It's almost September, and la rentrée this year is a complicated one. We're all adapting, or trying to. In this episode, Elizabeth Varvaro shares a story about responding and adapting to a super complex situation. It's from our October 2018 show recorded at the Phi Centre. Elizabeth Varvaro is a writer, tarot reader, and perpetual grouch. Her first ever collection of short horror stories called EVERYONE IS DEAD is free to read at horrificwriting.wordpress.com. She sometimes tells stories at Confabulation!This is the last show of Season 3! We'll be back in a month with lots more stories to share.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Confabulation

#58: Adapting

Confabulation Montreal and Victoria are reunited (and it feels so good). This week's podcast is co-hosted by Matt and Cassandra Tognari, a producer and storyteller from Confabulation Victoria. This episode features Cassandra's story about the timeline of a friendship, and was told in February 2020, in Victoria, B.C. Cassandra is the co-producer, co-host, and story coach for Victoria BC's monthly Confabulation series. She has been living in Victoria for five years where she works in government communications and sits on the Board of Directors for Intrepid Theatre. Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#57: Reunited

This week Confabulation podcast producer and Technical Director Stephen Trepanier co-hosts the show with Deb, AND tells a story- from way back in January 2013, when he was still a kid, jumping out of runaway shopping carts!Stephen Trepanier is an audio engineer, podcaster, comedian, visual effects editor, and electroacoustic music composer from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and has lived in Montreal, Quebec for the last ten years. Since 2012 Stephen has been involved in the production of live theatre & dance in the city. Stephen's work as an audio engineer has been featured on television, and radio, in formats ranging from documentaries to comedy.Stephen is registered with the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#56: Second Chance

In the wake of crisis, chaos and care, pandemic and protest: who are we ?This week's podcast features Sara Meleika telling a story about one of the turning points in her life.This story was recorded April 2019 at the Mainline Theatre in Montreal.*Note: Sara mentions a Charlene Nelson at McGill University, her name is actually Charmaine Nelson.Sara Meleika is an Egyptian improviser, storyteller, and high-school teacher. She produces and performs in Colour Outside the Lines – a show created out of a desire to see greater representation appear on Montreal’s improv stages. She is the (Anglophone) Inclusion Coordinator at Montreal Improv, co-produced Ladyfest Montreal 2017 & 2018, and co-artistic directed MPROV 2019. She has performed in MPROV, Montreal Sketchfest, Ladyfest Montreal, the Ottawa Improv Festival, Toronto’s Combustion Festival, the Big City Improv Festival and OFF-JFL/Zoofest.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#55: In the Wake

This week's podcast features a story by Kadi Diop on making a connection by disconnecting. Her story was recorded February 2020 at the Phi Centre as part of Black History Month.Kadi Diop is the francophone education director of Montreal Improv and an improviser, community organizer, storyteller, sexology student and devoted auntie. She loves sharing her many opinions with a flair of intersectional hullabaloo. She's performed at the Ottawa Improv Festival, Black and Funny, OFF-JFL and other North American festivals and loves plain chips.After the story stay tuned as Matt checks in with Kadi about among other things, getting comfortable with uncomfortable situations.In the interview, Kadi mentioned an online event she moderated -- a conversation with Dr. Myrna Lashley. The event, Systemic Racism and Allyship: Moving Forward Together, was a free event, hosted by the Westhaven Community Centre. We'll add the link to that video as soon as it's live. In the meantime, Kadi recommends Racism Explained to My Daughter, by Tahar Ben Jelloun, as a resource for your own essential, uncomfortable conversations.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#54: Connection

Brief language advisory -- this week's story contains a couple of words that may not be appropriate for all audience. They're well-earned words, but still present.This week's podcast features a story by Leigh Kinch-Pedrosa on the complexity of making medical decisions. The story was recorded November 2019 at the Phi Centre. The evening of storytelling was a collaboration with Broad Science, an initiative dedicated to making science inclusive, engaging, and intersectional, through podcasting. Learn more about them at https://www.broadscience.org.After the storytelling, Deb talks to Leigh about how she and her family are coping in Covid times.Leigh Kinch-Pedrosa is the marketing and communications manager for the Rebus Foundation and the former general manger of Confabulation Montreal. As a story producer and storyteller, Leigh finds creative ways to mesh the worlds of food and restaurants with contemporary autobiographical storytelling. She is the creator of Food Core/Essence Culinaire and a story producer for SOUNDBITES, both Phi Centre productions.*During the interview Leigh referenced a story about a Haitian asylum seeker working in a long term care facility who passed away from Covid. His name is Sony Innocent. This is the news story referenced. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-low-income-inequality-covid-19-1.5570296Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#53: Medicine

This week's podcast features a story by Smriti Bansal, recorded at our season opening show in September 2019 at the Centaur theatre. Bonus track: Matt checks in by phone with Smriti, who talks, among other things, about the silver lining of dating in the time of Covid. Smriti Bansal is a full time communications maven, and a part time Confabulation producer. She spends her days (and some nights) creating content that empowers companies to reach the people they need to achieve their wildest dreams.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#52: Ritual

