Collage image contains; small dog with a party hat, with a layer cake with a lit candle, on top of the earth with an astronaut holding star balloons in the background.

Birthday Bash 2027

the annual party celebrating & supporting 2nd Story

April 10, 2027
Doors @ 7 pm || Stories @ 8 pm

2nd Story's 28th season, On Purpose, is an exploration of what it means to live with intention — the communities we build, the choices we make, the moments we choose to stand up. Through live personal storytelling performances in Chicago, we invite you to examine your own life in a threshold time like this one. Check back closer to the date to learn more about the stories on tap for this evening, but while you’re here, go ahead and check out the artists working on this show and reserve your seat!

Learn more about everything from buying tickets to accessibility from our Frequently Asked Performance Questions.

Curators are 2nd Story pros who use their experience and craft to help guide the storytellers through the experience of writing and revising their stories. Check back for words from this performance’s curator about what you’ll hear and see at the show.

White woman with curly shoulder length blonde hair, wearing denim jacket and smiling to camera.

Julie Ganey

Company Member

Puerto Rican man with dark short hair, mustache, smiling to camera.

Vince
Pagán-Hill

Company Member

White woman with shoulder length blonde hair, wearing a black shirt.

Courtney
Kotloski

Returning Collaborator
& 2nd Story Founder

Coming
Soon!

Coming
Soon!

White woman with curly shoulder length blonde hair, wearing denim jacket and smiling to camera.

Curator

Julie
Ganey

Company Member

Director

Coming
Soon!

Musician

Coming
Soon!

Sound Engineer

Coming
Soon!

Brown man wearing a pink t-shirt looks at the camera. His hair is long on top and dyed blonde while the sides are short and dark. Behind him are framed paintings of flowers on stands.

Zoom Tech

Shain Papalotl
Longbehn

Returning Collaborator

Producer

Ali
Drumm

Company Member
since 2018