Bring Your Own Story: The BYO Storytelling Show at Al’s Den, Hosted by Jay Flewelling

“I want a poignant moment, or a heartfelt substance, in a sea of laughs,” says Jay Flewelling, host of the BYO Storytelling Show at Al’s Den, the basement venue within McMenamins Crystal Hotel, in downtown Portland. Every first Wednesday of the month, Jay selects a talented array of comedic performers to tell their personal, true, and hilarious stories on stage, always with a twist.

Jay is a longtime performer in Portland and could easily entertain a crowd all on his own. He is a comedian and improv actor with his troupe, J Names at Curious Comedy Theater, where he’s been a mainstage performer for over a decade. He’s an award-winning filmmaker and producer (Jay won Best in Humor for Dan Savage’s HUMP! Film Festival in 2017); and author of Please Underestimate Me, also adapted into his autobiographical one-man show. Jay has been featured as a storyteller for national programs, including The Moth, Mortified, Live Wire Radio, and has performed (and won awards) at a whole bunch of improv comedy festivals across the US and Canada. His secret to accomplishing so much?

“One of my mottos is Visualize, Actualize,” Jay explains. And while Jay has always put his mind to achieving a thought-out goal, he says that the BYO Story nights were created almost on a whim.

“My friend, [musician] Megan Diana, who has done several residencies at Al’s Den, asked me ‘Would you like to do a hybrid storytelling show and music night?’ And I just thought it was a fun thing. Then Al’s Den was like, ‘What was that? We want that monthly.’”

Currently, guitarist Michael Langman underscores the storytelling with his music, and plans for other guest musicians are also in the works. For the February BYO Story night, members of the new Portland band, Buck Moon will be telling stories of their own before playing their set.

Each “Bring Your Own Story” night offers a variety of surprises. Previous shows have included a hip-hop performer telling his stories before rapping, and a woman from Ukraine who, after sharing her story, pulled out her accordion to play Ukrainian folk songs for the audience.

Of course, the storytelling is the heart of the show. There is no theme or competition for the best story, and this openness creates a relaxed and unguarded atmosphere. When stand-up comedians get on stage to tell their stories, Jay says, they find there is more breathing space. “They get to slow down, and be more accessible, more vulnerable,” Jay explains. “And I think there’s a power in that. They surprise themselves.”

What makes this event unique? Even if you don’t know a soul in the room, listening to these stories makes you feel like you are amongst friends, getting to know a slice of someone’s life that delves deeper than small talk and is closer to the truth. It can be rare to find a setting that is conducive to that feeling.

“I think that it’s the campfire effect,” Jay says. “It’s a little bit of an audience, but it’s not intimidating. The number-one fear is public speaking, but if you’re at the campfire… and everyone wants you to tell that story, you feel like you have permission to take space. It can be very special.”

The BYO Storytelling Show is also delightfully unpredictable. One night, when a performer was a no-call, no-show, Jay improvised, naturally. “I threw it out to the audience,” he says. “I asked, ‘Does anyone here want to tell a story?’ And this woman got up there and told the best story of the night.”

This “wild card” spot for unexpected audience participation has since become an exciting (and unofficial) element to the show. However, don’t expect an open mic. Jay lines up a night of guaranteed laughs and great stories, hand selected from a wide pool of Portland’s funniest folks. And while he can vouch for the curated talent, the stories themselves are usually a surprise even to Jay.

But what if you missed last month’s show and want to hear it again? Jay hosts the “B.Y.O. Storytelling Podcast”, which features cream-of-the-crop stories from each BYO Story show at Al’s Den, recorded live on stage.

You don’t have to go to group therapy to hear people’s ridiculously funny and moving true stories (plus you can still keep all your vices) … Just head down to Al’s Den every first Wednesday night of the month for the type of pure entertainment that humans have enjoyed since pre-civilization: storytelling.

Upcoming BYO Storytelling Show at Al’s Den – January 4^th, 7:00pm. Free admission.

P.S. Want to see more from this hilarious host? Jay Flewelling’s long-form improv showcase, J Names (all performers whose names start with “J”) is pulling out all the stops at Curious Comedy Theater on December 30^th.

Written by Elysia Scholl