Cincinnati, OH — May 5th — What happens when you turn a live show over to the audience? That’s the question The Campfireball, an original, ‘reverse-storytelling’ show premiering at the 2025 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, attempts to find out. Inverting the passive viewing experience of traditional storytelling, creator and host Cory Howard creates active, absurd, and unconventional conduits through which the audience has the chance to share their real-life stories, and have their narratives become the centerpiece of the event. And that’s the show.
“Somewhere in my storytelling journey it occurred to me that there was no single story I could come up with that would rival the near infinite amount of stories contained in a room full of people, the trick is just, how to get them to come out…?” says Howard, the show’s creator and emcee.
The result: a part game show, part talk show, part immersive theatre experience called The Campfireball. Developed and workshopped in a master’s program for Storytelling (a real thing that does exist), Howard hopes by the end people have a chance to surprise themselves with their own stories, witness the depth and complexity of other people’s stories, and ultimately to tell a new story, the story of those of us in that room in that moment in time.
What People Have Said About The Campfireball:
“If I had one wish, it’s that everyone could experience The Campfireball.”
— Regan, audience member
“Cory Howard created a fun and engaging environment by turning storytelling on its head.”
— The East Tennesseean
“Cory Howard took the shared pieces of our lives and created a story on the spot. It was like watching a story magician!”
— Hampton Storytelling
Showtimes & Venue:
June 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th, & 13th
First Lutheran Church Sanctuary
Cincinnati Fringe Festival
Tickets: cincyfringe.com
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 