This summer, television audiences can listen in on amazing real life stories told by everyday people as WORLD Channel presents a 24-hour binge-a-thon of the television series Stories from the Stage beginning on Saturday, June 22, at 7 p.m. The series is hosted by humorists and storytellers Theresa Okokon and Wes Hazard (some eagle-eyed viewers may recognize the latter from his stint on Jeopardy! where he was a three-time champion in 2018).
The series focuses on spotlighting raconteurs who reflect the diversity of the American and global landscape. With this in mind, Black storytellers as well as stories on immigration from the Black perspective are among those highlighted during the marathon’s 40+ episodes. The stories are told in front of a live audience and include storytellers like:
–          Morris Irby recounts his experience as the first Black baseball player at Tennessee Tech University and the cost of being a trailblazer (in the new episode entitled Rocky Top Remembers, trailer available here https://bit.ly/2FfrcWR)
–          Ekhlas Ahmed, a refugee from Sudan (who was featured on Ellen) recounts a time when calamity created an epically long Ramadan fast. (Her story can be seen here- https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/342301779627992/
–          Reverend Mariama White-Hammond details how a battle to stop a gas pipeline being built in West Roxbury, Boston helped her bring attention to the fight for life in the historically Black Roxbury neighborhood
https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/303177936873710/
–          U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo, an American-born woman raised in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana tells of “sowing seeds” of renewal in the U.S. (watch her story here—
https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/267424003782437/
–          Rodrigue Kalambayi talks of escaping political violence in the Congo and dreaming of a new life
(see Rodrigue’s story here—
https://www.facebook.com/StoriesFromTheStage/videos/273735583151279/)
These storytellers and others from across the U.S., Poland, Afghanistan, India, the Dominican Republic, Armenia and elsewhere, help bring the classic art form of storytelling to modern audiences with a focus on fresh, new voices reflecting the diversity of America and abroad.
In addition to watching on WORLD Channel, viewers can also take part via livestream on the WORLD Channel and Stories from the Stage Facebook pages with live commentary by the hosts.
Check out the 2019 binge-a-thon trailer and learn more about The WORLD Channel.
The Stories from the Stage marathon begins on WORLD Channel, Saturday, June 22, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, June 23, at 7 p.m.
This post is curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.Â
Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
