In front of a sold out crowd at Kochanski’s Concertina Bar, we heard nine stories about being caught in a variation of acts. From school principals catching mistakes in their budgets- to ministers in strip clubs, we heard it all. Check out all the ways our tellers were “Caught in the Act” below!

Caught in the Act … of a dead battery

When in high school, Hibbie took a date to see a drive-in movie, and after the windows started mysteriously fogging up, Hibbie thought it would be a good idea to turn on the defroster to avoid suspicion. After finding the car battery dead when they were ready to leave, Hibbie called his date’s dad to pick them up. On their way home, Hibbie asked his date’s dad to pull into his neighbor’s driveway because their house was so much nicer than his own. Luckily, his neighbors did not wake up and Hibbie avoided being caught in the act twice in one night.

Caught in the Act … of embezzlement

As the new principal at a school, Eugene was in charge of signing off on the school’s budget. After months of signing whatever was in front of him, some teachers started objecting that the budgets didn’t match. After initially dismissing these claims, Eugene eventually caught his secretary in the act of skimming some off the top for themselves.

Caught in the Act … of bad timing

Ryan doesn’t get excited about birthdays, despite being surrounded by friends who do. After forgetting to wish a friend Happy Birthday on their special day, Ryan felt he needed to make it up to her. Ryan planned to play his guitar and sing Happy Birthday to her in a big public demonstration that everyone would love. In reality, Ryan busted into the lobby of his workplace with “blazing hot birthday energy” for 5-6 seconds before receiving the signal to cut his performance short. Turns out, Ryan had walked into a recent crime scene, and the crowd was not yet ready for his bright birthday spirit.

Caught in the Act … but not punished

Our next teller, Debbie, is a longtime chocoholic. However, she did not always have the funds to satisfy her cravings. As a kid she was caught stealing a Heath bar and ordered to see a priest. After a long talk, the priest asked for her home phone number. Thinking on her feet, and not wanting her parents to catch her in the act, Debbie gave him a fake number and was off the hook.

Caught in the Act … of being vulnerable

Our next teller took a different approach to the night’s theme. While struggling through her first pregnancy, Sarah wanted to do everything herself and prove that she didn’t need help with anything even when pregnant. After being induced, getting sick, and feeling humiliated and disgusted with herself, Sarah realized the importance of vulnerability and being okay with asking for help. After being caught in the act of being vulnerable and starting to embrace the love around her, her second pregnancy went perfectly.

Caught in the Act … of ‘it’s not what it looks like’

Geoff’s 200 pound friend found himself in a drinking competition with a 90 pound woman – a competition he thought he’d surely win. Unfortunately, Geoff’s friend couldn’t keep up and wandered away to pass out on a couch in the basement. Looking for his phone, Geoff eventually found his friend with Geoffrey’s phone in his pocket. After attempting to wake him up and not getting a response, Geoff reached into his friend’s pocket. As he did this he heard from another person coming down the stairs behind him catch him in the act, asking him “Geoff … what are you doing?”

Caught in the Act … of trusting new friends

While in Cuba by way of Jamaica, John went on a tour of Havana with four locals, who afterward asked him to rent a car for them to see more of island. After driving for a few days the group started approaching the mileage limit on the rental, and though John kept asking to go back, his four friends convinced him to keep going, promising that everything would be okay. When returning the car, John found that one of his friends had turned the odometer back about 100 miles too far, and Joe struggled to explain how he had driven -100 miles.

Caught in the Act … of the prankster life

Lauren had been hooked on pranks since middle school, and saw herself as a master prankster. However, after rigging someone’s door to dump Oreos on them when they entered the room, Lauren realized she was trapped inside. To get out, Lauren had to slide out of the room’s second-story window. She was never caught in the act, but she was caught with bruises all over her arms and back.

Caught in the Act … of meeting the people where they are

Rick, a minister, drove his intoxicated friends to a place called “Hoops”, which Rick assumed was a sports bar. To Rick’s surprise, while “Hoops” was a bar, it was also a strip club. Because his friends couldn’t drive, Rick and the other minister agreed to stay and watch the game at a bar in the back. Eventually, one of the dancers called Rick and his friend over to pray with her, because she had just found out that her mom had stage 4 cancer. Though he obliged, Rick couldn’t help but notice the irony of two ministers praying in a strip club with a naked woman. “Thankfully” Rick added, “we were not caught in the act.”

Thank You!

Big thank you’s to Kochanski’s Concertina Bar for hosting, our wonderful crew of volunteers, and to our sponsors. Without the support of these groups we could not have put on this show! Northwestern Mutual WUWM 89.7 FM – Milwaukee’s NPR Milwaukee Turners at Turner Hall Wisconsin Arts Board Transfer Pizzeria Café Colectivo Coffee LuLu Cafe & Bar We Energies Gorman & Company Brico Fund and CAMPAC!

Next StorySlam

You’re invited to our next StorySlam: “Beginner’s Luck” at Mr. J’s Lounge, 4610 W Fond Du Lac Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53216, Tuesday December 4, 2018, 7:30 – 9:45 pm. Advance tickets $10, or $12 at the door. Purchase tickets HERE. See you soon!