Check Out Our Amazing Storytellers at In a Nutshell Storytelling
From famous storytellers to infamous comedians, we've had the best people grace our stage! At In a Nutshell Storytelling, we bring together the finest storytellers and comedians for unforgettable performances. Whether you're drawn to heartfelt narratives or side-splitting comedy, IAN offers something truly unique. Join us and experience the magic of storytelling at The Sofia Theatre, a warm and welcoming atmosphere. In a Nutshell Storytelling is the premier destination for live storytelling and comedic talent.
JP Frary designs and builds furniture and sculptures, creating beautiful things from recycled materials. His stories can be heard in lumber yards and hardware stores throughout the Bay Area, as well as on KQED. He has won The Moth many, many times.
Kiry Shabazz is a comedian as seen on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, Bill Burr's The Ringers, Epix Unprotected Sets 2, JFL New Faces and Don't Tell Comedy (now on Hulu!)
Award-winning comedic storyteller since 2012, Kay brings her brand of Minnesota humor to the stage, don’t cha’ know. San Francisco’s KPIX TV featured her on Evening Magazine, and since then, it has been Game On. From NPR to Twitter, she has poked fun at herself, blending humor and true stories to create Top Tier Entertainment. With deep roots in Improv and Stand-Up, she thrives on laughter as the antidote to life’s challenges.
The "Hillbilly in the Bay" is a comedian and storyteller based in Oakland, California. He is an 8-time Moth Story Slam winner, Bay Area Moth GrandSLAM winner, and has appeared on the nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour. He’s currently working on a show about growing up in the rural mountain town of Hazard, Kentucky, which was rated “the least happy town in America” in 2008 by the esteemed Dr. Oz TV show. He promises this show is funny and not as sad as Hazard.
Lucie is a product designer and storyteller. She was featured on the Moth Podcast with a story that had won the evening at a Moth StorySLAM in Berkeley in February 2020. More recently, she was the winning storyteller at the Conundrum Chronicles at the Marsh in San Francisco in November 2024. Originally from France, Lucie lives in Berkeley with her husband and a deliberate absence of pets.
Kate Willett is a comedian, actress and writer who has appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Netflix’s Comedy Lineup. She’s the author of the Audible Original “Dirtbag Anthropology.” She’s the cohost of the political comedy podcast Reply Guys and has written jokes for your favorite boys, Beavis and Butthead.
NPR award-winning storyteller Don Reed (HBO, Snap Judgment, East 14th) is a multi-hyphenate, comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, solo performer described as a "solo show powerhouse" and a comedic molotov-cocktail of storytelling, characters, sound-fx, impersonations and improvisation. He is the Host & Creator of REDWOOD NIGHTS: Storytelling Under the Stars/ The Never Too Late Show/East 14th/Comedian/One Man Shows.
Johnny Taylor, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster from Sacramento, California. Taylor has released two comedy albums and a charity single on Stand Up! Records. His debut, 2014's Tangled Up in Plaid, reached No. 7 on the iTunes comedy chart.
Diana Medina is a proud Mexican-American writer, poet, performer, and educator from Los Angeles. In her day job, she is Managing Director of Programs for the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Leandro. She is also a Storyteller in Residence at Capital Storytelling, where she helps bring the practice of oral storytelling to immigrant communities. Her work and stories have been featured in The Moth, Modern Latina Magazine, The Risk Podcast, First Person Story, Redwood Nights, and more. She lives in Oakland, CA, with her Chihuahua, Kika, and is working on her third book, set for release in late 2025.
Amy Bee writes short-form memoir and has been published in places like New Ohio Review, Ozy, Atticus, Heartwood, Salon, and other cool places. Her work has been loosely collected into an almost-memoir called The Wilderness Years on Substack. She has also been a book editor since 2018 and loves helping others tell their stories. Amy is the co-creator of In a Nutshell Storytelling in Sacramento and has secretly always wanted to tell her stories out loud to an audience. She also wants you to know that she’s failed at hiking the Pacific Crest Trail three times.
Turner is American, his wife Ye is Chinese and his parents are nuts. That pretty much covers it. His latest stand-up comedy album “Double Happiness”, released in 2022 by Larry The Cable Guy’s “Git R Done Records”, went to #1 in America and is currently in heavy rotation on Sirius XM’s comedy channels. Sparks is the host of the popular "black and white advice" podcast, which is available on youtube, itunes, spotify and wherever else you get podcasts
Storytelling comedian Keith Lowell Jensen has performed all over the world, including headlining the First International China Comedy Festival in Shanghai. He has recorded 8 comedy specials, including his latest, Not For Rehire. He's also published three books with a fourth on the way.
Regina is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, writer, and co-producer of the online storytelling platform Six Feet Apart Productions. Her stories have been heard on the Risk! Podcast, The Moth Grand Slam stage, NPR’s Story Borealis, Unreeling Stories, and the Women's Storytelling Festival. Regina uses storytelling as her weapon of choice to help tackle diversity, adversity, and suburban chaos.
Marga is the writer/performer of 15 solo plays produced worldwide. Her latest, Spanish Stew, premieres in October at The New Conservatory Theater, SF. In July, Marga performs the roles Lily Tomlin made famous in Jane Wagner's The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life at the Aurora Theater, Berkeley. Marga has appeared on Comedy Central, LOGO, and HBO’s Comic Relief (at the invitation of Robin Williams, who called her “a Lesbian Lenny Bruce").
Maryam got her start 7 years ago in Sacramento, where she produced shows like Living Room Live and Comedy in the Park. Today, she is a regular at Laughs Unlimited and Punchline and performs all over the Bay. She maintains a grocery store job while pursuing comedy at night, and her immigrant parents are very proud of her.
