Maybe, you didn’t go to your prom; maybe, you did but it was pretty unmemorable … or maybe you did but don’t remember it all, or you wish you could erase that night from your memory altogether. In any case, you probably have a story to tell, and unless you’re fresh out of high school, the opportunity to talk about it probably doesn’t come up too often. Luckily, the folks with Spillit have curated the perfect moment and environment to do so this Thursday with its Spillit Prom.
Spillit’s typical format is a slam, where people can put their names in a bucket to be drawn to tell a true, personal story, usually prompted by a theme for the night, on stage. Audience members then vote from the 10 or so chosen storytellers to select the winner of the night, who will have the chance to return to Spillit’s Grand Slam event in November.
But the Spillit Prom goes beyond a typical slam by completely immersing you in the prom theme: The winner will be crowned as prom royalty before a night of dancing kicks off, complete with the expected decorations, a buffet by Black Sheep Catering, and you in your best prom garb.
One thing that this prom doesn’t include, though, is that teenage anxiety about being judged by or in comparison to your peers. Instead, the night promises to be one of friendly competition. “One of the things people say is that they don’t want to tell a story because they’re not that funny,” Josh Campbell, Spillit’s creative director, says. “And I always say people want to connect more than they want to laugh, so sometimes there’s the really heartfelt stories that are the best of the evening, where as someone tells their story there’s a silence that comes over the room and everybody is in their feels a little bit. … You’ll laugh; you’ll cry.”
If the idea of standing on stage and telling a personal story to an audience gives you the heebie-jeebies, don’t worry, it’s not compulsory. If, however, you gain a bit of courage after a complimentary drink and perhaps another purchased from the bar, no one’s stopping you from dropping your name in the bucket. Plus, audience members are encouraged to write answers to an audience participation question that Campbell will announce at the start of the night, and Campbell will read out the responses in between stories, which last about seven minutes each.
Through this event and others by Spillit, Campbell says, “What we’re trying to do is change what people think of a storytelling event. [When it comes to storytelling] a lot of people think of rocking chairs or campfires or the children’s section of a library for storytime.” Storytelling, to Campbell and Spillit, is about connection and gaining new perspectives and inspiration. With that, Campbell hopes that Spillit can offer more specially themed events, like this one, that go beyond a slam.
For more information on Spillit Memphis, visit spillitmemphis.org. Purchase tickets here.
Spillit Prom, 409 S. Main St., Thursday, April 21st, 7-10 p.m., $35.
