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Shelly Hulce

Shelly Hulce Signs Off As Dayton Story Slam Begins 4th Season

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Shelly Hulce, photo by Jennifer Taylor

Over 13 years ago Shelly Hulce started a story telling event here in Dayton and called it Story Slamm. From it’s humble beginnings in a coffee shop on 5th in the Oregon District, to Ghostlight on Wayne, then a run at Black Box Improv Theatre, Shelly’s Story Slamm carried the torch for local storytellers.

From the very beginning she was working toward one goal: Grabbing the attention of New York City’s storytelling organization known as The Moth.

It was in 2016 that the Story Slamm was re-ignited by Bryan Suddith after his appearance on a Moth Story stage in Louisville Kentucky. Both he and Shelly with support from Lisa Grigsby and Brian Petro grew Dayton’s Story Slam into the monthly event it is now.

Story Slamm as Shelly envisioned it 13 years ago was an opportunity for people from all parts of Dayton to gather and share stories around a common theme. Story Slamm has done that. More than 100 open mic shows featuring literally hundreds of storytellers and their stories have been shared since Shelly put things into motion on 5th Street over a decade ago.

As Story Slam Dayton enters it’s 4th Season at Wiley’s Comedy Club this Tuesday, Shelly won’t be taking the stage. After 13 seasons, and after The Moth wowed crowds at Victoria Theater with their Mainstage show in April, Shelly is retiring. She is leaving Story Slam Dayton in the hands of co-producer Bryan Suddith and the support of Grigsby and Most Metro. Brian Petro remains on the team as well supporting the event with marketing and graphic design.

Those that love stories, or have experienced an open mic event here in Dayton owe Shelly a debt of gratitude for plugging away at that dream of hers for so long.

Shelly will not be a stranger to Story Slam and you can hear her each Tuesday from 8-11pm as she hosts the Wax Carnival on Oldies 97.3 fm. The Wax Carnival is a specialty show featuring deep cut album rock. This is the music you “didn’t” buy the record for. Digging out the jewels in the grooves a little closer the the center of the record, GladGirl covers psychedelic, progressive (prog rock), blues, jazz, punk, new wave, alt country and some far out silliness of the “counter culture”.

Season 4 of Story Slam Dayton kicks Off Tuesday the 17th of September at Wiley’s in the Oregon District. Just a block away from where Shelly started this ride so long ago.  You can tell a story or just settle in and listen to others tell their story.  Each month tellers are given a topic around which to form their story. The theme for the first show of this 4th season is Kickoff – Stories of great starts and getting started.
More details about Story Slam can be found at Facebook.com/StorySlamDayton.

The Art of Storytelling- Alive and Well in Dayton

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In 1997 poet and novelist George Dawes Green,  wanted to recreate the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the porch, where he and his friends would gather to spin spellbinding tales. That was the beginning of the New York City based storytelling art that is known as The Moth.  It became a weekly podcast and in 2009 launched a national public radio show, The Moth Radio Hour.  You can hear this show  on WYSO Saturday’s at 2pm and Wednesday at 11pm.

Inspired by  The Moth,  Daytonian Shelly Hulce launched a story slam about a dozen years ago.  The premise was simple. People sharing true stories, in person, unscripted and live. For more than a decade a small group of storytellers have been meeting in coffee shops, libraries and bars in and around Dayton. In time the events faded away.  In 2016 Kettering storyteller Bryan Suddith went to Louisville to tell his story and and was selected that nights Story Slam winner.  He knew he needed to re-launch story slam in Dayton.  So in the fall of 2016 Shelly and Brian teamed up and began hosting a local storytelling open mic night at Wiley’s Comedy Club on the third Tuesday of each month.

Now getting ready to kick off their 3rd season, they hosted a workshop last month to encourage new story tellers and over 25 people showed up eager to get tips to become better storytellers.  The biggest pointers included making sure the story has a beginning, middle and an ending and crafting a hook to grab the audiences attention. The first Dayton Story Slam of the season begins Tues, Sept 18th at 7pm and admission is just $5. Interested story tellers can throw their name in the hat and 10 lucky tellers will be drawn to share their starting over/second chances themed tale and one will be voted the winner, leaving with a $50 cash prize.

Bryan Suddith and Bridget Flaherty

For those that want a more structured learning environment, Bridget Flaherty, a multiple Story Slam Winner here in Dayton, with a few Moth wins under her belt as well, is launching a 4 week storytelling class.

LORE , beginning Monday, Sept 10th.  will help you learn the fundamentals of storytelling and craft a short story of your own. The $149 ticket price includes four classes, each class will be 90 minutes and on Oct 3rd there will be a graduation show (which is optional for participants) at The Brightside Music & Event venue.

