The Moth Launches Fall 2025 Mainstage Season, Dedicated to Stories of Daring

This fall, The Moth—the acclaimed global nonprofit dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling—presents a season devoted to the theme of DARING. Not the adrenaline-fueled variety, but the deeply human kind: the poignant power of telling the truth, the impactful moment of baring one’s heart, and the story that lingers long after it’s told.

Starting this September, from New York to Nairobi, 18 Mainstage events will be united under a single theme—marking the first time in the organization’s 25-plus-year history that an entire season has shared one focus. Each evening will spotlight five powerful storytellers sharing moments of honesty, vulnerability, and transformation—yet the tales and voices will be unique to that night. The result is a one-of-a-kind experience every time, woven with humor, surprise, and the kind of connection that only happens when true, personal stories are told.

At the heart of The Moth’s Fall 2025 Mainstage season are accounts of emotional revelation, courage of conviction, and the unshakable strength of the human spirit. Whether presented in a landmark New York theater or museum, under the lights of London’s Union Chapel, or in an iconic space close to the shores of Honolulu, each and every event promises an unforgettable evening—one night, one stage, incredible “best-of” emcees, and stories sure to leave a lasting impression.

“This season offers audiences a rare chance to witness courage in its many forms,” said Sarah Haberman, CEO of The Moth. “By uniting every Mainstage under the theme of daring, we’re not just presenting stories but sparking a collective conversation across perspectives. Each evening adds a new layer, and together they create a powerful portrait of bravery and vulnerability.”

The Moth Mainstage Multi-City Fall 2025 Season

9/18 Season opener: Symphony Space, New York, NY

9/18 International season opener: Koerner Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada

9/18 Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, CA

9/25 College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT

9/26 Union Chapel, London, UK

10/03 Hawaii Theatre Center, Honolulu, HI

10/17 Folly Theater, Kansas City, MO

10/17 State Theatre New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

10/24 El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY (Spanish language-centric)

10/29 The Wilbur, Boston, MA

11/01 Catholic University, Nairobi, Kenya

11/07 Miller Theater, Philadelphia, PA

11/19 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK

11/20 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL

12/04 Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, GA

12/05 St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, NY

12/09 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR

12/10 Paramount Theater, Austin, TX

About The Moth

The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented over 60,000 stories, told live and without notes to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth conducts eight ongoing programs: The Moth Mainstage, which tours internationally, has featured stories by Elizabeth Gilbert, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kathleen Turner, Malcolm Gladwell, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, John Turturro, Molly Ringwald, Boots Riley, Krista Tippett, Damon Young, Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Danyel Smith and Tig Notaro, as well as an astronaut, a pickpocket, a hotdog eating champion and hundreds more; The Moth StorySLAM program, which conducts open mic storytelling competitions in 28 cities: 26 in the US plus Melbourne, AU and London, UK; The Moth Community Engagement Program, which offers storytelling workshops and performance opportunities to adults who are too often overlooked by the mainstream media; The Moth Education Program, which brings the thrill of personal storytelling to high schools, colleges and educators around the world; The Moth Global Community Program, which develops and elevates true, personal stories from extraordinary individuals in the global south; The Moth Podcast—the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award Winner for Best Podcast Series—which is downloaded tens of millions of times a year; MothWorks, which uses the essential elements of Moth storytelling as an empathetic communication tool; and the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour which, produced by Jay Allison at Atlantic Public Media and presented by PRX, The Public Radio Exchange, airs weekly on over 560+ public radio stations nationwide. The Moth released its first card deck, A Game of Storytelling (Clarkson-Potter), and its second podcast, the Webby Award-Winning, Grown, available on all major streaming platforms. To date, The Moth has published five critically acclaimed books: New York Times Bestseller The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette Books, September 2013), All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown (Crown Archetype, March 2017) — described as “wonderful” by NYT’s Michiko Kakutani and New York Times Bestsellers Occasional Magic: True Stories of Defying the Impossible (Crown Archetype, March 2019), How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth (Crown Archetype, April 2022) and its newest book, A Point of Beauty: True Stories of Holding On and Letting Go (Crown Archetype, March 2024), out now. Learn more at themoth.org.