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THE MOTH MAINSTAGE: AMERICAN DREAMS STARTS IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
Acclaimed nonprofit to present multi-city storytelling shows —plus themed podcast and radio episodes— exploring hope, ambition, and belonging as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary
 

 

 

January 22, 2026 – (Anchorage, AK) — Global storytelling nonprofit The Moth announced its Winter/Spring 2026 season starting in Anchorage, centering on the theme AMERICAN DREAMS—a thoughtful and provocative exploration of hope, ambition, identity, and belonging at a defining moment in the nation’s history. The Anchorage performance of The Moth will include Alaskan storytellers Na Mee and Polly Napiq Andrews.

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, The Moth is marking the moment by examining one of America’s most enduring and complicated ideas: the American Dream. For two and a half centuries, it has tantalized people with the possibility…of possibility.  Each of us carries some version of it – the irrepressible notion that where you begin does not necessarily determine where you end up. The belief that, in America, anything is possible.

This season, at more than 20 curated Moth Mainstage shows across the U.S., storytellers will explore the idea of the American Dream— its promises and its challenges. What happens when it’s dashed or deferred, or when it unexpectedly comes true? As audiences sit shoulder to shoulder, they will encounter a vivid mosaic of personal stories of reinvention, resilience, heartbreak, hope, survival and, yes, the enduring pull of possibility.
 

“At this significant moment in our country's history, we could think of no better way to honor the beautiful, complex quilt that is America than by sharing true personal stories of American Dreams,” says Christina Norman, Chief Creative Officer of The Moth. “These fresh stories of hope, humor and heart let us focus on the many things we share rather than the noise that pulls us apart.”

 

Each Moth Mainstage is a curated, theme-driven show where storytellers from all walks of life share true stories told live and without notes. The Winter/Spring 2026 Season will travel from Anchorage to New York, Los Angeles to Boston–in cities and small towns alike–creating a collective portrait of what it means to dream in America today.

 

Local Alaskan storytellers for the Anchorage show include

 

Tickets for The Moth’s complete Winter/Spring 2026 Mainstage Season (see full list below) are available at themoth.org/mainstage:

 

With The Moth’s 30th anniversary approaching in 2027, the 2026 season builds momentum toward the next chapter in The Moth’s ongoing work highlighting the art and power of storytelling.
 

 

ABOUT ANCHORAGE CONCERT ASSOCIATION 

Anchorage Concert Association is a nonprofit organization with the mission to inspire and enhance community through the performing arts. Anchorage Concert Association connects people through performance and presents local and internationally acclaimed artists from the entire spectrum of the performing arts. Learn more at anchorageconcerts.org. 

ABOUT THE MOTH
The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting humanity through the power of storytelling. Over the past 28 years, The Moth has presented over 65,000 stories, told live and without notes to standing­-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth conducts eight ongoing programs: The Moth Mainstage, which tours internationally, has featured stories by Elizabeth Gilbert, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kathleen Turner, Malcolm Gladwell, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, John Turturro, Molly Ringwald, Boots Riley, Krista Tippett, Damon Young, Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Danyel Smith and Tig Notaro, as well as an astronaut, a pickpocket, a hot­dog eating champion and hundreds more; The Moth StorySLAM program, which conducts open mic storytelling competitions in 29 cities: 27 in the US plus Melbourne, AU and London, UK; The Moth Community Engagement Program, which offers storytelling workshops and performance opportunities to adults who are too often overlooked by the mainstream media; The Moth Education Program, which brings the thrill of personal storytelling to high schools and colleges in New York, and educators around the world; The Moth Global Community Program, which develops and elevates true, personal stories from extraordinary individuals in the global south; The Moth Podcast—the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award Winner for Best Podcast Series—which is downloaded tens of millions of times a year; MothWorks, which uses the essential elements of Moth storytelling as an empathetic communication tool; and the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour which, produced by Jay Allison at Atlantic Public Media and presented by PRX, The Public Radio Exchange, airs weekly on over 540+ public radio stations nationwide. The Moth released its first card deck, A Game of Storytelling (Clarkson-Potter), and its second podcast, the Webby Award-Winning, Grown, is available on all major streaming platforms. To date, The Moth has published five critically acclaimed books: New York Times Bestseller The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette Books, September 2013), All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown (Crown Archetype, March 2017) — described as “wonderful” by NYT’s Michiko Kakutani and New York Times Bestsellers Occasional Magic: True Stories of Defying the Impossible (Crown Archetype, March 2019), How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth (Crown Archetype, April 2022) and its newest book, A Point of Beauty: True Stories of Holding On and Letting Go (Crown Archetype, March 2024), out now. Learn more at themoth.org