How can I tell a story at Perfect Liars Club
Do you have a good story about something shocking, ridiculous, or unusual that happened to you? (or could you make up a story to pretend that it did?). Do you make people laugh when you tell it around the dinner table? You could be ready to star in Perfect Liars Club!
What am I signing up for?
Every month we choose four lucky people to tell their stories on the Perfect Liars Club stage in front of an adoring - but suspicious - audience. You agree on your story with the show's director, prepare a 5-7 minute version of it, then have a rehearsal/coaching session, usually by phone. On the big night you perform your story in the first half of the show. In the second half you will join your fellow suspects on stage to be interrogated by our audience members who will have questions about the logistics, details, and general likeliness of your story being true. You will answer honestly (or in a way that appears to be honest if you are the liar!). After the questions, there will be a vote. If you are the liar, you will be branded a 'perfect liar' or a 'hopeless liar' depending on whether or not you are caught. And you will make the international Perfect Liars Club Hall of Fame/Shame.
Who can pitch a story?
Anyone at all with a good story can pitch, even if you've never got on a stage before. You don't need to be a professional storyteller, comedian, improv performer etc (but if you are, that's good too). It does help if you have seen the show before performing so you have a feel for the format. (though in the case of our Tokyo show, it's new so don't worry about that! You could listen to some stories on The Moth or watch the video below to get a general feel for storytelling.) Our experience is that everyone has at least one great story to tell.
What are we looking for (aka what makes a good story for Perfect Liars Club)?
What's an example of a great story for Perfect Liars Club?
Here's one by current DC Perfect Liars Club MC Pierce McManus. He originally told this story at Perfect Liars Club, but as we don't film our storytellers, the video is from his performance of the same story at another show, Better Said Than Done.
What am I signing up for?
Every month we choose four lucky people to tell their stories on the Perfect Liars Club stage in front of an adoring - but suspicious - audience. You agree on your story with the show's director, prepare a 5-7 minute version of it, then have a rehearsal/coaching session, usually by phone. On the big night you perform your story in the first half of the show. In the second half you will join your fellow suspects on stage to be interrogated by our audience members who will have questions about the logistics, details, and general likeliness of your story being true. You will answer honestly (or in a way that appears to be honest if you are the liar!). After the questions, there will be a vote. If you are the liar, you will be branded a 'perfect liar' or a 'hopeless liar' depending on whether or not you are caught. And you will make the international Perfect Liars Club Hall of Fame/Shame.
Who can pitch a story?
Anyone at all with a good story can pitch, even if you've never got on a stage before. You don't need to be a professional storyteller, comedian, improv performer etc (but if you are, that's good too). It does help if you have seen the show before performing so you have a feel for the format. (though in the case of our Tokyo show, it's new so don't worry about that! You could listen to some stories on The Moth or watch the video below to get a general feel for storytelling.) Our experience is that everyone has at least one great story to tell.
What are we looking for (aka what makes a good story for Perfect Liars Club)?
- You are the star of the story: it's about something that happened (or allegedly happened) to you as a teenager or adult.
- It's focused on describing what happened during a very specific incident - this is the place for action, not personal introspection.
- It's about something so unusual/unlikely-sounding/bizarre that an audience would conceivably suspect it can't be true.
- It's funny, and not about too serious or heavy a topic - the audience has to feel comfortable laughing and interrogating you.
- It has sufficient logistics that there are details for the audience to question that have objective answers, and you remember the details of what happened (eg. beware of young childhood stories or 'I was on drugs' stories)
- It has a beginning, a middle and an end with a nice clear first and last line
- It's 5-7 minutes long
What's an example of a great story for Perfect Liars Club?
Here's one by current DC Perfect Liars Club MC Pierce McManus. He originally told this story at Perfect Liars Club, but as we don't film our storytellers, the video is from his performance of the same story at another show, Better Said Than Done.
How to Submit
Write us an email with your story proposal. Include:
- Name
- Brief outline of your story
- Whether the story is true or false
- Whether you've ever told a story on stage before and if yes, where (you don't need to have any experience though!)
Washington DC - email [email protected]
Tokyo - email [email protected]
Tel Aviv - email [email protected]
London - email [email protected]
What next?
If your story pitch sounds like it will work for Perfect Liars Club, we'll get in touch to discuss it with you. We'll agree the story and a performance date. You will then work on your story, practicing and perfecting it. We'll then set up a call with you about 1-2 weeks before the show where you'll perform your story on the phone/Skype. A story coach from Perfect Liars Club will listen, time it, and provide feedback/ coaching/ etc to help make the story perfect for Perfect Liars Club! And then we'll see you 30 minutes before the show for your debut.
Write us an email with your story proposal. Include:
- Name
- Brief outline of your story
- Whether the story is true or false
- Whether you've ever told a story on stage before and if yes, where (you don't need to have any experience though!)
Washington DC - email [email protected]
Tokyo - email [email protected]
Tel Aviv - email [email protected]
London - email [email protected]
What next?
If your story pitch sounds like it will work for Perfect Liars Club, we'll get in touch to discuss it with you. We'll agree the story and a performance date. You will then work on your story, practicing and perfecting it. We'll then set up a call with you about 1-2 weeks before the show where you'll perform your story on the phone/Skype. A story coach from Perfect Liars Club will listen, time it, and provide feedback/ coaching/ etc to help make the story perfect for Perfect Liars Club! And then we'll see you 30 minutes before the show for your debut.