For Immediate Release 1:04AM June 6, 2010
PRESS CONTACT
Media Relations
tellers@portlandstorytheater.com
Portland, Oregon USA
Lawrence Howard
voice (503) 793-5484
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PST Goes to Chicago to Compete
in the 1st Ever National Story Slam

Portland Story Theater has been invited by Windy City Story Slam to compete in the First Ever National Story Slam in Chicago on Sunday, June 13th. It's all part of Printer's Row Literary Festival (think Wordstock, only Chicago-style). One week from today, Lynne Duddy, one of the co-founder's of PST, will be Portland, Oregon's champion in the national competition and the competition is stiff.

Bill Hillman of Chicago's Windy City Story Slam is hosting and has invited people from all over the country to compete in this prestigious event. People like Anthony Bedard representing San Francisco's Porchlight and Regie Cabico from Washington D.C.'s Speakeasy will be there, along with a plethora of talent, including nationally known storyteller, Nancy Donoval. With these heavy-hitters, it feels a bit like the battle of David and Goliath, but Portland Story Theater is ready to accept the challenge.

Each teller only gets five - that's right, 5 - minutes to make or break their place in the competition. But this should be no problem for Duddy who has been telling professionally, crafting stories, and coaching others in the narrative arts since PST's inception in 2004.

All stories in the Nationals must be true, personal stories. And personal story is what PST is all about. Portland Story Theater delivers engaging, true, personal stories for adult audiences. Duddy's work in personal story has been described by The Oregonian as "raw, revealing, vulnerable." Just a few weeks ago, as part of PST's 2010 solo festival, Singlehandedly, Duddy premiered her new solo piece, There's No Place Like Home. The house was packed and the audience was enthralled with her personal story about the search for self, for identity, for family, for home. Duddy plans to tell a five-minute excerpt from this latest piece for the competition.

The challenge is accepted and Lynne Duddy is ready. Portland Story Theater will be a long way from the warm embrace of it's loyal fans, cocooned in the Northwest's organically grown approach to the world, but it is excellent that Portland is a part of this historic happening. (Oh, and she's got her sling shot.)

You can see more details about the National Story Slam by going to the Windy City Story Slam website www.windycitystoryslam.com.

For further information or to schedule an interview with Lynne Duddy, please call Portland Story Theater at 503 284 2226.

Portland Story Theater was launched in 2004 to bring the urban community together for a unique performance experience, telling tales that stimulate the mind and rouse the heart. We are a grass-roots operation, building awareness and appreciation for narrative. In late 2009, we established ourselves as a not-for-profit business. PST uses a unique collaborative approach to produce shows of people performing stories drawn from real-life experiences. We also offer workshops and one-on-one coaching for people who want to learn how to tell stories. Portland Story Theater has been called "raw, revealing, vulnerable," by The Oregonian for our groundbreaking work that "keeps audiences entranced from start to finish."

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