One Race: The Human Race

We believe that personal story breaks down barriers and reveals the commonality of the human experience. We believe that story is the glue that holds us together and sustains us as a community; that story awakens our consciousness and helps us recognize that we are one race: the human race. We believe that each personal narrative is sacred. We do not seek out celebrities to perform in our shows because we believe that everyone has a story to tell. No need to bring the focus on sensational, titillating or embarrassing stories. We encourage people to dig deep to discover the heartfelt humor and emotional truth of their stories.

Everyone has a story to tell.

Be heard. Honor your emotional truth. Discover your story. Discover your self.

Listening builds connection.

Be open. People are transformed by being heard. Listen openheartedly.

Story breaks down barriers.

Be vulnerable. Tell your story. Authentically. Honestly. Sincerely.

We are in a revolution.

Be a part of the change. Story illuminates the universal through the personal. Story awakens our consciousness. Story helps us recognize that we are one race: the human race.

Believe. Act. Transform.

Thank you for being a part of Portland Story Theater’s vision to advance, inspire and expand our community narrative, one story at a time – and in doing so, preserve and promote the ancient art of storytelling in a way that enriches modern life, allowing and encouraging people to be vulnerable and present in ways that are crucial to the full expression of our humanity.

May The Narrative Be With You!®

Urban Tellers® Online

Many of our stories are available on our YouTube channel. Be so kind as to Subscribe, Like, and Comment. Enjoy!

Theater as Community

Our work brings people together to share stories of our mutual human experience. To paraphrase playwright, Tarell Alvin McCraney, “This is theater as community. It is holy theater not because it exalts something on high, but because for the time onstage, the audience and the storyteller are one, and all those people, though each seeing and hearing it slightly differently, are following the same course and going on a journey together.”

These live storytelling experiences have given people an inside look into the heart and soul of our community. Listeners are invited to embark on a shared experience that is a potent blend of vulnerability and heart. It’s an evening of discovery, connection, and honesty woven together in a tapestry of shared experiences.

Portland Story Theater, Christa Morletti McIntyre tells us, “is a different place to be – one that nurtures experience, dignity, and the up-down staircase of being alive. The stories are about the person telling them, but more than that, they’re about the thread that unites us and takes us all to an even ground through the telling. You can read the entire piece: Once upon a time: true stories at Oregon Arts Watch.

Real Life Adventure Stories

These stories are all the more incredible because they really happened. Epic stories of great adventure, perseverance, and courage, created and told by Lawrence Howard and recorded before live audiences.

• Nansen of The North
• Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare
• Polar Opposites
• Shackleton, The Untold Story
• Mawson’s Mettle
• The Essex
• John “Babbacombe” Lee

As of 2025, these recordings are no longer available through Portland Story Theater. The plan is to create a digital download so you can access these online. To keep up to date on this progress, please visit the website of Lawrence Howard. Thank you.