Free

In a September post on the Carapace Facebook page Randy said: “It's always free on the fourth Tuesday of the month.”

The fact that the show is free, no doubt makes the audience members more willing to risk hearing uncomfortable stories (Who wants to pay to be uncomfortable? Well maybe some people.). As Joyce pointed out in her interview, the show being free does lower audience expectation. If they pay they expect better stories. And this creates a safer environment for the storytellers as well. They don’t feel pressure to put on a show worth paying for.

Also, the fact that entry is free makes the show more inclusive, as far as who is able to come. This connects back to the idea that audience members can become storytellers. They have to come to the event first and having no entry fee makes it easier to walk through the door.

Cris often states enthusiastically that “This is a free show,” which I take to mean, “Can you believe what you are getting for free?” Certainly it is an experience that would be worth paying for. But if you had to pay it wouldn’t be the same experience.