The Moth Mainstage: In-Person & Online
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SAL Presents

The Moth Mainstage: In-Person & Online

Past Event: Thursday, May 25, 2023

At Benaroya Hall — S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium

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In Person & Online

One of our most popular events of the year, each Moth Mainstage features simple, old-fashioned storytelling by five wildly divergent raconteurs who develop and shape their stories with The Moth’s directors.

This year’s theme is Coming Home. Storytellers include Morgan Balavage, Chiwoza Bandawe, Susan Mueni, George Sumner, and David Whyte, with host Jon Goode.

Morgan Balavagehas been writing intermittently about her life since she was first published at the age of 11 in a book called Kidz Rule The Net. She splits her time between Baja and Los Angeles, where she teaches yoga and is a business coach for yoga teachers with a global clientele.

Chiwoza Bandawe is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi. He is a Clinical Psychologist who has also lectured at the University of Cape Town. As a practicing psychologist, he opened his own clinic: Harmony Mental Wellness Solutions in Blantyre, Malawi in 2019. As an avid story teller and reader, he regularly uses stories in his therapeutic work. He has published three mental health education books: Mind Tips: A Psychology of Practical Living Skills for Malawi (2005), Mind Tools to Sharpen Your Mental Health (2006) and Practical uMunthu Psychology (2010). He is a Fellow of the 2020 Aspen New Voices Fellowship. In 2022 he partici- pated in the first Moth Global Masters Class in Nairobi, Kenya. He has a regular column in the Malawi Weekend Nation newspaper which seeks to promote mental health literacy. He has given numerous mental health talks to local and international conferences, youth groups, organisations and churches.

Jon Goode is an Emmy nominated writer raised in Richmond, VA and currently residing in Atlanta, GA. Jon’s work has been featured on CNN, HBO, VH1, MTV, TVOne, and BET. His writing earned him the 2006 Pro- max Gold for the best copyright in North America, and in 2022 he won a gold American Advertising Award, and a Silver Telly. Jon’s debut novel, Mydas, was a #1 new title on Amazon and is available wherever you buy books. Jon is the current host of The Moth, Atlanta. IG @jon_goode

Susan Mueni from Nairobi, Kenya is passionate about working with girls and women, and her work revolves around gender equality and girls and women empowerment. She is the founder and executive director of Making A Difference (MAD) Sisters, a women-led community-based organization that exists to champion for the safety and wellbeing of women and girls in the informal settlement of Kibera.

George Sumner lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Tina Hose. One of six siblings, George was raised in rural Utah, but says he grew up in Viet- nam, where he served as a helicopter pilot. George enjoyed a firefighter career in Salt Lake City and a second career as fire chief in suburban Bountiful, Utah. George took job-related college classes all during his career, getting Associate Degrees in Fire Science and Paramedic, Bachelors in Social Studies and a Masters of Public Administration. In retirement, George and Tina are active in community and political affairs, serving on community councils and non-profit boards. They enjoy travel, especially visiting their friends and family scattered throughout America.

David Whyte grew up with a strong, imaginative influence from his Irish mother among the hills and valleys of his father’s Yorkshire. He now makes his home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The author of eleven books of poetry and four books of prose, David Whyte holds a degree in Marine Zoology and has traveled extensively, including living and working as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands and leading anthropological and natural history expeditions in the Andes, Amazon and Himalaya. He brings this wealth of experience to his poetry, lectures and workshops. His life as a poet has created a readership and listener- ship in three normally mutually exclusive areas: the literate world of read- ings that most poets inhabit, the psychological and theological worlds of philosophical enquiry and the world of vocation, work and organizational leadership. David Whyte is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, where he works with many European, American and international companies. He is the re- cipient of two honorary degrees: from Neumann College in Pennsylvania and Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. In organizational settings, using poetry and thoughtful commentary, he illustrates how we can foster qualities of courage and engagement; qualities needed if we are to respond to today’s call for increased creativity and adaptability in the workplace. He brings a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the nature of individual and organizational change, particularly through his unique perspectives on Conversational Leadership. In addition, David Whyte has authored a collection of audio lectures, a DVD and three albums of poetry and music.

Event Details

Benaroya Hall — S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium

200 University Street
Seattle, WA 98101

View directions.

Know Before You Go

COVID-19 Policies

The safety of our patrons, artists, community partners, staff, and volunteers continues to be important to us. At this time, facial masks are encouraged but not required for entry, and proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test is no longer required. However, health and safety protocols are subject to change. Before attending events, please check your pre-event email for the most up-to-date information.

Can't find your tickets?

All tickets have been emailed for The Moth Mainstage, so be sure to check your inbox for an email from [email protected]. Call us at 206-621-2230 x10 if you can’t find them.

For in-person attendance: Your e-tickets come attached in a PDF with your ticket order confirmation email. Present on your mobile device or bring your printed ticket to the venue the night of the event. Check your pre-event email for details on COVID safety precautions.

