As part of its annual Writers Week, Los Altos High School is welcoming San Francisco storytelling group Porchlight to take the stage tomorrow on Wednesday, March 13. Porchlight will host seniors Kanishk Kondaka, Akintunde Mabogunje and Macy Watson, junior Malina Pedraza and sophomore Aaron Zhu.
Porchlight aims to give all individuals, from professional performers to audience members, a chance to share their stories. It performs at various venues, one of its latest being San Francisco’s 21st Sketchfest Comedy Festival last January. Themed “travel stories” featuring both prepared and spontaneous tales, librarian Gordon Jack attended the show.
“It’s basically just life stories told on stage without notes — like a TED Talk, but a little less formal,” Jack said.
Historically, LAHS Writers Week has brought writers to talk about their work and their writing process to students, including notable literary names such as “The Martian” writer Andy Weir and Lemony Snicket, the pseudonymous author behind the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” books. However, Writers Week coordinators found that students were more engaged with theatrical experiences than book readings. That’s why, for the past few years, they have been organizing more performances for students to enjoy.
“[Writers Week coordinators] invited Porchlight to come and do an evening of storytelling with LAHS, hosting performances both by LAHS students and Porchlight’s own professional troupe,” Jack said.
The theme for the evening will be “One Giant Leap.” To Aaron, this theme means “making a lot of progress in a short amount of time.” He hopes to inspire people who share similar life experiences as him by telling his story of progress and change. Aaron recalled telling the story to his friends, who encouraged him to tell it on stage.
“I know [my story] really well because I experienced it and I want to tell it to others who are willing to listen,” Aaron said.
Meanwhile, for Akintunde, the theme allows him to envision “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that demand significant effort,” such as attending boarding school in Nigeria for middle school, expressing his feelings to a crush or starting a Screenwriting and Animation club.
To prepare for the event, Akintunde is collecting inspiration from other Porchlight performances, using his theater background to rehearse and even watching comedians in order to develop his storytelling skills.
“I love all things related to storytelling,” Akintunde said. “I believe there’s a story in everything — be it games, music, art or films. I wanted to challenge myself by sharing a story from my life and delving into genuine experiences.”
Jack encourages students to attend the event, as the stories will all have very different themes and meanings ranging from lighthearted comedy to devastating tragedy. Each person’s story will be different and unpredictable, promising students a riveting performance.
“You get all these all these different glimpses into people’s lives,” Jack said. “I think it’s going to be very entertaining and very enlightening.”
Porchlight will perform tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Eagle Theater. It is free to LAHS students and no prior registration is required.
