The performers at the 2026 Women’s Storytelling Festival are coming to our stage from near and far.
Karin Amano trained in traditional theatre techniques, dance, and voice over performance in her native Japan before studying educational theatre at NYU and performing in numerous off-off Broadway productions in New York. She’s been an actor / storyteller at Walt Disney World for 25 years, including performing street comedy theatre at several Epcot pavilions. Her storytelling performances have included appearances at the National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place, Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the Bay Area Storytelling Festival.
Bonnie Gardner is one of our local treasures in Northern Virginia. She’s a former journalist and worked in IT, but stories remain one of her great loves. She performs frequently with Better Said Than Done and has also performed with Six Feet Apart, winning their story slam. Other appearances have included the Women’s Storytelling Festival, the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival, the Connecticut Storytelling Festival, and the Grapevine.
Jennifer Munro grew up in the English Midlands, surrounded by family stories, secrets, and gossip. Her wide-ranging stories, which also incorporate myth and legend with her personal narrative, are full of humor and insight, with exquisite detail and precision. She’s a recipient of the National Storytelling Network Circle of Excellence Award and has performed throughout the United States and the world. Her book, Aunty Lily and Other Delightfully Perverse Stories, won a Storytelling World Award. Her most recent project is one-woman show based on Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.
Regina Stoops has used her skill at snappy comebacks to entertain and annoy folks her entire life. She had a Normal upbringing – the small town of Normal, Illinois, that is. Sh began her stage life as a stand-up comedian, emcee, and improv performer, before discovering storytelling. She has been a multiple Moth StorySlam Winner, a National Storytelling Network Grand Slam Finalist, and an Exchange Place teller at the National Storytelling Festival. She is the co-founder of Six Feet Apart Productions (along with Claire Hennessy), which led to winning the National Storytelling Network Oracle Award for Regional Service and Leadership. She tells true, personal stories, infused with humor, focused on the struggles and strengths of the human condition, including her suburban life, as a multiple sclerosis warrior raising three kids with her wife in the suburbs.
Liz Weir hails from Northern Ireland and has shared stories for over 40 years on five continents. She’s performed at the National Storytelling Festival (in Tennessee), the Australian National Storytelling Festival, and venues in Germany, South Africa, and Canada among others. She was the first winner of the International Storybridge Award from the National Storytelling Network. Within Northern Ireland, she is the Storyteller in Residence for Libraries NI and works with people of all ages to help them enhance their storytelling skills. She’s been honored with an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), making her storytelling royalty in our book.
Join Better Said Than Done for the Women’s Storytelling Festival, March 19 – 22, 2026, both in-person in Fairfax City, VA, and live streaming online! The 2026 Women’s Storytelling Festival kicks off March 19 at 8:00pm Eastern/5:00pm Pacific with a virtual only showcase. The in-person storytelling starts at 7:00pm Eastern on March 20 and runs through the evening of March 22, 2026.
Virtual Festival Pass is $50
Full Festival Pass is $70
One Day Tickets available at the Door for $35