Of Scars project.

There’s enough storytelling being performed in the Twin Cities that just the fact that a new show is happening has become unremarkable. However, the people behind Culture Casts are producing something new that promises to be much more than just another storytelling show. “Off Our Chests: Women Talk Breasts” is an evening of music, storytelling, photography and presentations all focused on that very emotionally loaded anatomical part, women’s breasts.

The creator of Culture Casts, Tony Bol, has more than 25 years of experience of producing programming that lives where relevance and entertainment overlap. For “Off Our Chests,” he’s made the brilliant move of working with Word Sprout founder Allison Broeren and cancer survivor and public speaker Camille Scheel to curate an amazing list of singers, entertainers and Twin Cities personalities.

Singer/songwriter Chastity Brown.

Singer-songwriter Chastity Brown and emcee Maria Isa will both be performing short sets during the show. Isa will also be sharing a story. Colleen Kruse will be representing the comedic and veteran storyteller part of the bill. Camille Scheel and Stephanie Hansen are both cancer survivors who will be sharing stories on how cancer impacted their lives. Twin Cities performer and actor Natalie Wass will present a story about growing up in a family of nudists. Christy Marie Kent will perform a piece about her male-to-female transition. And radio host and fundraising manager Jacquie Fuller will be is working on a piece tentatively titled “A Concise History of My Breasts.”

Emcee Maria Isa.

I connected with Fuller to ask her if she was nervous and discover why she wanted to be a part of this event, despite not being a performer. “While I’ve done some literary readings here and there, I’m not really a performer. I am, however, a master of PowerPoint presentations! And I’m also notorious in the state of Minnesota for lacking whatever part of the brain regulates personal censorship/boundaries. So when the opportunity arose to combine two things I’m passionate about – my personal business and PowerPoint – I just couldn’t say no,” she said. “But in all seriousness, I’m really excited and honored to be part of what will most certainly be a diverse range of voices around a very meaningful theme. But, yes. I’m nervous. My knees may shake a little.”

“Off Our Chests” poster.

Allison Broeren also let me ask her some questions about the show and her involvement. She produces and hosts numerous poetry and storytelling shows in the Twin Cities, so I wanted to know what makes this different from the other things she’s working on. “Ever since doing the (2013) Women of the World poetry slam, I’ve been interested in doing another women’s event during March, the national month of the woman. We get one month every year,” Broeren said.

As the show is about women’s breasts and the lineup is entirely female, it might be a common assumption that this is a show exclusively for women. Broeren would very much like everyone to know that’s not the case. “I think men should come. I don’t think it will be an in-joke of womanhood. I think it will be educational and entertaining and mind-opening. It’s not just for women in the audience,” she emphasized.

That said, the show has been very intentionally curated to be a mixture of veteran performers and women who aren’t professional entertainers but have something compelling to share. The curators also made a point of mixing comedic and serious elements. Broeren wants audiences to be ready for the wide range of themes and tones the night will bring, but also trust that she will keep the show fun. “We’re going to be hearing from a variety of different women talking about different experiences. Some of them will be easier to hear than others, but hopefully people will come with an open mind and be fine with everything,” she said. “As a host, I will do what I need to do to keep the audience [members] enjoying themselves.”

During intermission, there will be a screening of artist Kate Bailey’s compelling and powerful “Of Scars” installation, which uses photography to explore “all the facets of living with the emotional and physical scars of breast cancer.” Net proceeds from the evening will go to Stand Up to Cancer, a research organization.

“Off Our Chests: Women Talk Breasts” will take place starting at 7 p.m. on March 22 at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall, 6 W. 6th St., St. Paul. General admission is $15 and table seating is $25. Tickets can be purchased online.