Mainers tell the stories that bring us home in ‘Mythic Migrations’ | Column
Bath’s Chocolate Church Hosts “Mythic Migrations” Storytelling Showcase
Bath, Maine – The Chocolate Church Arts Center will turn its Main Stage into a living archive of migration stories on Friday, November 20 at 7 p.m. The evening’s centerpiece, “Mythic Migrations,” is a collaborative performance crafted by writer and translator Ilan Stavans and executive‑artistic director Matthew Glassman, after a week of workshops with local participants.
The project draws on voices from a wide array of backgrounds. Among the storytellers are new Maine residents who arrived from Somalia, Palestine, China, Puerto Rico, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as long‑time Bath residents whose families have called the town home for more than seven generations. Matthew’s own son, Nicolás—born in Chile—also shares his story. “We’re not looking for actors,” Glassman told the Times Record, “but people who can speak from the heart.” Each performer will have spent the preceding week developing autobiographical monologues that capture the stages of migration: leaving home, the journey itself, and building a new life.
The evening’s structure will blend these individual narratives into a single, mosaic‑style theatrical work. Music, objects, and projections will accompany the spoken word, but the focus remains on the intimate act of storytelling. “The performers are ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives,” said Stavans, a Mexican‑born essayist, scholar, translator and poet. “Their stories are the true epic.”
In addition to the performance, the Chocolate Church will host a public talk on Monday, November 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Annex. Stavans will discuss his latest book of poems and essays, Fictional Translations. The event will give audience members a chance to hear the author’s perspective on the art of translation and the way stories cross cultural borders.
The initiative began with an evocative personal anecdote from Glassman. His great‑grandmother, 13‑year‑old in 1913, hid among hay bales on a cargo ship from Odessa, Ukraine, to the United States. “I’d love to hear that story in her broken English, her Russian accent, all of it,” Glassman recalled. The project’s aim is to let similar first‑hand memories be shared with a wider audience, turning individual histories into a collective narrative of human experience.
The Chocolate Church Arts Center, a community‑driven venue in Bath’s historic waterfront district, has long been a platform for local arts and culture. This year’s “Mythic Migrations” reflects the town’s growing diversity and its role as a gateway for newcomers to New England.
Tickets for the November 20 performance are available online and at the church office. The event is free, though donations are encouraged to support future community‑based arts programming. For more information, visit the Chocolate Church website or contact the center at (207) 555‑0123.
