Hamilton, Ohio – The title refers to his uncle’s speech pattern, not a political ad or session of Congress.
When Paul Strickland brings his one-man story-telling show 90 Lies an Hour to the Fitton Center Friday, Nov. 12, he’ll be channeling Uncle False, one of the leading citizens of Big Fib Trailer Park Cul-de-sac. (Ain’t True is likely to chime in from time to time as well.)
“I’ve sometimes had my stories called new-fangled fables,” Strickland said. “Hopefully anyone on either side of any political aisle will be able to relate to these stories. That’s the goal. To share some stories that have a moral and that shine a light on some of the common ground we all share.”
Lies help Strickland – and by extension, his audience - arrive at the truth.
“I think of myself as a fictionalist,” he said. “Not all of my work is tall tales. However, I often say all of my stories are in fact not factual, but all of my stories are in fact true.”
In other words, get ready for some verbal gymnastics. As well as some of the people and happenings within the world of Big Fib.
“We play with real human stories within these fake, fabricated, contrived cultures,” Strickland said. “I hope (listeners) have a good time playing with the lack of factualness. It’s in that lack of factualness that a lot of the comedy comes from.”
Strickland has worked as a musician in Nashville and toured the country as a professional standup comic. He has written scripts with companies like Cincinnati’s Madcap Puppets and done musical arrangements and accompaniment at the Know Theatre in Over-the-Rhine.
“Kind of like all people who are storytellers for a living, I kind of stumbled into it,” he said. “At the end of the day, everything ended up being more about narrative and more about story for me. The art form that is storytelling is what spoke to me.
“It’s a very different process than a traditional theater show. I consider myself kind of a verbal collage artist. Unlike writing a script and memorizing a script, all of my stories evolve over time. It’s a little different every time I perform with every different audience
“The longer I do this, the better I get at it. Four of the five stories I’m likely to tell as part of 90 Lies an Hour are part of my DNA now. They are part of me. I’m looking forward to giving them to you.”
Who: Paul Strickland What: Fitton Show Stoppers – 90 Lies an Hour When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 Where: Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton, Ohio 45011 How: Tickets $32 for Fitton Center members, $39 general public; available online here, in person at the box office or by phone at 513-863-8873, ext. 110
The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.
Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture
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