Hear emerging storytellers at Stand & Deliver open mic

Storytelling open mics have been rising in popularity all over Chicagoland, including at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest.

Gorton's third in-person Open Mic Night is an opportunity for everyone - from high school students to part-time enthusiasts to published writers - to share their creative side with a live audience.

The event will take place Friday, Sept. 18, at the Gorton Community Center, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest. Storytellers will be given 7 minutes to tell their story. Seven spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up to perform at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15.

"Stand & Deliver is an open mic show that brings together first time and emerging storytellers to share funny, poignant and thought-provoking stories before a live audience," producer Anne Vandy Purky said. "The show has had great success in the past at Gorton, and we even held virtual Stand & Deliver open mics this spring."

The featured teller will be former international street performer turned stand-up comedian Sonal Aggarwal, who is now based in Chicago. She is an actor, comedian, writer and producer. She is a regular host of "The Moth," and she has performed stand up in Spanish. Hear about the unexpected series of events that brought her to the world of stand up on her podcast, "Rani Rage Radio."

Gorton will bring this event to the public safely and physically distanced in the parking lot. "Lawn seats" will be sectioned off toward the front of the parking lot facing the stage. Bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Seating for this event is limited in order to comply with Illinois guidelines. Attendance will be capped at 50 people, so in the case of rain the event can move indoors and maintain a safe social distance. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic concessions will be sold in prepackaged, unopened containers.

The night will be produced and moderated by Purky, who burst on the storytelling scene talking about the dark side of a privileged upbringing, stirring up trouble on the North Shore and being a renegade mom of a differently-abled daughter.

She studied film and writing at Northwestern University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is active in voicing her support of disability rights and advocating for the homeless with PADS in Waukegan and Zion.

For details, visit gortoncenter.org/event/stand-deliver-sept-2020.