Making Hay is the theme for the next night of storytelling and improvisation from local group Moth and Butterfly.

This will take place on Monday, August 18, at Rouge Restaurant on the city’s Dominick Street, starting at 7.30pm, with doors at 7pm.

The event will be hosted by the Moth & Butterfly ensemble and special guests, and will feature both storytelling and improvisation.

There will be three types of storytelling.

‘Moth’ style stories are short, true, thematic, and feature the teller as the central character. A homage to the wonderful ‘Moth’ storytelling tradition, stories can run to about eight or nine minutes but shorter is fine. Much more interesting than jokes or a yarn, the ideal story is about something that’s had an impact on the teller. It can be funny but doesn’t need to be.

Improvised stories are created fresh on the spot and no two are the same.

The Moth and Butterfly crew have different improvisational formats including: ‘Stories From The Hat’ (where the audience picks an object for the story) and ‘Found In Translation’ (where storytellers improvise and translate bilingually).

Free-fall stories are all other stories that still fit the theme of the evening. These can be a true story about someone else or a piece of fiction, either a folk tale or a tall tale.

The Moth and Butterfly night is for oral storytelling, so no reading or notes are allowed. The event is for tellers and listeners, and there is no expectation on anyone to tell a story.

Galway’s Moth and Butterfly group was founded by storyteller, writer and performer Órla Mc Govern and its creative crew consists of professional performers, writers and storytellers, who are often joined by guest artists. The inspiration for its founding was the transformational nature of improvisation (Butterfly), along with many ‘true tale’ traditions from around the world, especially the Moth storytelling tradition.

Órla thought that combining the two would make for a very special night and the format has proven to be a hit with local audiences and visitors to Galway.

Tickets for Making Hay on Monday, August 18, are available at www.mothandbutterflystories.com, via the Eventbrite link there and cost €15. . The event is for 18+.

Pictured: Orla Mc Govern