Weight Of Words’ Puts Spotlight On Stories: Seven Cape Residents To Tell Their Tales At Benefit

Everyone has a story to tell. Some are more compelling than others.

 In “Spotlight Stories: The Weight of Words,” six people will share the story of how they came to do exactly what they were meant to do. The Oct. 2 event at the Chatham Orpheum Theater is a benefit for the Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival in Chatham.

 Organizer Kim Roderiques said she chose the participants based on their diverse backgrounds and “unique and fascinating life stories.”

 “I am obsessed with the art of storytelling,” she wrote in an email. “In my opinion, hearing stories of others — the lives they have created, the way their lives have pivoted from a particular event — is not only inspiring, it’s one of the best forms of education.”

 Speakers scheduled to appear include Bernard Cornwell, Michelle Linn, Sharon Martin, Adam Spencer, Amanda Bragton-Tipton, Jeni Wheeler, and Shakespeare Festival co-founder Alan Rust, who will host.

 Each of the six speakers will give 10-minute presentations, similar to a TED Talk, revealing “with absolute vulnerability” how they came to be where they are. After everyone has spoken there will be a Q&A with all the speakers.

 Cornwell is best known as the author of more than 50 historical novels, including the Richard Sharpe and Last Kingdom series, both of which were made into television series. A longtime Chatham resident, he has been awarded the Order of the British Empire and has acted at the Monomoy Theatre and in the Shakespeare festival.

 Adam Spencer is an award-winning ballroom dancer and instructor originally from London who took a chance by coming to work at Studio 878 in Chatham. He began a nonprofit organization, Chance to Dance, that helps young people pay the cost of ballroom dancing lessons.

 Jeni Wheeler is co-founder and executive director of the Family Table Collaborative, which was founded in 2020 as a rapid response to COVID but continues today to help distribute meals to those in need. She came to the Cape after suffering significant injuries in an accident and developed a love for the region.

 Amanda Braga-Tipton, a former U.S. Army chaplain, began a nonprofit called Josh’s Boots to honor her brother Josh and all those who serve in the armed forces.

 Michaelle Linn runs a public relations firm specializing in biotech. She serves on the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking, and will be featured on the PBS program “Stories from the Stage.”

 Sharon Martin is a retired fashion and interior designer with a deep love of design, travel and artistry and interest in other cultures and global influences. She morphed into a costume designer after being asked to create a costume for Ariel in the Shakespeare Festival’s production of “The Tempest” last year. This year, she created an outrageous costume for Petruchio in the festival’s production of “The Taming of the Shrew.”

 Shakespeare Festival co-founder Alan Rust was the longtime director of the Monomoy Theatre and will tell the story of how he came to Chatham and how that connection changed his life.

“It should be fascinating,” Rust said of the event, “because it’s a rather diverse group of people.”

 Roderiques said she chose the nonprofit Shakespeare Festival as beneficiary for the event because of its accessible and immersive productions directed at all ages. 

 “Learning Shakespeare isn’t just about reading old plays,” she said. “It’s about sharpening our language, understanding humanity and connecting with a cultural legacy that continues to inspire art, film and literature today.”

 The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available at chathamorpheum.org.