If you prefer one on one coaching, LORE offers that as well.  Whether you are seeking to drive your company’s culture, enhance a marketing campaign, or craft a personal story presentation, Bridget can help you craft your story.

 

Learn How To Tell A Great 5 Minute Story

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Dayton’s open mic storytelling group, Story Slam Dayton, kicks off their 3rd season at Wiley’s Comedy club with a workshop on August 21. The regular season kicks off on Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00 at Wiley’s Comedy Club in the Oregon District.
Aspiring storytellers and experienced veterans alike are invited to take part in this workshop. Story Slam Dayton producers Shelly Hulce and Bryan Suddith will share their experience from both sides of the stage with the workshop attendees.
Bryan and Shelly will cover the basics of crafting a story for the stage, basic storytelling structure, editing for time and will allow storytellers a chance to try out the stage in front of a small audience.
Bryan will share his method for shaping stories for the Story Slam stage. Stories in this format are 5 minutes in length, are told in the first person and have to relate to each month’s theme.
Shelly will lead the group on stage, overcoming the bright lights and how to command the stage at the mic.
Shelly has been leading the local Story Slam community for more than 10 years. Bryan is two-time Moth Storytelling GrandSlam participant and can be found telling stories on and off stage frequently.
Interested Storytellers can RSVP via Facebook.
The workshop is $5.00 and every participant will receive one (1) free admission to a future story slam. To learn more about Story Slam Dayton, visit us at Facebook.com/StorySlamDayton

Dayton’s Best Storytellers Compete for GrandSlam Title

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Jackie Andrews

Dayton’s Story Slam will host their second annual Grand Slam storytelling event on Tuesday, June 19th at Wiley’s Comedy Club in the Oregon District. For more than 10 years Dayton Story Slam has hosted these “Moth” inspired evenings, attracting a wide variety of storytellers and stories.

The open mic story nights welcome all tellers to the stage. The rules are simple. Stories told from the Story Slam stage must be true, told in the first person, given without notes and must be centered on the theme of the night. Stories are limited to five minutes and the night is hosted by Shelly Hulce and Bryan Suddith.

Bryan Suddith with 2017 Grand Slam Winner Bridget Flaherty,

The June 19 Grand Slam event welcomes back 6 winners from the last year as well as two of our most popular runners-up. Each of the storytellers are coming prepared with a personal true story on the theme of Finished.
Bridget Flaherty returns to defend her title from last year alongside a few other familiar names in Dayton storytelling. Sandra Combs, Nathan Collier, Jackie Andrews, Becky Koop, Melissa Muncie, Faith Robertson and Jude Walsh will all take the stage with their story.
Doors open on the 19th at Wiley’s at 6:30. Stories start at 7:00. Tickets are only $5, payable online or at the door.  Drinks and a menu of appetizers and desserts are available for purchase. For more information check out the Story Slam Dayton Facebook page.

MostMetro.com Ticket Giveaway:
For your chance to win a 4 pack of tickets for Tuesday’s show, leave a comment below on why you should get the tickets and we’ll pick a deserving commenter.   We’ll announce our winner Sunday night and leave the tickets at will call for you, to be claimed by showing a valid ID.

Wanna Hear Some Great Campfire Stories?

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14492591_1312137845464087_4535451101588627085_nDayton’s Story Slam event returns to the stage at Wiley’s Comedy Joint on Wednesday the 19th this month. In the spirit of The Moth, Dayton has its own monthly storytelling stage. Presented by Dayton Most Metro and produced by Shelly Hulce and Bryan Suddith the event welcomes anyone with a story to tell.

 

The rules ares few and make the storytelling experience accessible for anyone who enjoys hearing a good storing or telling one. The Moth rules are simple. Stories are told in the first person, are always true, are about 5-6 minutes in length, are unscripted (no notes) and are told on the theme of the night.

This month’s theme for Story Slamm Dayton is Campfire Stories. The event is held at Wiley’s Comedy Joint at 101 Pine Street in Dayton’s Oregon District. $5 door charge and a cash bar is available. Storytellers simply put their name in the hat and 10 storytellers are selected at random for a spot on stage.

Audience members judge the stories and a winner is chosen to take home a $50 cash prize. Visit Facebook.com/StorySlammDayton to see videos from last month and find tips to craft your story.

Can’t make this one, then be sure and add November 16th to your calendar when the theme will be Stories of Endurance.  Its a nod to the end of the elections.

The Return of the Story Slamm

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jssaahc-story-slam-2Shelly “Gladgirl” Hulce had an idea. An idea to connect a community. An idea to have some fun. An idea to share some great stories.

A fan of The Moth radio hour, she contacted the national team, but was told Dayton wasn’t quite big enough to bring the show there. So, she started her own storytelling program in 2012.