This week's podcast features a beautiful story by Emira Tufo about loss, escape and rebirth. The story was told before a live audience at our Families show in December 2017. Plus a bonus track! We catch up with Emira at home (where else) and talk about pandemical thinking and being--what to wear to the hardware store and recommended reading for these strange days. Emira Tufo is a Bosnian Canadian lawyer and writer. Her essays have been featured in The Globe and Mail, the Montreal Gazette and on CBC. She is the recipient of the 2019 CBC/Quebec Writers' Federation Writer in Residence Award and is the co-author of Montreal Murmurs, a blog that chronicles the curious, the funny and furious aspects of life in Canada's most mischievous city.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#51: Gain

This week we're doing something a little different with our podcast. We've paired a live event recording with a tale from our Stories in Isolation series.This episode on Loss features Mike Pellegrin x 2:  an epic story recorded live at the Phi Centre in December 2019, and another story, recorded in isolation, at home in front of his computer.Mike Pellegrin is a Montreal storyteller, teacher and craftsman.You can watch the video of Mike's Story in Isolation on our Facebook or Instagram pages -- as well as catch up on our whole #storiesinisolation series. You can send us your own 2-4 minute Story in Isolation to storiesinisolation@confabulation.ca.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Podcast production: Deb VanSlet and Stephen TrepanierMusic credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#50: Loss

We are very happy to launch another podcast! This week's episode features two very different kinds of stories about Bodies.Born and raised in Nairobi, Sehar Manji is a Montreal-based actor, writer, improvisor and instructor at Montreal Improv.Her hairy story is from our live show (remember those) in October 2019 at the PHI centre.Gina Granter is a comedian, storyteller and English teacher in Montreal. Her story is from way back on January 2016, the show was recorded at the Mainline Theatre and the theme was The Body.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#49 : Bodies

This week's story is about Belonging -- which is a feeling a few of us might need right about now.Featuring a story by Emma Lanza from our October 2017 live show.Emma Lanza is a born and bred Montrealer with a background in theatre performance and arts management. She has her Master’s degree in Library Science and currently works in the Psychology Department at Concordia University. She has performed at Confabulation, YARN, and Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. She once saw Stephen Sondheim on 42nd Street in New York City and cried for half an hour straight.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#48: Belonging

This week's episode features two storytellers from our May 2018 collaboration with Broad Science: Maya Hey and Alex Allard.Broad Science is an initiative dedicated to making science inclusive, engaging, and intersectional, through podcasting  — check out their work at www.broadscience.org. Maya Hey is a Vanier scholar and doctoral candidate at Concordia University. She uses feminist theories to study fermentation.Alex Allard is a member of the Indigenous Health Professions Program at McGill University. Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#47: To Infinity and Beyond

We are gearing up for our Shortest Story X on February 29th, so to get you in the mood, here are twelve 2-minute stories from the Shortest Story 9 -- recorded at Mainline Theatre in March 2019.Featuring stories from:Smriti BansalJosh BudmanZahraa ChordghayNisha ColemanAudrey CharneauxJohanne PelletierVadim GranMichele LuchsMike PellegrinEleanor DenisEli VarvaroandAriel ShirkerThanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#46: Shorts 2019 part 2

Confabulation co-producer Francesca Esguerra joins us for this episode, where we don't exactly explore the theme of Frantic.... we just are. Featuring stories by Francesca Esguerra and Paul Van Dyck.Paul Van Dyck is a graduate of Queen’s University’s Specialized Studies in Stage and Screen Program, he is a writer, director, performer, producer, and sound designer based in Montreal, Toronto, and Los Angeles.  In 2001, Paul founded Rabbit in a Hat Productions in Montreal with a mandate to produce new Canadian Independent Theatre. His work has since been produced throughout Canada and around the world. Paul's story was recorded at the June 2019 Summertime show at the Mainline theatre. Francesca Esguerra has been writing and creating ever since she became the self-elected editor of Canadian Girl Magazine at age 8. She is a graduate of Concordia’s Literature program. Currently a co-producer for Confabulation, Francesca has performed at the Centaur Theatre, The Wiggle Room, Yarn and Ottawa’s Arts Court. Francesca's story is from January 2018 Eye of the Storm show recorded at the Centaur Theatre.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#45: Frantic

This week, Confabulation podcast explores the theme of Trust, featuring two stories from the archives, going way back to June 2017 and April 2018, with Jeff Gandell and Jane O'Faherty.Jane O'Faherty is an Irish-born, Montreal-based twentysomething writer. By day, she works as a communications officer at a non-profit; by night, she reads, writes and cooks voraciously. Jane's story was recorded at the April 2018 Playing Politics show at Montreal's Phi Centre. Jeff Gandell is a Montreal writer, singer, and teacher. He teaches true-life storytelling at Montreal Improv and literature and writing at Dawson College. He’s currently co-writing his first musical, Blind Love: A Honky Tonk Opera, premiering at the Montreal Fringe Festival in June 2020. Jeff's story was recorded at the Mainline Theatre, Montreal, in June 2017. The theme was On the Edge.Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

#44: Trust

Confabulation is a celebration of true-life stories, shared by the people that lived them. Curated from our live shows across Canada, in Montreal, Toronto and Victoria, the podcast brings some of our favourite stories to a wider audience — as well as a larger thematic exploration of the ideas these stories bring up. It’s hard to say exactly where any one episode will take us, but each will be crafted around the story, the storyteller, and the essence of why we tell tales in the first place. Confabulation. Stories, true as we can tell them.

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Confabulation

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