Novelist George Dawes Green spent many a sultry summer night in his native Georgia on the porch with friends, telling spellbinding stories as moths fluttered nearby, attracted by the glowing porch light.
Those evenings later inspired Green to host storytelling gatherings in his New York living room, the first of which took place in 1997 and soon spread to larger venues throughout the city. And thus, the Moth was born.
Fast forward 28 years to the State Theatre in New Brunswick on Friday, October 17, 2025 for a Moth Mainstage performance, part of a 16-city fall tour featuring five storytellers sharing their tales inspired by the tour's theme—Daring.
Long-time Moth host and New Jersey native Peter Aguero welcomed the audience warmly with a sharp, funny monologue. As a Rutgers graduate, he included some inside jokes, much appreciated by those in the audience familiar with the university (RU Screw, anyone?), New Brunswick, and New Jersey at-large. He also told us the story of Green and the moths, and suggested that like those moths, we had been drawn to the light of tonight's compelling, personal stories.
"We always hope the stories will speak to the heart of the listener," said co-director Jenifer Hixson. "Stories connect us, open us up, tweak our perspectives. Laughter is medicine and we always aim to make sure there are funny stories, too."
Indeed, the stories we heard on this night did all those things and more.
Like Aguero, the evening's emcee, Hixson, her co-director Larry Rosen, and four of the five storytellers were New Jersey residents.
The first, Sidhu Gangadharan, told of starting out life as a first-generation American in North Jersey whose mother found him part-time work at a gas station in high school. He credited his boss with recognizing and nurturing his work ethic and interpersonal skills; eventually he was promoted to manager. But he was destined for more. These attributes also helped him prove dead wrong the rich, Harvard-educated doctor in a red Porsche who, while waiting for his tank to be filled, dismissively deemed him "not Ivy-league material." When he ended his story with the reveal that he was now Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at a prominent Boston hospital, the audience burst into cheers.
Next up was Arshiya Kapadia, a communications strategist who grew up in India an only child and is now based in New Jersey. At 13 she lost her mother, a vivacious woman and lover of brightly colored lipsticks. Arshiya got angry with God, briefly contemplated suicide, and stayed with her mother's body all night (as was the custom in her culture) as relatives drifted in and out to pay their respects. She wanted to apply lipstick to her mother before they took her away but was not allowed. Today, the purchase of a lipstick can still help her feel connected to her mother (though she prefers more muted shades).
Michaela Murphy, the only non-New Jersey resident, nevertheless told a relatable, very funny story about being a teenager and taking her little brother to Cleveland in 1981 to see baseball's All-Star Game in the wake of their father's death. Once on the plane, they met and trusted a complete stranger to help them get there—and get home. Michaela's animated storytelling brought to life the series of mishaps and mayhem, along with several surprising serendipities, she and her brother experienced. It also brought to a lighthearted close the show's first half.
Photo by Suzanne Pisano
"All Moth Mainstage storytellers work with a director to shape and refine their stories," said Hixson. That care was evident, as each story was cohesive, intimate, and told as though you were one-on-one with the storyteller. The blend of unique voices and polished storytelling is what makes the Mainstage performances so rich and compelling.
After the intermission, Rutgers student and musician Brandon Mejia told a lovely musical story with his saxophone, followed by host Aguero's sweet, funny tale of meeting his wife at a frat party at Rutgers.
Aguero then introduced Anne Abel, an inspiring late-in-life author and influencer. She told of following Bruce Springsteen around Australia during his 2014 High Hopes tour. Her son and daughter-in-law had taken her to her first Bruce concert a couple of years earlier, and she had been transformed (as many of us New Jersey types have). As she was turning 60 and being treated for severe recurrent depression, she made the bold decision to fly halfway across the world and let herself be uplifted by the man and his music. She ultimately won a Moth StorySlam in Chicago with this story, which inspired her latest memoir, High Hopes.
Last but not least was Claudio Mir, a Dominican actor, writer, and musician who suffered the death of his premature son while still in graduate school at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts. He and his wife went on to have another son, whom he doted on daily as a stay-at-home dad. His devotion contrasted starkly with his relationship with his own absentee father, who had left the family when Claudio was little, and whom Claudio rarely saw. Shortly before his death however, he praised Claudio for being a better father than he ever could have been. It was a poignant coda to the evening.
Each storyteller approached the theme of Daring in a different, very personal way. Some were outwardly bold; others summoned internal strength. As co-director Rosen noted, regardless of the theme, "the sharing of any personal story, especially live and on stage, is an act of great courage, and these days is perhaps more important than ever."
There's Daring and then there's Jersey Daring. "We cast this show to include New Jersey residents and New Jersey themes, and threw in Michaela's baseball story for fun," said Hixson.
"Jenifer and I were both raised in New Jersey, so this show felt extra special for us," Rosen added. The fact that there was so much "Jersey" in the show made it extra special for those of us in the audience, too.
The Moth is a nonprofit organization that believes in connecting humanity through the power of personal storytelling. Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented over 65,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth produces 600+ live shows annually, as well as the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour, and popular The Moth Podcast. You can listen to The Moth weekly on over 560 public radio stations and anywhere you find podcasts.
Suzanne Pisano is a Jersey Shore-based writer and editor with a passion for music and the arts. For more visit Suzannepisano.com
