, fellow Moth fans and board members James Conway and Trish Lenora have been instrumental in both launching and sustaining this series. Their belief in the community-building power of shared stories and their work to see that vision fulfilled in Lincoln County has been invaluable.”
Saturday night’s edition featured three community members -- Zac Fisher, Esther Kerr and Paul Vassar -- each telling personal narratives under the theme “Indivisible.” Fisher talked about his love of space and NASA and how that inspired him to push his band students to go after difficult tasks. Kerr shared several personal stories of how the community of Chandler showed up for her family. Vassar gave the audience a bit of a history lesson on the area, while entertaining them with stories of college and his late wife.
In between each storyteller, musicians Jennifer Green, Shawn Miller, Aaron Gardner, Sam Gardner, Ben Myers and Fisher entertained with songs.The audience was also treated to Okie BBQ charcuterie created by Chef Steven Conway.
It was a far more intimate production than a play or musical. The stories told were real, presented by those who lived them, and showed that at the core of it, while we may be different, we’re all living under the same sky and are more connected than we may think.
Myers said she’s blessed to be surrounded by a wide variety of people who are gifted in a wide variety of ways and are willing to share those gifts. It’s their availability that makes it possible for the “Same Sky” series to continue.
“We’re always listening for engaging or compelling anecdotes that could be the basis for a good story. ‘Same Sky’ is an excellent entry point into LCOS, because it avoids many of the perceived concerns... that can sometimes prevent people from participating in a traditional play,” she said.
More than that, the one thing she hopes the audience takes from the series is genuine connection. The storytellers are fantastic, but she enjoys watching and listening to the way the audience interacts with them after the show almost as much.
“People who may have circulated in proximity to one another for years with little to no interaction find that they have a common experience, or a speaker’s story or musician’s song recalls a tender memory for someone else and inspires him or her to share,” she said. “Those simple moments in which people are really seeing and hearing each other make the series worth doing.”