from roanoke.com - October 15, 2004

It has been a year since No Shame began, October 17, 2003.

The most amazing thing about this No Shame is the diversity. Our No Shame here is probably the most diverse No Shame of any I've ever been involved with. We have such tremendous range of age, gender, race, political view, religion, talent, skill, experience, stylistic approach and celebrity I've ever seen on one stage.

No Shame is a fantastic cross section of our community where nearly every sub-culture and viewpoint is represented. We've seen 8-year-olds sharing the stage with 79 year olds, professionally produced playwrights and famous Hollywood professionals like Hal Ackerman working side by side with first-time local writers. We've had Professional stage actors from Mill Mountain mainstage shows in the same scene with people who have never before held a script.

Poets, political commentary, and goth kids have done magical illusions. Local musicians have tried out new material and all the artists involved at No Shame have expanded their creative range, technical skill, and their audience base.

No Shame is the only venue I know of where the Audience, Writers, and Performers are constantly changing roles in the same evening. Everyone is welcome, and anything can happen. What's not to love?

I'm getting teary eyed....I love you all, man!

Now buy a ticket for Best of No Shame.

If you weren't watching last Friday night, here's what you missed:

Slam poetry legend Simon Adkins tried his hand at stand-up comedy.

Archie Levine ranted about religion and politics.

Newcomer Martha Wade got thunderous applause after reading her original poem.

Truck driver Chad Snyder, a regular audience member, braved the stage for the first time to deliver a moving poem about preventing a friend's suicide.

An outrageous R-rated scene between a couple whose political affiliations are revealed in bed. Howls of laughter erupted when the Democrat said she could be "bipartisan" in order to keep the Republican's interest from wilting.

Sam Fochtman's songs and guitar accompaniments have quickly become a Friday favorite and he didn't disappoint.

Laura Tuggle Anderson spun a tale of her pit bull's encounter with a German Shepard and some neighborhood street urchins who had just set a lobster on fire in the street.

I read a piece about Chicago gang life from my days of touring with a theater company that only performed in prisons.

The night ended with Katie Mitchell's poem about being homesick for Roanoke - and she drove all the way from New York City to perform it!

- Todd Ristau is an actor, director, West End playwright and inventor of No Shame. He teaches theater at Mary Baldwin College and organizes No Shame each week for Mill Mountain Theatre.

How to get involved

No Shame Theatre appears every Friday night at 11 on MMT's Waldron Stage, #20 Church Avenue. Pieces are accepted at 10 p.m. Admission is $5 for all participants, including the audience. Fair warning: No Shame sometimes contains adult themes and language, but NO nudity. For details visit www.noshame.org and click on Roanoke.

At No Shame, we get all kinds, old and young, goths, conservatives, liberals, high school kids, senior citizens, poets, songwriters, musicians, dancers, comics, students, townies, illusionists, celebrities, and complete unknowns. It's the richest and friendliest mix of people and ideas in town. You don't have to perform something, we also like people who'd rather watch than be watched.