PorchLight Stories
Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm.
Tickets $25 – Tickets available through Eventbrite.com
Sponsored by Camille d’Avenas
Inspired by the weekly NPR “Moth Radio Hour,” 8 storytellers take the stage, each presenting a 5 to 7 minute true story about themselves without prompts or notes. Each personal story is central to the storyteller and defines a turning point. This round of stories includes tales of adventure, strange lands, jobs gone sideways, saying goodbye, employment mishaps, and paying your rent. The storyteller’s perception of reality, themselves, or their relationships is altered in unexpected ways as is our own. Expect to be intrigued, amused and moved by these very personal stories, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself bursting out with laughter or holding back tears. The performance is approximately one hour long, followed by a half hour reception in the Cherry gallery with the storytellers.
The evening is hosted by Monterey Improv director, Rich Westbrook. Storytellers include: artists Anna Rheim and Polly Osborne; Student Debt Crisis Center founder, Natalia Abrams; community activist, Joan Costello; events producer, Joe Fletcher; seamstress, Holly Goodwin; adventurer, Dixie Dixon; and Moth regular, JP Frary. Tickets are $25, available through Eventbrite.com.
The event is produced by the Carl Cherry PorchLight Committee which includes Carl Cherry Center Executive Director, Robert Reese and Board Members, Ellen Osborne, Jim Dultz, Anne Mitchell, Kris Swanson, Camille d’Avenas and Robin McKee. This is the third and final show of 2026. The next show is February 25, 2027. Submission deadline is January 24, 2027.
Participants
HOST
Rich Westbrook has spent decades getting people to stand up in front of strangers and take chances. As director of Monterey Comedy Improv, a longtime Toastmaster, teacher, performer, and professional instigator of spontaneity, he believes the best stories happen when people are willing to be real, take a risk, and see what happens next.
STORYTELLERS
Anna Rheim is a storyteller. Examining the humor and pathos of the human condition is her abiding interest. She has travelled the world and has had careers in business, education, and art. Anna is a life coach, photographer, bookmaker, golfer, hiker, and longtime resident of Carmel Valley.
Polly Osborne is an artist and architect living in Monterey, California. She was mentored by her uncle in art, her stepfather in architecture, and her parents in humor and good sportsmanship. She shows her work at the Carmel Art Association. Her pesky little sister made her tell this story.
Natalia Abrams is the founder of the nonprofit Student Debt Crisis Center and a longtime advocate for student loan reform. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, and CNN. A Los Angeles native, Natalia lives with her husband, Steve, and their dog, Bowie. In her spare time, she takes improv classes.
Joan Costello is a 5th generation Californian. Before settling down, she sailed as cook and deckhand on charters through the Seychelles, Greece, Turkey, and Israel. She then spent years teaching math and science to eighth graders sharing a beautiful life with her husband and son. These days, she makes quilts, paddles the bay and enjoys being a part of the wonderful community of Monterey County.
Joe Fletcher has been an entrepreneur for 30 years excelling at concert promotion, fundraising and event management. Since 1989, Fletcher has produced over 3000 concerts and festivals around the world with top names in contemporary music including Eminem, Ray Charles, Beyonce, Pink, Bob Dylan and many others.
Holly Goodwin grew up in Carmel Valley Village. Her sewing skills led her to costume design for entertaining, stage, magic, radio, TV, theatre, and some really bad film work. I’m eager to try storytelling; it’ll be the first time on stage as me.
Dixie Dixon moved from Utah to Carmel in 1990. She has had many adventures in her life and has written about some of them, utilizing material from her past experiences in various jobs and her many travels around the globe.
JP Frary designs and builds furniture and sculptures in a wood shop on the old Alameda Naval Base. He specializes in using recycled materials in ways that make them look new. He is the Resident Storyteller at Redwood Nights in Fairfax, CA. Otherwise, his stories can be heard in hardware stores and lumber yards.
This event is also supported, in part, through funding from:
Arts Council for Monterey County,
Carmel Woman’s Club
Carmel-by-the-Sea Rotary
Community Foundation for Monterey County
Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Gibson Family Foundation
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Monterey Peninsula Volunteer Services
Pebble Beach Company Foundation
Yellow Brick Road Benefit Store
