Stories on Stage
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Sands Hall & Annabelle Gurwitch

Sands Hall's recent essay (Alta Journal, Spring 2022)
"The Ways of Fiction Are Devious Indeed"
performed by Megan Smith


"In a Muted Zoom Room No-One Can Hear You Scream" from Annabelle Gurwitch's new collection YOU'RE LEAVING WHEN?
will be performed by Kelley Ogden

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​The Auditorium at CLARA
1425 24th Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
doors open at 6:30 PM - performance begins at 7:00 PM 
​advance tickets available via Eventbrite
tickets always available at the door - doors open at 6:30 PM

SANDS HALL’s Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint; formerly known as FLUNK. START.), was named one of the top ten books in religion and spirituality by Publishers Weekly, and was a Finalist for the Northern California Book Awards in Creative Nonfiction. Sands’ other books include the novel Catching Heaven (Ballantine, which won a WILLA Award, Woman Writing the West; and is a Random House Reader’s Circle Selection; and a volume of writing essays and exercises, Tools of the Writer’s Craft. Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in such places as New England Review, Iowa Review, and Mill Valley Literary Review. A graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, she holds a second MFA in Theatre Arts; her experience as director, actor, and playwright gives her a unique perspective on the writing process.

Professor Emeritus at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she is also the Founding Editor of the F&M Alumni Arts Review. Sands teaches annually for the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Her work with the University of California Davis Extension Programs earned her an Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Service Award.

​An Affiliate Artist with The Foothill Theater Company, in Nevada City, California, she has acted and/or directed for the Oregon, Colorado, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals, among other regional theaters. Her produced plays include an adaptation of Alcott’s Little Women, and the comic-drama Fair Use. Sands is also a singer/songwriter; her recent CD is called Rustler’s Moon.

Annabelle Gurwitch is an actress, activist, and author of five books including the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist I See You Made an Effort. She’s written for The New Yorker, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Magazine and Hadassah amongst other publications. Gurwitch was the longtime cohost of Dinner & a Movie on TBS and a regular commentator on NPR. She's performed on the Moth Mainstage, at Carolines on Broadway, and at arts centers around the country. Her acting credits include: Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Boston Legal and Dexter and once in while she returns to acting playing a rabbi on Better Things on FX or a therapist for an FBI agent in Michael Bay’s upcoming Ambulance.

She's been featured in Time Magazine’s annual “10 Ideas That are Changing the World” issue; her Los Angeles Times op-ed (included in her latest collection of essays) about hosting a housing insecure couple in her home was recognized with a 2020 Los Angeles Press Club excellence in journalism award. She's been profiled everywhere from New York Times, Washington Post, O Magazine, Prevention, to NPR.  Her media appearances include Good Morning America, Real Time, CBS Early Morning, The Today Show, Oprah, and PBS Newshour.

She's taught essay writing and storytelling at The School of the New York Times, Miami Dade Community College, Thurber House, George Washington U, Maine Media College, and University of Ohio, Dayton. Gurwitch thought she'd be empty nesting by now; instead, she lives in Los Angeles with her cat and child—a college graduate of the COVID class of 2020.

She co-hosts the Tiny Victories podcast on the Maximum Fun Podcast Network, which Vulture called a “bright spot of light and laughter in 2020.” Annabelle is currently adapting You're Leaving When? for HBO.
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Megan Smith
​Kelley Ogden, is a familiar face to Stories on Stage fans, and an accomplished performer, director, and producer whose work has been seen throughout the area. Co-founder of acclaimed fringe theater company KOLT Run Creations, she has performed with Capital Stage, Davis Shakespeare Festival, Sacramento Shakespeare Festival, Main Street Theatre Works, and Theater Galatea, among others. Ogden earned her BFA in performance from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago.

Megan Smith
 is an actor and musician based out of Davis, California. She's worked in productions at many theaters over her career such as Capital Stage, Sacramento Theatre Co., California Shakespeare Theater, Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco Playhouse, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and many more. She is also half of the band  Misner & Smith  that play their own brand of story-driven, harmony-filled, acoustic folk/rock music. She performed an excerpt from Alia Volz' Home Baked for SoSS during our 2021 season.
Order May performance tickets
order sands' book
Buy Annabelle's Book

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Watch the Facebook recording of the April performances of an excerpt from Steve's Almond's debut novel ALL THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD by actor Sarah Rothaus and two short stories from Leslie Kirk Campbell's debut collection THE MAN WITH EIGHT PAIRS OF LEGS BY Sarah Rothaus and Ian Hopps

April performances - steve almond & leslie Kirk campbell

​Answers to logistical questions about attending Stories on Stage Sacramento

Parking is available in the large lot behind the auditorium (entrance on "O" Street) and on the street. There is a ramp to enter from the parking lot.

