Welcome to the City of Fairfax Theatre Company’s Pitch Page!

We are so glad you’ve arrived, and we’re excited to facilitate whatever it is that YOU have to say. There are so many stories about our identities and communities, so many commonalities among our diverse and deep lives, yet: only ONE story is YOURS. And trust us: everyone wants to hear it!
Our next Storytelling Event is on Sept 24 at 6pm. To get you started we want to introduce you to the Pitch tools! You can ‘phone it in’ to our PitchLine, or send us an email by clicking the link below. The Theme of our next event is:
Who Am I?: Stories of Identity

In this pitch proposal, you should share a five minute story about a defining moment.
Remember: this is YOUR moment, and we’re sharing this with the audience- it can be crazy, personal, funny, angry, shocking, lost, hurt, loving, surprising, unknown, educational, cliche, timeless... whatever it is, it WILL be yours! We’re here to help you make it the best story it can be, and our Director, Mikael Johnson, will be on hand every step of the way to help it grow... Or, just to take a picture of it EXACTLY how it is!

How to Pitch For Our Next Storytelling Event

Please submit by September 10. Start with your name, email, and phone number, and remember to tell us the story (not what it would be about)-- we want to see the story arc and how it changed you.

​Two ways to submit- email us a voice or text file at fairfaxcitytheatre@gmail.com or call us and leave a voicemail at (571) 494-5778.

Questions or suggestions of future topics?
​Contact Chrys Herring at chrysherring@gmail.com.

About the Process- September 24 Event

We're here to help you tell your story in an engaging and meaningful way. You do not need prior acting or performing experience. Director Mikael Johnson will work with you to make your story performance-ready through one-on-one rehearsals to help your story grow, and help you shine while telling it. There will be one-on-one rehearsals based on mutual schedule and choice of zoom or in-person throughout September. The performance will be live on September 24, with a 5:30pm call time and 6pm performance, livestreamed to Cityscreen 12. The performance will be held at Veterans Amphitheater, 10485 Armstrong St in Fairfax, VA.

Tips and Tricks for Submitting Your Story

The City of Fairfax Theatre Company values, respects and aims to celebrate the diversity that makes us all who we are. Please make sure you review your story well so that it does not include the following:
Tips for Storytellers (adapted from ​The Moth​):
● DO NOT imitate a culture that is not your own.
● DO NOT use any hate speech or racial slurs.
● DO NOT center the identity, race, culture, religion, gender, sexuality, body type, ethnicity, or abilities of any other group or individual. Remember, this is a story about you.
● DO NOT celebrate any form of violence.

At the same time, and JUST as important:
● Speak YOUR truth. Your story should be yours and only yours.
● Know your story by heart. Your story should sound authentic, not robotically memorized line by line. Know your points and have fun!
● Set up your story with a line that will capture the attention of the listeners.
● Ask yourself: “Why is what happens in the story important to me?”
● Remember to tell the whole story! We’re not looking for a synopsis or cliffhanger, we want to hear it all!