n the first of its kind collaboration on Nantucket, Nantucket Arts Council with Theatre Workshop of Nantucket and White Heron Theatre Company bring “The Moth Mainstage” storytelling back to the island on Tuesday, August 4, at Nantucket’s Unitarian Church, at 8 p.m. Doors open no later than 7:30.
The Moth returns to Nantucket with live performances by five storytellers, including prize-winning previous storytellers and well-known Nantucketers. Each will tell a story around the theme of “Fish Out of Water.”
Actor D.W. Moffett, who’s a longtime seasonal resident of ‘Sconset, has appeared in dozens of stage plays, films and television series including “Friday Night Lights” and the current “Switched at Birth” on the ABC Family network. Captain Tom Mleczko, who’s among Nantucket’s best known fishing guides, will recount the tale of saving his son Jason from being lost at sea with his crew.
Award-winning actor and playwright Danusia Trevino, has performed her one-woman show “Wonder Bread” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and on New York stages. The Harlem resident is a Moth Grand Slam Winner. Cybele Abbett is a grandmother, artist, and sailor who left her job to traverse the world’s oceans. Martha’s Vineyard resident and ER staff member Mary Lou Piland is an Italian-American with her version of a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” story.
The Moth’s longtime national host Dan Kennedy, a writer and performer, emcees the performance. Nantucket musician and composer Mollie Glazer will perform incidental music.
Tickets are $60 for general admission, with a limited number of preferred seats including a post performance reception, “close to the flame,” for those offering extra support to the presenting Nantucket groups, at $150. Tickets are available through the websites of each of the Nantucket co-presenters: NantucketArtsCouncil.org, and TheatreWorkshop.com, and WhiteHeronTheatre.org. If seats remain available, those will be sold at the door by cash or check only. Last year’s Nantucket event sold out, with 100 fewer seats available. Proceeds benefit the local presenters.
The Moth on Nantucket is part of Nantucket Arts Council’s efforts with other Nantucket arts and cultural groups to initiate a Massachusetts Cultural District designation for downtown Nantucket, designed to enhance visitors’ experiences and boost local businesses through shared marketing and collaborations with the island’s arts and cultural groups.
The Moth is true stories, told live and without notes. Since it was founded in New York City in 1997 by novelist George Dawes Green, The Moth has exploded in live performances, on podcasts and on public radio. Jay Allison, of Atlantic Public Media on Cape Cod and known to Nantucket listeners as a host of Cape and Islands public radio WCAI-FM, produces the Peabody Award winning “The Moth Radio Hour,” now heard on more than 400 radio stations nationwide.