The Sofia Presents
IN A NUTSHELL: Storytelling Series
other series - IN A NUTSHELL: Storytelling Series - 09/25/2026 at 7:00 pm, 10/16/2026 at 7:00 pm
IN A NUTSHELL: Storytelling Series
If you love The Moth, solo theater, stand-up, or just great storytelling, this is your new favorite night out.
Each performance features four different storytellers sharing carefully curated stories that are memorized, thoughtfully crafted, and performed live. With a new theme every month, no two shows are ever the same, making each evening a fresh and unique experience. It’s the perfect choice for a night out with friends, a memorable date, or even the whole family, depending on the theme. Best of all, attending supports local artists and helps strengthen Sacramento’s vibrant storytelling community.
In a Nutshell is hosted and curated by storytelling comedian Keith Lowell Jensen, book editor Amy Bee, and author Aaron Carnes, three friends who want nothing more than to give humans laughter, insight, and the full spectrum of emotion from the absolute best live storytellers in the universe — that’s all. Come and get what you need, human! You deserve to connect, reflect, and celebrate the power of live storytelling. You are welcome here!
2026 STORYTELLING THEMES:
SEP: "THE LONG WAY HOME"OCT: "DARK HEARTS"
SEPTEMBER FEATURED STORYTELLERS: "THE LONG WAY HOME"
We have an excellent night of storytelling in store for you on September 25: THE LONG WAY HOME. Four storytellers will regale us with their tales of great journeys, the side trails, the wandering paths that take us off course or point us in the direction we didn’t even know we needed to go. We’re all a little like Dorothy and her little dog Toto sometimes, aren’t we? Lost until we’re found. Finding ourselves along the way. We all can commiserate with E.T. at one point or another, feeling like an M&M-eating alien and hiding from Drew Barrymore, right?Sometimes the most important journeys are the ones that choose you, taking years before you understand where they were leading. And sometimes we’re just literally lost, and the wifi’s not working, and the maps app keeps telling us to drive into a brick wall, and we need to get home to pay the babysitter and sleep off the Jello shots and the bad date from earlier (who we kissed anyway) and CAN WE JUST GO HOME PUH-LEASE??!! But no, life has other plans, alas.
Kathleen Taylor
Kathleen Taylor is a writer, educator, and storyteller. Trained as a social-cultural psychologist, she believes that art disrupts complacency and that true human inclusion kicks cynicism to the curb. A triple Moth Story Slam winner, Kathleen is easily found on various Bay Area stages.Her story: Sometimes the search for place can take you across oceans and onto the footpaths of the world’s most famous religious pilgrimages. What will Kathleen find as she leaves comfort behind to traverse the Camino de Santiago in Spain?
Ruven Hannah
Ruven Hannah was born in London, grew up in Jerusalem, and came out in Amsterdam. He co-founded a clown-puppet theater in Jerusalem/London, participated in Solo Mio Festival SF, and has written and performed several solo shows. His storytelling has been featured at Simply Said and Pretty Good Stories. He doesn’t really like competitions unless he wins, and he’s since won both a Moth and Conundrum Chronicles StorySlam. Some of his happiest, most worry-free moments are on stage, when his audience laughs, sighs, and sometimes wipes away a tear.His story: After a childhood “was-it-or-wasn’t-it-sexual?” experience came years of denial of Ruven’s gayness until an American woman ever-adorned in beautiful dresses appeared and everything changed, leading to an escape from Europe and finding home in the Gay Mecca: San Francisco.
Maryam Moosavi
Maryam Moosavi got her start 7 years ago in Sacramento, where she produced shows like Living Room Live and Comedy in the Park. Today, she is a regular at Laughs Unlimited and Punchline and performs all over the Bay. She works a grocery store job by day and pursues comedy at night, and her immigrant parents are very proud of her.Her story: In a classic Dude, Where’s My Car? scenario, Maryam finds herself stranded in San Francisco, leading to a long night that almost ends a friendship. Thankfully, the night has a happy ending, and she even learned a little life hack! Will she share it with you? Better come find out!
Linda Atousa Salimi
Linda Atousa Salimi describes herself as a servant-based leader and the villager who does what needs to be done to create the village. She relates mostly to other “third culture kids,” generally to those who have fully lived in another country. During the day, she works in Workforce Policy, and at night she turns into an improv teacher and a professional development trainer/corporate trainer.Her story: Linda escapes a war-torn country as a child in the ’80s.
Photography credit: Elle Jaye
Please Note: On the day of the show, ticket prices increase to $30 (+$10 fee). Buy your tickets early to save!
Doors open 1 hour prior to showtime. This show is Ages 18+
Read about our Health & Safety protocols HERE