Produced in collaboration with Life Jacket Theatre Company, community members tell their real, raw stories
ADAMS, MA—Community members will take center stage on August 16 at 7:30pm for the Northern Berkshire Story Slam, an up-close-and-personal look at people’s biggest mistakes, greatest triumphs, and painful losses. Hosted by actor, writer, and comic Diana Yanez and produced in collaboration with Life Jacket Theatre Company, this event offers real stories from real people–who have been working for months to get their performances just right.
“You as an audience member might know everyone on the stage, but you’re going to find out something new about them at this show,” said Travis Russ, Life Jacket’s director and a Fordham University professor who teaches communication, narrative and storytelling. Russ said his job is to give these community members a chance to shape their story– “we want to experiment, to reflect their own authentic voice back to them,” he said. “We’re coaching them to share that view, and it’s our job to say, ‘that sounds like the real you, keep going.’”
The cast
- Jamal Ahamad, educator and Interim Dean of Student at Pittsfield High School, choreographer at dysFUNKcrew
- Meg Bantle, six-generation farmer and co-owner and founder of Full Well Farm
- Barby Cardillo, theatre teaching artist
- Muriel Dyas, historical reenactor
- Xavier Jones, Owner of Bigg Daddy’s steak house Philly Steak House
- Matti Kovler, composer, founder and artistic director of Floating Tower
- Yina Moore, founder and artistic director of The Adams Theater
- Timothy Olver, student at Hoosac Valley School
- Diana Yanez, filmmaker, director, artist, and stand-up comic
NYC-based Life Jacket Theatre Co. bills itself as “a purveyor of undertold stories” through its storytelling events and original productions. Life Jacket’s members work with communities to produce storytelling events where community members share their true, authentic, compelling experiences; the company’s other productions take on heavy subject matter like the story of the “Fag Ward” — an isolated wing at the Men’s Penitentiary on Welfare Island, NYC, for inmates convicted of homosexuality during the 1930s. Past Storytelling Project events have been produced in collaboration with rural and urban high schools, several universities, and organizations like GLSEN and the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project.
“It’s vulnerable and insanely thrilling to watch people go through this experience onstage,” Russ said. “There’s something about when you come together as an audience and watch people you know let their guard down and speak their truth. It creates a sense of community and a strong bond within everyone in that room.”
Life Jacket Theatre Co. has been nominated for a Drama Desk Award, two American Theatre Wing Henry Hewes Design Awards, seven New York Innovative Theatre Awards, and eleven BroadwayWorld Awards. Our work has been selected as Critic’s Picks by The New York Times, Time Out New York, Fest Magazine, Voice Magazine, and The List and has been named the “#1 Show at the Edinburgh Fringe” by Fest Magazine and among the “Top 10 Plays of the Year” by New, Now, Next.
See a full lineup of events this season at www.adamstheater.org/present.
The Adams Theater is proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program, in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children Nutrition Program, and the Mass Health Connector.
EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders receive free admission to our shows and events by presenting their cards at our Box Office. See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
Season Passes
Season passes are available! Reserve yours now and get free or discounted admission to all Season 2025 shows, plus lend it to a friend for shows you can’t attend. It’s an excellent way to support the theater’s mission and get great seats at the same time!
About The Adams Theater
The Adams Theater’s mission is to create a long-lasting multi media arts institution that fosters community engagement through a diverse range of programming. Collaborating extensively with independent artists and other cultural organizations in the Berkshires, the Adams Theater celebrates creative partnerships and promotes cultural dialogues. Learn more at www.adamstheater.org.