Stay ConnectedSelected stories from Porchlight, San Francisco’s longest-running storytelling series, hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick.
Co-founders Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte invite six people from different backgrounds to tell ten-minute true stories without using notes or memorization.
Every year, we join forces with the amazing Litquake Literary Festival to bring you a night of stories told by authors and writers. Our theme for this show is ripped from the Talking Heads song “Life During Wartime,” and involves tales of explosive scenarios, epic struggles, and living each day like it could be your last. With Greg Milner, Laurie Notaro, D. Watkins, Jack Boulware, Eric Spitznagel, Bucky SInister, and Pamela Alma Weymouth. Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick, with music by Marc Capelle.
Who am I? It's a queston that never fails to amuse, confuse, bewilder, and humble us as we plunk along our journey on this earth. To what end, no one knows. To paraphrase Oliver Sacks, it is an enormous privilege and adventure to be a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet. And you are free to have canned fish for lunch every day, if you wish. As Porchlight celebrates fourteen years of personal storytelling onstage, we look to a theme where storytellers can choose to reflect or freak out on the whats, whys, and hows of who they think they are. Cousins author Mary Roach and bookbinder Dominic Riley Mythbusters legend Adam Savage writer and actor Moon Zappa Executive strategist Karla Martin Writer/performer/psychic hotline operator Ben McCoy Bawdy Storytelling dynamo Dixie De La Tour
Porchlight partners with Greenhouse, a software company that optimizes hiring practices, for a show of stories about JOBS. Our storytelling superstars for this special edition include writer/musician Eric Shea, HIV educator Ed Wolf, and producer/comedian Dana Merwin. Hosted by Arline Klatte at the Hilton Union Square on May 26, 2016. Recorded by PSAV and mixed by Patty Fung.
Porchlight returns with a Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution edition featuring Wavy Gravy, Bob Barsotti, Eric Shea, Deanne Franklin, Bart Davenport, and Lorrie Murray. Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick on May 12, 2016 at The Contemporary Jewish Museum. Recorded by Brandi Howell. Mixed by Patty Fung.
Kitchen Confidential is back! Hear some of SF's finest onstage with their insider stories about food, restaurants, kitchens, customers, and the vagaries of having a life in the service industry. Writer and restaurant person Karen Leibowitz. Natural foods expert/writer Matt Levine. Cookbook author J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Comedian Kyle Mizono. Chef/teacher Erika Almeida Mooney and superstar chef Richie Nakano. Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick on April 13, 2016 at San Francisco's Verdi Club. Recorded by Brandi Howell. Mixed by Patty Fung.
You're Doing It Wrong: Stories from Porchlight's annual SF Sketchfest show featuring Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte with guests Iris Haas-Biel, Moshe Kasher, Jackie Kashian, Kyle Mizono and Aparna Nancherla and songs by Bart Davenport.
Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick January 22, 2016 at the Swedish American Hall Recorded by Brandi Howell. Mixed by Patty Fung.
Litquake’s edition of the Bay Area’s long-running Porchlight series (15 years!) returns to the festival for a special storytelling night of authors and writers, telling tales on the theme of “Kill Your Darlings.” Featuring stories by Heather Mackey, Martha Tolles, Neal Pollack, Mark Haskell Smith, Siamak Vossoughi and Ali Liebegott.
Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick on October 12, 2015 at San Francisco's Verdi Club. Recorded by Brandi Howell. Mixed by Patty Fung.
It seems like only yesterday that we got some friends together at the Hemlock Tavern to tell us their stories and now BAM, it's somehow 13 years later! Arline, Beth, and Marc celebrate the thrill again as some of our favorite Bay Area storytellers delight and surprise you with the theme Flip The Switch: When Things Change In an Instant. Featuring stories by Virgil Shaw, Tara Jepsen, Scott Kravitz, David Lynch and Dominic Riley.
Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick on June 19, 2015 at San Francisco's Verdi Club. Recorded by Paula Junn. Mixed by Patty Fung.
A very special edition of the Bay Area’s longest-running storytelling series, now in its 13th year! An evening of unforgettable stories by a stellar cast of feisty San Franciscans who are STILL HERE. So you know: This show is not meant to be a bummer, but rather a rollicking night featuring people who love this city and would prefer to stay here and keep on loving it. Stories from: Tim Redmond, Cammy Blackstone, Rio and Rene Yañez, Marilynn Fowler, Shannon Matesky and Ed Wolf. Also featuring songs by: Stephen Smith and Tom Heyman.
Hosted by native San Franciscans Arline Klatte and Marc Capelle, along with Beth Lisick (born in San "The Hose" Jose, y'all!) on April 20, 2015 at San Francisco's Verdi Club. Recorded by Paula Junn. Mixed by Patty Fung.
Kitchen Confidential, Porchlight's most anticipated show of the year. Get all the dirt from the top food people in this unapologetically food-obsessed town, as stories from the kitchen, the front of the house, and the food truck are told onstage.
Stories from: Chef and TV Personality Joey Altman, James Beard Award Winner and Slanted Door's Charles Phan, Author and St. Vincent Owner David Lynch, Restaurant Family Scion and ll Fornaio Co-Owner Mike Mindel, Writer and Culinary Tour Guide Nina Tamburello, and Former Private Chef Zahra Noorbakhsh.
Hosted by Arline Klatte and Delfina's Craig Stoll on May 19, 2014 at San Francisco's Verdi Club. Recorded by Paula Junn. Mixed by Patty Fung.
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