Michigan Public and Wharton Center for Performing Arts Present: The Moth Mainstage

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Public and Wharton Center for Performing Arts will present a live performance of The Moth Mainstage in East Lansing on Friday, November 13, 2026. The Moth Mainstage features a line-up of writers, performers, and other unique national and Michigan storytellers, each with a ten-minute story to tell live.

The theme of this storytelling event is TIGHTROPE. Storytellers will spend the evening sharing extraordinary true stories about what happens when there’s no clear path—only the courage to keep moving forward. Featuring tales of balancing without a net. Trusting your gut. Taking the leap before you know where you'll land. Of big gambles and near misses, quiet acts of bravery and glorious mistakes. Of sending the text, booking the flight, sharing the secret you've carried for years, and watching everything change.

The Moth celebrates the ability of stories to honor both the diversity and commonality of human experience, and to satisfy a vital human need for connection. Hugely popular each week on NPR stations across the country, along with the equally popular Moth podcast, The Moth is a community where entertainment and enlightenment merge. The Moth currently hosts monthly open-mic storytelling competitions (StorySLAMS) in both Ann Arbor and Detroit.

The Mainstage tour is The Moth’s signature live show, featuring a carefully curated lineup of tellers—writers, artists, adventurers, community members, and unexpected voices—sharing true personal stories, told live and without notes. In recent years, this annual show has been held in front of sell-out audiences in Dearborn, East Lansing, Flint, Detroit, and, most recently, Ann Arbor. Don’t miss The Moth’s return to the Wharton Center.

Come spend an evening on the edge. One step can change the whole story.

The Moth Mainstage takes place on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at Wharton Center for Performing Arts, 750 E Shaw Lane, East Lansing, MI.

Public on sale begins on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 10 a.m.

The Moth Radio Hour debuted in 2009 and delights audiences on more than 400 public radio stations nationwide. The Moth Radio Hour can be heard on Michigan Public each Saturday at 12:00 noon and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

                                                                                        ###

About The Moth - The Moth is a global storytelling nonprofit with the mission to inspire people to listen and share openly, think and feel deeply, and expand their understanding of one another. Since 1997, The Moth has presented more than 70,000 true stories—told live and without notes—in 11 countries, across 4 continents. Today, The Moth produces 600+ live shows annually, as well as the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour, and the popular The Moth Podcast. Through workshops for students, educators, adults, advocates, and professionals, The Moth guides thousands of new storytellers each year in finding and sharing their own voices. Learn more at themoth.org.

About Michigan Public - Michigan Public is the state’s most listened-to public radio service. It is a statewide public media organization connecting hundreds of thousands of listeners each week with trusted news, thoughtful conversation and programming that reflects life across Michigan. Michigan Public broadcasts at 91.7 FM in Ann Arbor/Detroit, 104.1 FM in Grand Rapids, 91.1 FM in Flint, 89.7 FM in Lansing and 91.3 FM Port Huron, and is available online at michiganpublic.org. Licensed to the University of Michigan, Michigan Public is based in Ann Arbor