Ex Fabula

I’ve never been to anything like Ex Fabula before, but let’s not pull any punches: it was awesome.
This go around we had some amazing story tellers, and I really got the full, honest range of emotions, hence my 5-​star rating (I suppose it may vary on night, but all in all the idea is a solid 4-​star!) Tonight we had self determination, humor, regret, hard choices, and some more humor. Again, my hat is off to the story tellers tonight.
So what IS Ex Fabula? Glad you asked, glad you asked:
Ex Fabula is, from what I gathered, an organization that runs mostly off volunteers. Each night has a theme. Our theme was «Do Over,» so the stories therein were focused around, you guessed it, «Do Over» — from the man who wish he didn’t pull the trigger of his gun, to the woman who flirted with her doctor, only to later discover that her gown had been opened the entire time — oops, do over!
Ok, so once you walk in, they give you a ballot (explained later) and you head into the theater. There wasn’t any assigned seating, and come early, the seats really fill quickly.
At 7:30 the host explains a little bit of the night’s venue, what the topic for the night is, and then draws out of a hat with many different would-​be storytellers listed on a card, a name is drawn. They come up, get 5 minutes to tell their «Do Over» story, and that’s that! (To expand, these storytellers are also audience members and signed up before the show began to tell a story. Not all of them were able to go, so if you want to tell a story, submit a form before showtime and good luck!)
You get to listen to 9 different storytellers (your venue may be different) but between each teller there are usually «mini shorts» — which are 1 – 5 line short stories audience members write and turn in for reading, dealing with the theme of the night. Mine didn’t get read, blah!
There are also 2 10-​minute breaks too so you can go get some drinks and stuffs in the concession area. In this theater, they served a variety of alcoholic beverages — your experience may vary depending on theater.
When all the storytellers are done for the night, you take the ballot you got at the start and mark the storyteller you thought was the best!
My favorite just so happened to win too: a gal who, while married with kids, cheated on her husband (my vote does not equal my endorsement of cheating, btw) because she met some guy — the first person she’d ever had a connection with — and decided to make the hard decision to make herself happy. There were some laughs, but all in all the story was really humbling and touched me because it was real and you could feel how torn she was between what she had and what she felt she deserved.
We ended at 9:30, so a total of 2 hours, and I was really sorry to see it end.
So, ya, totally a fan, will go again. Definitely needs to be a Unilocal Elite thang too!

To me, Ex Fabula is the cool, young version of Toastmasters. Yes, Toastmasters – those geeky clubs around the country where people practice giving speeches in their offtime. Sometimes you hear great personal stories, told really well.
Well, Ex Fabula is like that but the audience is hip, you can drink, and the stories are edgier. Some storytellers are great, others are okay – your best bet are the All-​Stars events, which have the strongest, funniest speakers. Plus, those events are usually held at Turner Hall, so you get good sound and plenty of seating.
In any case, Ex Fabula is a fun group or date thing to check out in cool venues. Not that I’m dropping my Toastmasters membership or anything.

Thanks to Unilocal for promoting the recent Ex Fabula story spectacular — without it, I may not have discovered this Milwaukee gem. Storytelling truly is an art, and Ex Fabula certainly does it well. If you’re into hearing real people share awesome tales, this is the perfect group for you. Ex Fabula hosts a series of events throughout their season, so check out the website for more date info — and, if you attend, you might even get a chance to share your own story. This is a super cool volunteer-​run organization, so if you’ve got free time and are looking to support the Milwaukee community, consider Ex Fabula. I’m definitely sold on it and look forward to attending more events in the future!

Dear Unilocal-​nation,
Just a heads up: I’m going to go ahead and review my dearest, most beloved Ex Fabula in an ‘open letter-​style’ format.
Also: Has anyone yet noticed that I’m currently addressing YOU, dear reader, in an open letter format? Way meta.
Enough. The review, then.
Love,
Rachel
—
Dear Ex Fabula,
I love you. I don’t mean to be forward, but I really do. I find you so engaging and charming. I find you witty, smart, and fun. You’re really everything I want in an organization. You’re cerebral without taking yourself too seriously, you’re serious yet light-​hearted in approach, and you fill a fabulous cultural niche that needed filling in our Brew City for quite some time.
Your mission of creating community through storytelling is an admirable one. You bring people together through the art of storytelling and create experiences that are visceral, emotional, and powerful. You allow Milwaukee to to laugh, cry, be horrified, and empathize… collectively. You provide a forum for community connection, and I love you so for it.
While I want everyone in the city to know about you, but I also want to keep you my secret. That’s not fair, though. The more folks learn about your fabulous Moth meets This American Life meets dinner party conversation-​type events, the more folks can contribute to said events. Since you allow regular Milwaukeeans attending your events to tell their stories on stage, the stories and styles that new folks bring to the table would surely be worth that secret getting out. I also want to make sure that you remain what you are — a fabulous organization with a fabulous mission that continues to grow year after year.
I’m super excited to hang out with you this Saturday, Ex Fabula. And I hope you’ll pardon my gushing. I just really needed to tell you how I feel. Apparently, I feel quite strongly about you. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to tell a story in your midst.
Love,
Rachel