And they all lived happily ever after. What a fitting final theme for Once Upon a Tuesday. We began as lockdown started and the world became a very different place. We are now emerging into a new normal as we hope to live all out happily ever afters. We’re gathering today to share stories about times when things worked out well, or at least, seemed to. It’s all about perspective, so our stories tonight will be told with positivity and the usual raw, honesty you’ve come to expect from your family of Natural Born Storytellers. Maybe it was a fairytale ending or it was said in hope, either way, we’d love you to join us for our last Once Upon a Tuesday (at least until summer’s over).

Being at nature’s mercy can be an exhilarating experience; making you realise just how powerful it can be. Tonight we’re sharing stories about our encounters with wind, rain, fire, water and anything else the earth can throw at us. Or possibly we take a scientific route, experiments in the lab, the power of nitrogen, hydrogen or simply just air. Whatever your take on the theme, let’s hunker down, stay safely indoors as we prepare to meet the elements.

Getting caught, stuck, nowhere to run, sometimes things just don’t quite work out the way we planned and we end up caught in a trap. What do we do? Where do we go? How do we get out of here? Let us regale you with stories of the times we were caught, daring escapes, foolish moves and delightful escapades await from the comfort of your own home.

Sometimes we’re left with nothing but the clothes on our backs, so let’s share stories about our favourite items of clothing. A trusty jacket, your unbelievable socks, leggings that last a lifetime, your transformational hat or the shoes that saved your life. What are the items in your wardrobe that have the best stories? Bring them, wear them and lets spin a yarn with your favourite natural born storytellers.

Games in the playground, on a board, with cards, with families, friends, lovers. We play games throughout our lives, some fun, some mean, some have rules, others we make up as we go along, with a roll of the dice, a little bit of luck or an overactive imagination. Take a chance and pop along to the friendliest and most connective storytelling community around to hear stories about the games we play.

There are times when we want the world to swallow us whole. Shameful acts that we might regret, become our greatest lessons or define us as people. Embarrassing moments, awkward situations and times you simply felt sorry for someone. The stories we share will all touch on what shame means to us. Come along, maybe share one of your own and join us as we share the shame!

Holidays are fun, aren't they? School trips, family vacations or maybe a romantic getaway that went really well, or, hopefully, horribly, horribly wrong. Come and listen to a motley collection of stories about all sorts of holidays... the good, bad and ugly side of overseas adventures or, quite possibly, it was just something that happened during your summer holidays from school. As usual, the theme is loose, the stories wild and the atmosphere intimate and supportive.

Everything happens for a reason and there are times in our lives when events described as just 'coincidence' do not do them justice. Maybe there was more to it than met the eye. Maybe everything came together at once or the coincidence was just too unbelievable and it was a sign that you were headed in the right direction, or possibly down completely the wrong path. We all take different things from coincidence and tonight we'll hear stories from people who have learned something from those situations. 

We will share stories, play games and help craft moments from your life into captivating true stories. We’ll work with structure, performance, voice and other storytelling techniques in small groups where you will connect with others and share experiences with lots of feedback and support.

From near-death experiences to utterly awkward moments when we just wanted to curl up and die. Our storytellers tonight recount the times from their lives when they nearly died. Expect a range of brutally honest tales about pivotal life moments. 

We’ve all learned something from our adventures and misadventures. Let us regale you with the heart-warming, tragic and hilarious stories behind some of life’s valuable lessons.

Awkward situations. Dicing with danger. Cramped telephone boxes.We perform true stories about events that nearly pushed us over the edge, but didn’t. 

We've all been in situations where we feel embarrassed, weird or just plain awkward. Tonight we'll be hearing a small selection of stories containing some truly awkward moments. 

Martha McBrier, one of our favourite storytellers heading to Edinburgh this summer with a selection of stories that she is going to perform for us in an epic second half.

Sometimes there are events in our lives that force us to 'grow up' or maybe it was watching someone else growing up. Vignettes of childhood, turning points and inspirational people throughout our lives can lead us to stories based on the theme of 'growing up'. Or maybe, we've just never grown up and we have a story about that! It's these stories and more that we'll be sharing, listening to and connecting with at the next Natural Born Storytellers. 

We enjoyed it so much we're doing it all over again.

We'll be taking our favourite storytellers from our first 18 months and adding to them a few from our upcoming themes in 2014 and 2015 for an all new 'Best Of' show that we think will be completely different and just as amazing as the first.

Pets are incredible creatures. They become part of the family, your best friend, your nemesis. They brighten up our lives and can cause us the saddest times. Tonight's stories are about pets and animals you've owned, come across, met, fostered, found, boiled, befriended, antagonised, run away from, loved and everything else in between.

In this fun and intimate workshop we will share stories, play games and help craft moments from your life into captivating true stories. 

Since Natural Born Storytellers began we have witnessed some truly incredible stories and watched some captivating storytellers. We have gathered them together into one spectacular ‘best of’ show and found a lovely and intimate 200 seater venue at The LOST Theatre which we are very excited to fill with true stories.

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