Popular Brisbane Storytelling Event Goes Online During COVID-19

The Story Chunder, which began as a live weekly storytelling event at Brisbane’s BackDock Arts in Fortitude Valley, has moved online and continues during the COVID-19 crisis.

Each week four guest storytellers from the arts communities of Brisbane and beyond, share unbelievably true stories from their lives for the audience’s delight or disapproval.  The storytellers are guided by a weekly theme and an eight-minute maximum length.  

Join host Matt Young (TBS’s Wrecked, original Australian cast of The Producers) and a range of storytellers, listen to a story, and try not to “laugh, cry or smile ’til you chunder”.  Then listen to The Story Chunder podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Twitch or where ever you listen to podcasts.

Monday nights on Instagram Live @thestorychunder.

‘Breaking tradition’ is the theme for Monday, 25 May, and subject to availability, guests will include dancer/choreographer Joseph Simons (100 Years of the History of Dance), improv actor Chris Martin (Big Fork Theatre) and podcaster/actor Vanessa Bristow (Wine and Sympathy) with host Matt Young (Annie, The Producers).

Host Matt Young says,

The Story Chunder is a blatant rip-off of John Flynn’s Oh, Hey Guys! at LA’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade, which I occasionally co-host when passing through LA.  Of course, I have John’s permission to adapt his concept for an Australian audience. The show has an improv feel, with storytellers speaking without notes and searching for stories that let us see them at some of their most gloriously unguarded moments. Each week storytellers vomit up true tales to amuse, embarrass and entertain our online audience, who have the opportunity to comment live in our Instagram story feed. Instagram Live recreates the intimacy audiences enjoyed at the live event.

The inaugural performance took place at BackDock Arts on 3 February, and the show transitioned to Instagram Live on 23 March. Storytellers are drawn from all arts disciplines, including painters, writers, actors, comedians and musicians and represent the diversity of artists in Brisbane and throughout Australia.  Notable past storytellers include Judi Young (Lunatics), Hayden Tee (Les Miserables), Kat Hoyos (Jersey Boys/ Here Come the Habibs), Joe Kalou (Hi 5, Book of Mormon), Courtney Monsma (Six, the Musical) and artist Wellborn.

With the support of Brisbane’s That’s Not Canon Productions (www.thatsnotcanon.com), a podcast collective and network, The Story Chunder Podcast is released weekly, with favourite stories from the event and interviews with storytellers.  Stories are also captured to The Story Chunder’s IGTV channel and YouTube Channel.

This is a Free or Pay-What-You-Can event ($2 / $5 / $10 / $20), through PayPal or Patreon, with proceeds going to the storytellers and the organisers.  Alternatively, we ask people to contribute to the Actors and Performers Benevolent Fund of Queensland (https://abfqld.com.au/).

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The Story Chunder can be followed on all social media channels as @thestorychunder.

More information about the show can be found at www.thestorychunder.com.