Social distancing can make connecting to the city difficult. Because of the pandemic there aren't not too many indoor public places we can gather in safely.
Nicole Acosta is the marketing director and Megan McGee is the executive director for Ex Fabula. Ex Fabula is where people in Milwaukee, like you, tell personal stories in a mic night setting. It’s where people meet each other and learn more about the people in their own community.
Typically stories are shared on stage or at a bar. For its new fall season, however, Ex Fabula will shift to a virtual stage to keep their audience and staff safe.
In a conversation with 88Nine’s Nate Imig, Acosta and McGee say that they think the intimacy normally found in person will still be shared virtually.
“Normally we’re in bars across the city," Acosta says. "Sometimes people aren’t always comfortable going to bars on the opposite side of the city. And I get that. Though sometimes people don't realize if you step outside of your comfort zone a little bit, in an area you’re not familiar with, you can connect with people regardless and their stories. So I'm hoping that we’ll step outside in a space where connection is yearned for right now."
Acosta and McGee want to change the way people connect with each other -- to use the pandemic as an opportunity to bring together people who were distanced even before COVID-19.
The first event of the season will be Thursday, Sept. 17, and will focus on the theme of love. Acosta and McGee suggest attendees register and purchase tickets before the event begins. Ticket sales close at noon on the day of show.
McGee says this season has made them reconsider every detail of the storytelling event.
"Because of the pandemic, we quickly have to transition into this new normal," McGee says. "Everything in the future is so up in the air right now, we have to reimagine what that looks like."