Diane Kastiel is the producer and host of First Person Live. A writer and storyteller from Chicago, she’s a three-time winner of the National Public Radio’s Moth StorySLAM; her work has been featured on the Moth Radio Hour, its podcast, and at special events for WBEZ, NPR’s Chicago affiliate. Diane has told stories on stage at The Second City, Steppenwolf, the Park West, Victory Gardens and other theaters as well as comedy clubs, art galleries, the basement of a tattoo parlor - she even did a show in the middle of the woods! Diane works with libraries, schools, community centers and homeless shelters to bring storytelling to a wider audience, and leads storytelling workshops at Northwestern University. Diane is an alumna of The Second City Conservatory and the University of Chicago’s Great Books program. She also has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management…just in case. 

Luis Ortiz does print and design production for one of the world’s leading hedge funds. He’s also a true creative spirit: playing in a punk rock band, traveling with professional bands, performing improv and stand-up comedy, and acting in small independent films. Luis also appeared at the Goodman Theatre in The Homeless Monologues, a production to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless community in Chicago. For many years, he was a youth pastor, using his improv and storytelling skills to connect with the teens in the program. Luis’s hobbies include cooking, playing guitar...and catching up on sleep (!).

Dave Metz is a professional fundraiser and philanthropy consultant who is passionate about engaging with various and diverse communities byt listening to stories and sharing his own. He has spent many years working with youth and young adults as a teacher, coach and mentor, and believes that the vulnerability expressed through personal stories is one of the most effective ways of connecting with others on a deeper level. Dave holds a degree in History and Religious Studies from the University of North Florida and has attended McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He lives in the Bridgeport neighborhood with his spouse and their absolutely spoiled Australian Shepherd, Aspen.

Justin Charlton-Perrin is a recent graduate of Northwestern University – assuming you agree that somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years is recent. Following a quarter century as an advertising copywriter/creative director with myriad agencies in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Chicago, he is currently pursuing his PhD in getting old and cranky. When not telling you to get off his nonexistent lawn (he is a city dweller/Hyde Park resident) he can sometimes be found telling stories of his misspent middle age at various Moth StorySLAMs.

Errol McLendon spends his day portraying patients for medical students and guiding them in developing communication skills. He is also an adjunct professor at Indiana University Medical School. Errol has told stories at many of the venues in Chicago and is a recent Moth StorySLAM winner (with the story he’s telling tonight!). Errol also has developed a solo show he hopes to tour next summer, and a series of middle grade books he plans to publish this year. 

Nick Narcisi was a theater actor before the pandemic and since has worked in a cancer research laboratory in Chicago. (He is as surprised with that career pivot as you are.) Nick has worked with theater companies from Arkansas to Montana, spending a lot of time in small towns and dive bars throughout the country. As an actor, Nick got very good at telling other people’s stories, and only recently he started telling his own. He has performed with The Moth and is thrilled to make his First Person Live debut tonight. Nick spends most of his time in Chicago fighting imaginary dungeons and dragons with friends, or hanging out with his definitely real French girlfriend, and their even more real English Bulldog. 

Nestor Gomez was born in Guatemala and moved to Chicago in the mid ‘80s. He told his first story at a Moth StorySLAM as a way to get over stuttering. He won the slam that night and currently holds the record for most Chicago Moth StorySLAM wins. He’s also the producer and host of 80 Minutes Around the World: an Immigration Storytelling Show, which showcases stories of immigrants and their allies. But if you ask him, he will say his greatest achievements are making his mother proud and winning the heart of his wife, Sweet Mel.

FPL Special Correspondent Chad the Bird is a journalist, podcaster and contributing writer to several publications including the Chicago Reader. He has been bringing so much logic and truth to his Op-Ed columns and other writing, you'd think he has a mission. And you'd be right but you gotta figure it out for yourself so follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Chad the Podcast on iTunes - or you could get your lazy butt off the Weekend Couch and head to the Green Mill EVERY Saturday at 3:00 for the Paper Machete and catch him live in the pink with opinions made just for you. Chad would like to thank you ‘cuz you know what you did.  

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Chad the Bird is brought to you by Josh Zagoren, voice actor & host of the Chadcast.