Welcome to Nutshell’s Storyteller Spotlight, where we give you a chance to get to know this month’s storytellers a little more. We asked our four storytellers to answer a few questions about stories and storytelling. September 25’s theme is “The Long Way Home.” It’s true, it’s personal, it’s LIVE, and it’s gonna be a grand journey. Come get lost and found with us.
Meet Ruven Hannah
What kind of storyteller are you? What is your storytelling “style”? What kind do you tell?
I tell narratives that are easy to follow, easy to picture, entertaining as well as moving, sometimes might be surprising, maybe shocking to some, pushing the envelope and told with love and respect. My life events I keep coming back to include coming out as a gay man after years of denial, refusal to join the Israeli army, and getting lost or stranded in the wilderness.
How long have you been telling?
I co-founded Abrakadabra, a clowning puppet theater company, with Barbara Hannah (my wife at the time) in Jerusalem in 1973. I moved the show to London, toured Europe until 1980 and got rave reviews from Time Out. After coming out and moving to SF in 1981, I became a solo performer, continuing to this day. As a solo performer, I told stories influenced by physical theater that were also visual (with large props such as a red ladder, a large red weather balloon, a foot pump and costumes) and featured unique audience participation. In March 2024, I started telling stories (without physical movement, props, or costumes) at The Moth and related venues such as Oakland Story Slam, Conundrum Chronicles, Pretty Good Stories, Simply Said, and a few local storytelling festivals.
What do you do when you’re not storytelling?
Active participant and leader in the Radical Faeries and The Billies (Gay communities in California and Oregon), travel, hike, cook, make videos and now a retired software engineer/corporate trainer.
Does the story you’re telling have a name?
From Jerusalem to San Francisco: A Long Way Home
Tell us a little bit about this story. Why did you choose it for “The Long Way Home”? How are you interpreting the theme?
I struggled for a long time with being gay; along the way were temptations, shame, fear, and bullying. This all happened first in Jerusalem and later on in London, where I ended up leaving everything behind (two children and a puppet theater company I founded with my wife). I moved to Gay Mecca San Francisco, where I found other gay men who had similar experiences and offered support, as well as therapy, friends, playmates, communities and a husband.
Any thoughts on how where we live defines who we are? Is “home” a state of mind? Is life a journey?
Life is definitely a rollercoaster. Where we live supports the kind of life we want, and home is a state of mind and heart.
Do you have a dream adventure? A journey you’d love to take? Why?
I think I'm living my dream at this point.
Who is your storytelling idol and why?
I know he seems to be everyone's idol, and I wish I could be more original, but I like JP Frary’s stories. They are moving and funny and sometimes almost unbelievable, but I believe them.
What’s your best piece of advice for someone who is a beginner and wants to learn how to tell a story?
Consider The Moth, which offers open-mic and topics. Once given a topic, look at your own life and try to find a story you have already lived through and describe it using details. Write longhand and then edit it down and maybe tell it to a friend. Consider joining a storytelling class/workshop.
Why should people come see “The Long Way Home” on September 25?
It's a great topic that can be interpreted in many ways, and I'm going to tell a story that I hope will be moving and funny. The stories I heard at NUTSHELL were inspiring; the Sofia Theatre is a great venue and has one of the best MCs [HI KEITH!] I've encountered recently. The curators find great storytellers, including Ruven Hannah 😁
Thanks, Ruven! If you want to see Ruven tell his Long Way Home story, he’ll be at our show on September 25!
Ruven Hannah
was born in London, grew up in Jerusalem, and came out in Amsterdam. He co-founded a clown-puppet theater in Jerusalem/London, participated in Solo Mio Festival SF, and has written and performed several solo shows. His storytelling has been featured at Simply Said and Pretty Good Stories. He doesn’t really like competitions unless he wins, and he’s since won both a Moth and Conundrum Chronicles StorySlam. Some of his happiest, most worry-free moments are on stage, when his audience laughs, sighs, and sometimes wipes away a tear.
Ruven left two kids and a theater company on another continent to find out who he was. Fifty years later he's telling us about it on a Sacramento stage. Paid subscriptions are how we make sure storytellers get paid for that kind of honesty, and how we keep The Nutshell True Story Hour podcast free for everyone. If these spotlights are your thing, consider joining us. xoxo, Amy
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