Review: The Moth StorySLAM Delivers Unforgettable Tales at Southbank Centre

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Bulletproof storytelling on the Southbank

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The Moth Radio Hour has gloriously grown in success from its 2009 iteration and is now well known for its incredibly engaging Moth Podcast and epic live shows. The Moth’s GrandSLAM Championship at Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre brought together ten regional show winners to compete in a themed show, the mission of which was a story about great escapes, in terms of the hindsight of missing a bullet.

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Hosted comedically by the riotous Sara Barron, the night was filled with hilarious musings, supported by the intense musical talent of Kit Massey, layering the show with atmospheric violin performances and handy timekeeping. The evening balanced a spectrum of humour, heartbreak, vulnerability and triumph. Every storyteller brought something raw, distinct and memorable, showing why The Moth has become such a phenomenon in live storytelling.

Each of the ten 'tellers' had their individual opportunity to perform on the theme, with bold and lively accounts set to 5 minutes, with the off stage judges in charge of the outcome.

Aween Abubaker told a moving story about the impact of the two bicycles which she's valued in her life. Describing the first bike as belonging to her brother, which lived on the abandoned roof of her home, her strict culture meant that women riding bicycles was severely frowned upon. She learned how to ride the bicycle, via very determined self learning. Aween's family were only able to be as bold as to allow her to ride the bicycle on the street directly outside her home, limited to cycling from one end of the street to the other. However, a sour neighbour in their 70s always looked at her with disapproval and instilled a level of shame, which she reflectively recognised she should never have had to endure. Even the short journey was a victory, but painfully short lived. The freedom was limited as the rules in the society became stricter and she was not allowed to continue to ride the bicycle due to the dissatisfaction of the neighbours.

Fast forward to her adult life in a liberal country, a second and much freer bicycle came into her life. This second bicycle allowed the expression the joy, of being allowed to cross the sacred end of the street and the relief that no watchful eyes looked upon her with disapproval. It would be eight more years until a feeling of greater freedom, chanelling the carefree spirit of the bicycle could reign true for her.

Full of heart, Aween is the type of storyteller who gives a masterclass in building personal history, via emotive writing and thoroughly engaging delivery. Aween Abubaker is a Kurdish multidisciplinary thinker, educated in engineering, whose work has spanned five countries as an engineer, computational designer, and digital innovator. She is also a writer and storyteller drawn to narratives that question dominant logic. Passionate about movement, she creates safe spaces for young girl refugees to dance, explore, and feel fully themselves. As an immigrant herself, she thrives at the intersections of identity, creativity, engineering, and impact, embracing complexity while resisting simple labels.

Avi Azouz explored the corporate toxic work environment, whilst drowning in unmeasured overtime hours, with internal consequences of jeopardising his personal relationships and the heavy strain of the lack of appreciation weighing suffocatingly, when pouring his soul into the business. His story marked the victory of drawing a line under the exhaustion and ensuring he worked in future within boundaries. Avi Azouz is a creative director, writer, comedian, filmmaker, and storyteller who has lived all over the world. As a half-Canadian Jewish triplet from Texas and black sheep of his family, he gathers inspiration from many sources. He has participated in Moth StorySLAM events in New York City, Sydney, London, and Miami, where he shares tales of his adventures, big and small.

Ga Lok Chung told his story of a University challenge hitchhike task from Oxford to Morocco, with a side mission to impress a girl. The expedition rules stated that participants were allowed to buy ferry tickets, but otherwise only rely on the kindness of strangers to journey from the UK via France, Europe hopping to Morocco. Ga explained his experience of the myriad of emotions around fragile masculinity, high anxiety, plain fear and overcoming this. Ga wove the theme of near misses throughout his tale, by definitely dodging a bullet in terms of the potential romantic relationship, whilst highlighting the annoying truth yet victory of being the only student group to achieve the mission truthfully without flying.

During the week, Ga Lok Chung helps organisations design innovative new learning environments to support their future workforce strategy. At the weekends, he volunteers as a counsellor for young people. Ga is a keen runner and has completed the London Marathon twice in the last 5 years.

Rhian Cowburn is fascinated by ghosts and poltergeists and went as far as to move into a haunted house during her career in fashion. She moved into a house of horrors, going beyond sheer creepy. The house contained more secrets and terror, than is justifiable. An excellent segment about being locked in the porch revealed further secrets and her meandering description around being trapped felt very distinct and visceral. Rhian’s story was epic, easily in my top two.

Rhian Cowburn owns a reformer Pilates studio, fosters and adopts senior dogs, and has a questionable fondness for extreme endurance challenges. From breaking a battle ropes world record to completing 12 straight hours of burpees, she’s drawn to the long haul, whether that means caring for aging pups or testing her own limits. She believes that strength and resilience show up in many forms.

