A word circus of sorts took place under the big top at RADIUM Runway last Thursday, October 30, as Runway Stories: The Side Show presented Spooky Tales from Snap Judgement, The Moth, and KQED Storytellers.
Rather than leotard-bound acrobats swaying overhead on dangly ropes, the air was filled with words sent forth from four speakers, the host, and his pal, wonderfully variegated yet each a little Halloween-y. At the end of the narrow thrust ramp was a single fetching seat and its partner, the microphone stand.
The surrounding space was spectacular. Tents are cool, and this one is huge, so it was especially so. The interior decorations were meant to evoke the catchy and kitschy carny world, as decorative lights shined on the ceiling and DJ Kate Greenberg made music from their balcony. “Funky” is the word that best describes it all.
The ringmaster and emcee was JP Frary, local Alameda wood artist and yarn spinner, who took the stage wearing a spangly tuxedo jacket. He teased us with a story of a friend, her mother, and the task of determining if mom was still alive. Great delivery—and she was! But his main task was introducing each of the four main acts, four folks with comic, storytelling, writing, and acting chops. One by one they strode the runway, then sat or stood or stooped in ways that were remarkably unique.
Holly Shaw mixed jokes, narrative, and props to tell a tale unusual and a little blue. Glynn Washington was edgier in style, with delivery and content that was both comedic and dramatic. Gina Stahl-Haven was the most straightforward in approach, standing steadfast and sharing a dating horror story of a man who lied about his wife being dead in order to get with other women. But the best of all was Don Reed, who moved down the stage as if combating a fierce wind, took the mic in hand, and proceeded to use words and sounds with such animation that even this topic—the death of his grandfather—was entertaining. Special applause for Beau Davis who, outfitted similarly to JP Frary, shared short stories borrowed from the audience. They were the truffles of the night—small and delectable.
Hundreds of people filled the tent seats for the first-ever fully sold out event to do something quite remarkable—to hear other people talk and tell stories, unassisted by AI, ChapGPT, or any gadget other than sound amplification. There was no fire pit in the center, no actual wolves howling at the moon (though Reed made us think so), yet the experience was primal and powerful.
This event, the third time RADIUM Runway has presented storytelling, is part of the cavalcade of educational, artistic, and innovative performances and presentations they are doing to lay the groundwork for their ultimate project—the building of a first class performance space at Alameda Point. They are still some distance from breaking ground and cutting ribbons, but in the meantime these folks, under the leadership of Rachel Campos de Ivanov, working along with the West End Arts District, are planting seeds and getting us excited about the possibility of a practical shrine to the creativity of artists in our beloved little town.
Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players, a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane.
