THE MOTH MAINSTAGE: True Stories Told Live Presented by Mesa Arts Center

Beloved storytelling nonprofit The Moth - the force behind the popular The Moth Radio Hour, heard on 450 public radio stations nationwide, and The Moth podcast, which is downloaded over 45 million times a year - will return to Mesa Arts Center on Friday, Jan. 27 for a 7:30 p.m. event. Tickets are on sale now.

Tickets are available at mesaartscenter.com or by calling 480-644-6500.

The Moth presents true, personal stories by luminaries in the arts and sciences, as well as an astronaut, an undertaker, a voodoo priestess and a retired NYPD detective, among many others. Each show is composed of simple, old-fashioned storytelling on thoroughly modern themes, by wildly divergent raconteurs; every story is told live on stage, without notes. Directed by Catherine McCarthy and hosted by Dame Wilburn, the two-hour show will feature five storytellers including David Montgomery (Los Angeles, CA), Jared Stevenson (Mesa, AZ), Bess Stillman (AZ), Enrique García Naranjo (Tucson, AZ) and one more to be announced.

Available information about the host/storytellers:

DAME WILBURN (host) is a poet, storyteller and writer. She is also Chief Marketing Director for Twisted Willow Soap Company. After honing her storytelling abilities by attending the Detroit Waldorf School for ten years and spending summers on the front porch of her grandparents' home in Macon, Georgia, Dame went on to be a Moth GrandSLAM champion and frequent Moth Mainstage storyteller and host. Dame spends her free time working on her first book. She is married to the most beautiful women in the world and has five fur babies who are the bane of her existence.

David Montgomery is a writer, comedian and storyteller based in Los Angeles. Trained in comedy by both a terrible childhood and the Upright Citizens Brigade, David always spins a terrible experience into a story that will make you laugh. He is a multiple Moth StorySLAM winner and has been featured in many curated national live shows, including Risk! with Kevin Allison, The Moth Mainstage and True Story. He now hosts his own comedy podcast, 2 Gays, No Girls, At A Pizza Place, available on iTunes. His autobiographical one man show, How The Queen Found His Crown, just debuted to a sold out run and won the Audience Choice at Pittsburgh's Fringe Festival. You can find videos of many of his performances at facebook.com/buymeahotdog. He is currently (slowly) working on piecing together his many stories for a collective memoir. Potential titles include War and Peace and How Am I Getting Away With This?, but he is certainly open to suggestions.

The Moth was founded in 1997 by writer George Dawes Green, who was raised in Georgia. He wanted to bring to the stage the feeling of sitting on the porch on warm summer evenings with good friends, long after dinner has ended, and sharing stories late into the night while moths flit around the lights. With more than 3,000 stories told to standing-room-only crowds, The Moth has evolved over the years - but still remains dedicated to the art of first-person storytelling.

Additional speaking performances in the 2017 Performing Live series at Mesa Arts Center include Annabelle Gurwitch on February 10 and An Evening with Neil Gaiman on April 1. Mesa Arts Center is located at One E. Main Street in downtown Mesa. Tickets to The Moth are $35-45.