The Moth Mainstage presents
Around The Bend
Journey into parts unknown! Join us for stories of hazardous turns and joyous curves. Undiscovered wonders or paths filled with dragons. Good vs Evil - Love vs Loathe, traveling at great speeds in search of a soft landing. Trusting your gut to guide you through, wherever the road may lead.
Wednesday, January 27th
7:15 PM EST | Virtual Doors Open
7:30 PM EST | Stories Begin
Hosted by:
Dame Wilburn
Stories by:
Jacoby Cochran
Shaun Leonardo
Victor Levenstein
Marya Morris
and more!
Music by: Dayren Santamaria
Directed by: Meg Bowles and Chloe Salmon
Executive Producers: Catherine Burns, Sarah Haberman, and Sarah Austin Jenness
Producer: Patricia Ureña
Assistant Producer: Aldi Kaza
US Time Zone Conversion
EST - 7:15 PM Open | 7:30 PM Start
CST - 6:15 PM Open | 6:30 PM Start
MST - 5:15 PM Open | 5:30 PM Start
PST - 4:15 PM Open | 4:30 PM Start
Our Host:
Dame Wilburn is a storyteller and artist. She is also Chief Marketing Director for Twisted Willow Soap Company and host of the podcast Dame's Eclectic Brain. 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. She is married to the most beautiful woman in the world and has four fur babies who are the bane of her existence.
Our Storytellers:
Jacoby Cochran is a writer and performer from the Southside. Growing up he lived in dozens of different Chicago neighborhoods and as an adult is fortunate to perform in dozens more with events such as Grown Folks Stories, Risk Live, The Moth, and Redefining BLACK. On the side he teaches classes in the City Colleges and Depaul, hosts elaborate cooking events for his friends, and coaches public speaking and storytelling workshops across the nation, including inside Cook County Jail.
Shaun Leonardo is a Brooklyn-based artist from Queens, New York City, recently profiled in the New York Times and CNN. His work has been featured at The Guggenheim Museum, the High Line, and New Museum, with a solo exhibition, The Breath of Empty Space, opening at The Bronx Museum. For his early performances, Leonardo investigated the popular icons and role models that impacted his sense of manhood. He strived to transform his body and psyche into that of the hypermasculine figures he was fascinated by—exploring mixed martial arts, boxing, and bull fighting. Shaun now has a much gentler arts practice, living and working in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters .
Victor Levenstein was born in the Soviet Union in 1922. He immigrated with his family to the USA in 1980 and at the age of 58 started a successful career in the new country. He worked at Jeffey-Dresser in Columbus, Ohio from 1980 until 2003, designing underground mining machinery and receiving three American patents. After retiring from the engineering job, Victor wrote and published two books in Russian and recently published a book in English "Thirteen Nasty Little Snakes, The Case of Stalin's Assassination". He lives in Columbus, Ohio. His wife of 64 years Dora died in October 2019. His son Matvey Levenstein and daughter-in-law Lisa Yuskavage are both artists living in New York City.
Marya Morris is an editor and writer from the Chicago area. She worked for many years in the urban planning field as a consultant and in applied research, focusing on the built environment & public health nexus, affordable housing, pedestrian & bicycle networks, and climate resilience. As of January 2021, she is quarantining with six members of her extended family and thus intends to be a first responder the moment she hears anybody ask, 'Who wants the COVID vaccine shot?'
Our Musician:
Dayren Santamaria was fated to be an entertainer. Born in Matanzas, Cuba to a professional musician father and an actor mother, she opted for a musical life and chose to study violin at age 7. Her passion for music has taken her on a journey around the world and across musical styles. She was a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Havana and later the concertmaster of the female string ensemble. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2007, she has worked extensively with four-time Grammy Award Winner Oscar Hernandez, as well as performances with Jose Rizo’s Latin Jazz band Mongorama, and actor, musician, producer Andy Garcia’s band Cineson All Stars. In 2015, she formed her band Dayren Santamaria & Made in Cuba with some of the best musicians in Los Angeles. She is currently the Musical Director for a TV show “Noches Con Platanito” for which she composes, arranges, plays the violin, and conducts the band.