MANILA, PHILIPPINES — What’s Your Story Slam (WYSS), the live storytelling competition will have its Philippine debut on August 08, 8 pm to 10 pm, at Commune in Makati following its successful run of sold-out shows in Singapore.
WYSS will put the talent of Filipino storytelling in the spotlight and give a renewed appreciation for personal experiences worth sharing, both big and small.
WYSS’s Founder Anna Ong said this is the first time she’s bringing the event outside of its home and as people with a deep-seated love of kwento, the Philippine leg of WYSS is a long time coming.
“Our goal is to encourage people to share their story and build a sense of community where everyone is seen and heard. As my homecoming and its first international pop-up, we invite audiences to celebrate the diversity and richness of human experiences,” she said.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Anna spent a big part of her career in banking and finance until she decided to set an adventure to South America in 2016. While in San Francisco, she found herself up on stage and discovered her passion for storytelling. From there, she built WYSS in Singapore to help people gain confidence in communication and fleshing out stories from seed to stage.
Featuring eight true tales told live, the WYSS promises to take its audience through a unique immersion into a world of performative storytelling. Each storyteller will have five minutes on stage to share their stories with no gimmicks, no frills, just them and the microphone.
One previous attendee of the contest, Saahil Sethi, shared his thoughts on the show. He said, “Anna’s ‘What’s Your Story Slam’ is one of the best storytelling competitions and shows I have ever attended. WYSS gives a chance to anyone to share their personal stories with the best coaching from Anna.”
At its core, WYSS brings together the everyday person and the lover of narratives. As an improv actor, dancer, and storyteller herself, Anna personally vets and coaches each storyteller. She wants to set them up for success as they share their tale. At the end of the show, the audience will vote for three of their favorites, and one storyteller will emerge as the winner. Some WYSS winners include Kathryn Tinker, Melissa Yambao, and Vanessa Raymundo.
Tickets are priced at PHP 1444 via Eventbrite. To sign up as a storyteller, click here.