For online attendance: If you purchased a digital pass for an event, SAL will send you a pre-event reminder email with the instructions to log in and access the online stream on the day of your event. The night of your event, return to lectures.org/event/the-moth-mainstage and enter the password where prompted. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. (PT) and will be available for viewing for a week after the event.

SAL will also send an email the day of the event, containing the same information. If you have opted out of receiving SAL emails, you will miss this important information—please email us at [email protected] and we will assist you.

Patrons & Grand Patrons, Have a Drink on SAL!

Patron & Grand Patron seating includes a pre-event drink ticket! Check your pre-event email for details.

Transportation & Parking

This event will be held in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, the largest event space at Benaroya Hall. 

Benaroya Hall is located at 200 University Street, directly across Second Avenue from the Seattle Art Museum. The public entrance to Benaroya Hall is along Third Avenue.

By Car

  • From Southbound I-5
    Take the Union Street exit (#165B). Continue onto Union Street and proceed approximately five blocks to Second Avenue. Turn left onto Second Avenue. The Benaroya Hall parking garage will be on your immediate left. The garage entrance is on Second Avenue, just south of Union Street.
  • From Northbound I-5
    Exit left onto Seneca Street (exit #165). Proceed two blocks and turn right onto Fourth Avenue. Continue two blocks. Turn left onto Union Street. Continue two blocks. Turn left onto Second Avenue. The Benaroya Hall parking garage will be on your immediate left. The garage entrance is on Second Avenue, just south of Union Street.
  • From Northbound I-5 via Westbound I-90
    Take the 2C exit for I-5 North. Follow signs for Madison Street/Convention Place and merge right onto Seventh Avenue. Turn left onto Madison Street. Proceed three blocks and turn right onto Fourth Avenue. Continue four blocks. Turn left onto Union Street. Continue two blocks. Turn left onto Second Avenue. The Benaroya Hall parking garage will be on your immediate left. The garage entrance is on Second Avenue, just south of Union Street.

By Public Transit (Bus & Light Rail)

Benaroya Hall is served by numerous bus routes. Digital reader boards along Third Avenue display real-time bus arrival information. For details and trip planning tools, call Metro Rider Information at 206.553.3000 (voice) or 206.684.1739 (TDD), or visit Metro online. The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, served by light rail, has a stop just below the Hall (University Street Station).

Parking

The 430-car underground garage at Benaroya Hall provides direct access from the enclosed parking area into the Hall via elevators leading to The Boeing Company Gallery. Enter the garage on Second Avenue, just south of Union Street. Maximum vehicle height is 6’8″. ChargePoint charging stations are available for electric vehicles. Visit the Benaroya Hall website for event pricing.

Parking is also available at:

  • The Cobb Building (enter on University Street between Third and Fourth avenues).
  • The Russell Investments Center (enter on Union Street between First and Second avenues).
  • There are many other garages within a one-block radius of Benaroya Hall, along with numerous on-street parking options.

Accessibility

Open Captioning is an option for people who have hearing loss, where a captioning screen displaying the words that are spoken or sung is placed on stage. This option is present at every event at Benaroya Hall in our 2021/22 Season.

Closed Captioning is an option for people who have hearing loss, where captioning displays the words that are spoken or sung at the bottom of the video during an online event. Captioning is available for all online events; click the “CC” button to view captions during the event.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are devices that people with hearing loss use in conjunction with their hearing device (hearing aids or cochlear implants). Benaroya Hall has an infrared hearing system, which transmits sound by light beams. Headsets are available in The Boeing Company Gallery coat check and the Head Usher stations in both lobbies.

Sign Language Interpretation is available upon request for Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing individuals for both in-person and online events. To make a request for interpretation, please contact us at [email protected] or 206.621.2230×10, or select “Sign Language Interpretation” from the Accessibility section during your ticket checkout process and we will contact you to confirm details. Please note: we appreciate a two-week advance notice to allow us time to secure interpretation.

Wheelchair Accessible Seating and Accessible Restrooms are available in all sections at our venues, and our venues are fully accessible to ticket holders with physical mobility concerns. Among other features, Benaroya Hall has designated parking spaces adjacent to elevators in their parking garage. Elevators with Braille signage go to all levels within the Hall. To reserve seating for a specific mobility concern, you may select “Wheelchair Accessible or Alternative Seating Options” during ticket checkout, and we will contact you to confirm details. For more details on their accessibility features, click here.

Guide and service dogs are welcome.

Gender neutral restrooms are available.

We are pleased to offer these accessibility services at our venues, and they are provided at no additional cost to ticket holders. Please contact us with any questions and feedback about how we can be more accessible and inclusive. Our Patron Services Manager is available at [email protected], or Monday-Friday from 10:00am – 5:00pm at 206.621.2230×10.

For more accessibility information, please head to lectures.org/accessibility. If you would like to make accessibility arrangements you do not see listed here, please contact our box office or select “Other Accommodations” from the Accessibility section during your ticket checkout process, and we will contact you to confirm details.

Sponsors

Novella Sponsor
Media Sponsor