Carapace Atlanta

Come out of your shell!

A place for story connoisseurs…

Carapace is a monthly event of true personal stories at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta, every fourth Tuesday of the month (except December). While the show begins at 7p, we encourage people to get there early to meet their neighbors and enjoy a meal before the mic goes live.

Raconteurs + Rapt Audience
= Really Good Time!

Every fourth Tuesday of the month, ordinary raconteurs tell true, personal, five-minute (or so) stories on a pre-selected theme. Topics have included, for example, "Scars," and "Feuds & Rivalries."

Our hilarious host, Cris Gray, guides us through.

Names are drawn from a hat. No one is required to tell a story; attendees can just listen. It's free.

Learn More

Next Month’s Theme:

Arrested Development

Tuesday, April 23, 7p, Manuel’s Tavern

They say we stop maturing at the age of our deepest wound. Certainly, there are people you meet along the way for whom it becomes apparent that high school was either the best of times or the worst of times, and somehow they still live there in their minds. Have you ever been the victim of one of these people? Perhaps one of these people takes up residence inside your own psyche from time to time.

Of course, an "arresting" experience can mean all sorts of things. Did you have a brush with the all-too-heavy hand of the law? Did you get stopped in your tracks? Maybe you found yourself quite literally stuck--in traffic, in quicksand, in a pit of despair.

Whatever apprehension you may have had, we invite you to make your confession on our stage. As always, the fourth Tuesday of the month, and this time that means, Tuesday, April 26, at 7p, at Manuel's Tavern, where you're bound to get a great meal from friendly staff--no gruel or guards around here. If you're not interested in telling a story, we welcome witnesses and story accomplices alike!

Don’t find yourself drawing up short…
*no notes (even and especially on your cellphone)
*no political rants
*no stand-up comedy routines
This is OG storytelling, like folks used to do around the fire at night.

*FREE* STORY COACHING: We tend to be at Manuel’s by 6p on the night of the show. If you’d like a little coaching as you prepare to get up on that mic, please feel free to arrive in the hour before to talk through your story’s points for some potential ideas or help with shaping it.

VOLUNTEERS: We always need volunteers to make our events run smoother. Roles include:
*greet people at the door and encourage sign-ups
*keep up the tradition with the wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff
*be our personal paparazzi! (take photos)
Please let us know if you’d like to volunteer!

STORYTELLING TIPS: Don’t get lost in the facts of your own story. We often joke that your story doesn’t have to be factual, it just has to be true. Don’t go meandering about in telling a story exactly as it happened, point by point. Getting every single detail in there may feel important to you, but you can lose an audience with too many details that don’t really support the greater narrative (or keep you within time limits. Find the important details that serve and drive your story forward.