I’m doing my first-ever solo show, LEARNING TO SPEAK! This show, in person in NYC and livestreamed Nov. 9th and 14th, is a culmination of TEN YEARS of writing and storytelling on stage and is adapted from my memoir-in-progress of the same name:
How do you connect with your parents when they don’t speak English and you’re not fluent in their Chinese languages? For Annie, through a family secret.
When Annie learns she’s related to Vincent Chin, a man whose 1982 Detroit murder started an Asian American movement, she seeks out the story, wanting to make something of her family’s legacy. Just as Annie is building the life of teaching and activism she wants, her parents threaten never to talk to her again.
In this storytelling show based on a memoir-in-progress, Annie Tan (The Moth Radio Hour on NPR, PBS’ Stories From The Stage, RISK!) explores what it really means to communicate– maybe in English, Spanish, Mandarin, or Annie’s home languages of Cantonese and Toisan– and make change.
Learning to Speak: A One-Woman Show by Annie Tan
Presented by the 2026 Gotham Storytelling Festival at Frigid New York FRIGID New York Theater
Monday, November 9th 7pm EST
& Saturday November 14th 5pm EST
In-Person at Under St. Marks Theater (sadly, not wheelchair accessible) & Livestreamed
Runtime: 60 minutes
The full price for a ticket is $25, and that supports not just me but the staff running the Gotham Storytelling Festival and the theater, so if you can, please pay full price! But I know many are going through it right now, so tickets are also available on a sliding scale where you can pay as little as $7 + a $2.50 service charge, or $9.50 altogether, for a ticket. (If you really are struggling to pay for the show, let me know: I have a few comps per show.) Hope to see you there!! #storytelling #soloshow
(I also drew and hand-wrote on a photo for this flyer myself, eff AI!)