Entry is either via the parking lot or the double doors on 24th street (look for the green and gold balloons at either entrance)

Doors open at 6:30 PM—performance begins at 7:00 PM

Volunteers will be checking vaccination status at the door/masks required for staff and audience

Season subscriber and ticket holder names will be at the WILL CALL table—check in to receive a program and raffle ticket(s)

Season subscribers can pick up a wallet sized card for expedited check-in at future events
You can donate in person at the DONATE table.


No food will be provided on opening night (hopefully we can return to having Sue's cookies and Pushkin's treats on hand very soon)

Wine, beer and water will be available for purchase

If you purchased an advance ticket, seats up front will have been reserved for you, though you may choose to sit elsewhere

Seats will be spaced, though family and friend groups may wish to move closer together

Please feel free to email us with any other questions.

WANT TO WATCH THE PERFORMANCE ONLINE?
Of course we'd love to see you in person at the CLARA AUDITORIUM Friday night. But if you can't be there, follow us on Facebook (
@storiesonstagesacramento), where we'll livestream the performance at 7 pm Pacific, Friday 2/25/22. Afterward, we'll also put a recording up here. Better yet, SIGN UP for our newsletter so it comes right to your email box.

COVID PROTOCOLS:
  • Vaccination (paper or digital) will be checked at the door.
  • Guests and staff will wear masks. 
  • On stage, actors and facilitator will be maskless.
  • Audience size will be limited. We will reserve spots for people who order tickets in advance.
  • Email notifications will go out If Covid status requires us to move the performance online.
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​Capital Books & Crest Theater, by Kyle Thaw and his mother, Heidi Rojek. This beautiful artwork FREE ​with your book purchase!


​Our local bookstore partner - Capital Books

Find the books featured on Stories on Stage Sacramento at Capital Books on K, our local bookseller partner, and receive postcard-sized art of the bookstore and their neighbor, the Crest Theater. Free with your book(s). Heidi and Ross Rojek have been getting stories to readers in Sacramento and beyond much faster than the big guys during this crisis, so let's reward them for that!

In addition to mail order and curbside pickup, the store is now open, so you can browse again (appropriately masked of course!)

In the News


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2021 SacMag's Best of Sacramento!

We won! Stories on Stage Sacramento voted Best Virtual Music or Entertainment Experience of 2021—which is doubly awesome considering we'd just pivoted to online performances via Zoom as a result of the pandemic.Heartfelt thanks to the folks who cast their vote for Stories on Stage!
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Stories on Stage Anthology: Twenty Twenty by Krista Minard
"The anthology was the brainchild of local authors and Stories on Stage co-directors Shelley Blanton-Stroud and Dorothy Rice, who had just taken the reins of the series in early 2020 when they then quickly saw their plans for writing workshops and on-stage literary events squashed." 
read the rest of Krista's post here.
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Out & About | July 2021

Check out our own Jessica Laskey's Out & About section in the July Inside Sacramento! 

Twenty Twenty—43 stories from a year like no other; A first Stories on Stage Anthology now available online and from Capital Books!

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January 2020
by Jessica Laskey

"A new season of “electrifying prose” and “crackling theatre” unfolds at Stories on Stage Sacramento—with two new heads at the helm."
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INSIGHT with Beth Ruyak

Insight host Beth Ruyak in conversation with Sue Staats and Jen Palmares Meadows

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SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW
By Maxfield Morris
This article was published on 10.24.19

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​Sue Staats: "Outgoing coordinator for SOSS - A New Chapter"

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Best of the City 2019
​"Star-Studded Storytime"

THANK YOU to our generous sponsors and supporters!


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BUY LOCAL - support Sacramento businesses, organizations and our literary community.
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Who We Are

Sacramento’s award-winning, non-profit literary performance series, featuring electrifying prose and crackling theater, the work of today's best authors performed with theatrical flair. Designated by Sactown Magazine as Best of the City, 2019.

Location

CLARA (E. Claire Raley Studios
​for the Performing Arts)

​1425 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816

Contact Us

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    • History
  • 2022 Season
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