As Story Slamm was just passing its one year anniversary in Dayton, Hulce shared with Sharon Short, “We’ve become very distant in our culture. We have mass communication and social media, and so we can hear and read each other’s stories, but rarely do we get in the same room, look into the storyteller’s eyes, observe their movements, while hearing a story. For the storyteller, it’s about giving a piece of yourself to the listener. For both storyteller and listener, it’s a deeper connection than reading or hearing the story from a distance.”

In 2013, Gladgirl stepped back from coordinating Story Slamms when other endeavors took priority. Story Slamms lost a bit of momentum, but the idea was always one that sparked a concept of community and fun for Dayton Metro Library Special Collections Manager and local actor Jamie McQuinn. Regarding bringing Story Slamms back to Dayton, McQuinn says, “I missed it. It was always a great time and I hated that it went away. I contacted Shelly and we thought this would be a great way to bring it back and connect people to the Library.”

Story Slamm is a great night that comes with some rules. McQuinn sums it up, “Tell a short story. First person. It happened to you. It should be “true”… It can be funny, or sad, or surprising. Tell your story in ten minutes or less. No notes or props. Don’t have a story to share? Come and listen. It is always entertaining.” (If you want some inspiration – check out some stories here.)

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The crowds come for various reasons. Some people enjoy an expanded, first-person storytelling experience that expands beyond 140 characters. Others are practiced storytellers around the dinner table, and want to bring their favorite family tales to the public. Some just enjoy sitting back and being entertained.  Patrick Hillier is a frequent attendee and fan of Story Slamm. He shares that he loves the event for the blending of the casual environment with the “intimate nature of sharing and learning about each other through tales from our lives.  You get a chance to tell a short but interesting story from your past or sit back or just listen and maybe learn something.”

The final Story Slamm of 2014 will be at the Huber Heights Branch of the Dayton Metro Library on Tuesday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Six-eight presenters will each tell a 10-minute story based around a “Thankfulness” theme. McQuinn hosts.  To fit everyone in, storytellers are asked to register by contacting Jennifer Spillman at 937-496-8611 or jspillman@daytonmetrolibrary.org. If you’d rather just sit back and listen, advance registration is preferred by not required. Judges or a small audience will vote on the best story based on uniqueness and delivery; best story of the evening wins a prize!

Introducing FilmDayton’s New Executive Director

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Shelly Hulce, FilmDayton Executive Director. Photo by Jennifer Taylor

The FilmDayton Board of Trustees introduce their new Executive Director,   Shelly Hulce

Ms. Hulce is studying in the Human Services Administration program at Antioch University Midwest with a background in communications, IT, allied health and municipal government administration. An active member of the Dayton music community, she is a directing board member of Southwestern Ohio Public Radio, hosts a weekly radio show on WSWO and is a contributing writer for DaytonMostMetro.com. As a radio producer, Hulce began her training at WYSO. Before her involvement in local radio, she was an independent video producer and was involved in Cincinnati 48HourFilm contest and the Ohio Film + Music Fest. Known to locals as “Gladgirl,” she created community building arts events such as Poster-Tastic, StorySlamm Dayton, promoted and represented many local rock artists and has written, produced and directed two successful local rock operas. With a heart for non-profits, she served as a directing member of the former Dayton Dirt Collective arts and music venue and was a long time employee of Hospice of Dayton. Hulce was most recently employed by the City of Dayton as Legislative Aide to Mayor Gary D. Leitzell.

“FilmDayton is growing as an organization and we couldn’t be more excited to bring Shelly on board as Executive Director. Shelly is firmly connected to Dayton’s rich artistic community and has been a vital member of the creative class. We look forward to working with Shelly on many exciting future projects and programming.” said Dr. Nicole Richter, president of the FilmDayton Board of Trustees.

Hulce says,“There could not be a more exciting time to join this team! Since the beginning of FilmDayton, major events have happened within the regional film community and we continue to be represented by stellar professionals who call the Dayton area their home. Just in the last decade we have celebrated the many accomplishments of passionate artists ranging from students to professional feature film artists. Notable festival wins, professional industry awards, significant distribution deals and major motion picture and television productions have landed in this region. There is no shortage of things to be excited about! FilmDayton and the regional film community have a lot of goals to meet and we will get there together! I am honored to serve the artists of the hometown I love so much.”FilmDayton Logo

Under the leadership of the new Director, FilmDayton will continue its established programming and support services of the local film community, while heightening the focus on economic development. As reported previously, FilmDayton was born out of the DaytonCREATE initiative nearly eight years ago, with intent of forming a regional film commission office.

Hulce will continue aggressive efforts to lead the organization to meet that goal.

A Dayton native, she continues to reside in the city with her husband and daughter.