Ruby Curran's story was my personal favourite for her unique tale and lean-in energy. Rhian decided to ‘break up’ with her full-time job, go freelance and switch careers to a person of leisure who walks in nature with her dog. Her acute inspection of the behaviour of birds, namely crows, was exquisite. We learned that crows can recognise their enemies, have the mental capacity of a seven-year-old and are smart enough to be worthy of their ominous pack name ‘a murder of crows’.

Ruby created the image of an adult Gothic Snow White Disney princess, further describing herself as 'the kind of witch you fear from a Hitchcock movie'. An additional joy was the appearance of her giant stick, which was a precious 'gift' from the crows, to thank their snack goddess for her endless generosity. Ruby Curran is a freelance writer, creative director, and voiceover artist. She writes with The Imposter Poets collective and was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize in 2023. As a teenager, Ruby spent a lot of time in Waterstones reading and inserting sheets of edible rice paper into the books. She would then rip the ‘pages’ out, stuff them in her mouth, and eat them in front of quietly horrified shoppers, mainly to see if anyone would try to stop her. The ex-chaotic-neutral now uses her powers for good. Usually.

Priscilla Leigh told the story of her very personal value system, her religion and self consciousness. Priscilla enjoys the deeper questions, to work out what really matters for her. Her story drew a huge reaction from the audience, who welcomed her honesty and ethics with awe. Priscilla Leigh is an audiologist with an unhealthy fascination for ears and the extraordinary things they reveal about us. She works with technical leaders to turn complex ideas into language we can all understand. She believes the ear might be our most underestimated leadership and communication tool, and discusses its marvels and mysteries on her podcast, Earvangelism.

Flemming Poulsen regalled his wondrous story of a time when he choose to unusually tell an untruth, but pretty immediately got in well over his head; with both the ethical situation and his moral compass. His delivery was invitingly engaging, his charm both energising and crystal clear. Flemming left an impression of celebrating one’s creativity and leading with adventure. A high point of the show, Flemming's tale was genuinely a true joy. Born in the countryside in Denmark, Flemming Poulsen was raised on a diet of potatoes and stories, vicar for many years, author of four books on faith and meaning, storyteller, fiddle player, father of three, and husband of one.

Simon Treadwell told his reflective story of an experience at 17, which shaped his future Simon reminded the audience that the grass is not always greener. In youth his personal and home life situations were not appreciated, but when away from home, space and time helped to build respect for his lot, whilst on a tricky German exchange for six months. Life was turned on its head with a creeping sense of despair of the dire situation of living with a guest family of unusual measure.

The language barrier and a horrible job washing dishes did nothing to help. Simon Treadwell is a secondary school languages teacher in inner London. When he's not telling stories or desperately trying to make teenagers enjoy French and German, he enjoys running, writing in his journal, going on hikes with his wife Jas, and obsessively compiling music playlists for workouts and relaxation, with titles such as 'Simie's gym jams' and 'in glorious bathtubs’.

Jessica Van der Veen performed her story about an opportunity to substitute for a teacher at the Canadian Actor Studio. She thrived in guiding her students in intimacy, intensity, chemistry and conflict, all resulting in an intoxicating and intense workplace. Her jealous coworkers made her feel small and inadequate. Her story took a turn, to talk of one glorious stranger who saw her truly, with enough grace to give her back her power and help her on her realised lucky streak to be shown that her talent is not to be hidden.

With her head held high, Jessica's career flourished. Actor, Director, and writer, Jessica Van der Veen teaches acting at the Canadian College for Performing Arts. She auditions for interfering mother-in-laws, and divides her time between London and the West Coast of Canada. Activism and protecting public school lands from sell-off led to candidacy in two provincial elections, but she was very fortunate to lose both of them.

Sally Wheatley enthusiastically regaled a story of worry and mistake, creating an huge spectacle on a beach holiday, Sally has the skill of likeability, engagingly drawing an audience in her musings. Sally Wheatley enjoys the adrenaline rush of sitting at the front of very fast rollercoasters, going upside down on the fastest zip wire in the world, and doing a Moth story! She takes huge delight in playing with her grandchildren, going to the theatre, and drinking wine.

The Moth is rich in its masterful in-event community building and their amplification of relatable stories, with a touch of the extraordinary to enhance human connection. This show is an antedote to modern discontent, even for a suspended moment. The beauty of The Moth GrandSLAM is that it transforms ordinary experiences into something extraordinary.

Every storyteller left the audience reflecting on their own experiences, reminded of moments of fear, courage, identity, resilience and humour. The 750 strong crowd at the Southbank Centre created an atmosphere which was electric throughout, with the audience reaction showing just how deeply these stories resonate. The Moth GrandSLAM is a truly unforgettable, joyous and utterly mesmeri

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Review-THE-MOTH-STORYSLAM-Southbank-Centre-20260512)._